Kyle Rowley was killed by a distracted and texting driver in May, 2011 not far from his home in Fairfax County. He was 19 years old. Kyle returned home from his freshman year of college, got a job cooking at the Red Robin, and was dead a week and a half later. He was a … Continue reading →
This is the second in a series of blog posts written by people who have had their lives turned upside-down by a distracted driver. Christina Dempsey tells of three lives lost in one instant: On August 27, 2013, my sister’s boyfriend Mike, his son Michael, my sister Bethany, my niece Lauren, and soon-to-be niece Abby, … Continue reading →
This award-winning essay was written by Breonna Hughes. Breonna’s father, Brad Hughes, speaks to corporate, school, and military groups about the dangers of distracted driving. He is one of DRIVE SMART Virginia’s most dedicated volunteers. Brad asks that you sign our petition urging the General Assembly to Make Virginia Drivers Put Down the Phone. At 16, … Continue reading →
Robert L. Sumwalt has been a member of the NTSB since 2006 and has been a fierce advocate for improving safety in all modes of transportation, including teen driver safety, impaired driving, distractions in transportation, and several rail safety initiatives. Sumwalt will deliver a keynote address for the 2014 Virginia Distracted Driving Summit on September … Continue reading →
Cpl. Rebecca Ellison of the Virginia Commonwealth University Police Department recently stopped a woman near the school’s medical campus for traveling the wrong way on a one-way street. Ellison immediately noted that the driver had a cell phone in her hand — and knew exactly what to say. “If you put that phone down, you … Continue reading →
Every day in this county, an average of nine people die in traffic crashes where the proximate cause was driver distraction, usually a distraction from technology. That’s nine families per day who will never again celebrate their loved one’s birthday, enjoy Christmas morning together or simply receive a daily hug. It’s easy to talk about … Continue reading →
A recent study by Virginia Tech showed 80 percent of all crashes, and 65 percent of all near-crashes, involved a distracted driving incident within three seconds of the event. In fact, according to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, distracted driving is the number one killer of American teens. Thankfully, alcohol-related crashes among … Continue reading →
I went through the drive-through of McDonalds, extremely hungry, and bought a burger and fries. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I was looking down and eating my fries. Next thing I know, I hear a crash and jolted forward. While I was busy eating my fries, I didn’t even realize that … Continue reading →
The conversation always begins with a knock on a door. It’s one of the hardest responsibilities of a public safety professional’s job – delivering a death message. Telling someone that his or her loved one won’t be coming home today, tonight, tomorrow, ever. Sadly, that tragic conversation has already taken place in living rooms across … Continue reading →
For those of us who understand the distractions of talking or texting on a cell phone while driving and acknowledge this is not a safe thing to do, we probably avoid picking up the phone to use while the vehicle is in motion. But how many of us while sitting at a stop light or … Continue reading →