Stay Alive Just Drive Goes National!

Not only has SAJD been endorsed by safety agencies in the State of Florida but our friend Jay Anderson has been invited to participate on traffic fatality reduction discussions as an expert to the DOT this September.

Go SAJD......great work - keep it up!

Visit http://www.sajd.org/ to learn more about Distracted Driving.

Distracted Driving Summit Invitation

August 26, 2009

Dear Jay Anderson:
On behalf of U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, I am pleased to invite you to participate in an important national summit to consider ways to reduce the number of crashes and fatalities due to distracted driving.

The Distracted Driving Summit will be convened by the Department of Transportation on September 30 – October 1, 2009 at the Renaissance Hotel, 999 9th St NW, Washington DC. The summit will provide an opportunity for expert speakers from around the nation to interactive sessions on key topics including the extent and impact of the distracted driving problem, current research, regulations, technology implications, and best practices in enforcement and public outreach.

Best Regards,

Peter H Appel, Administrator, U.S. Department of Transportation

Update: ICE4SAFETY is Now a Charter Sponsor Member of SAJD and suggests you consider being one too! SAJD# 09-0004

Visit ICE4Safety Website

Prep Tip - Safe Following Distance

Once again traffic safety simplified......when in traffic practice creating safe distance space between yourself and the next vehicle ahead - this also applies when coming to a halt in traffic at a signal.

You can see that in the top picture that your options to get out of harms way in an emergency - such as a road rage incident or if the vehicle becomes (or is) disabled are diminished by your lack of adequate operating space.

This is dangerous.

Instead, practice this rule of thumb: if you can see the rear tires of the vehicle in front of you when stopped in traffic, then you will have sufficient room to maneuver when you have to.

This is also very useful during inclement weather and on slippery pavement when the operator in front may spin out and lose control.

We liked to practice this so it became second nature during emergency vehicle operations when you were called to respond immediately to a variety of emergencies - if you were stuck in place like in the top picture.....drivers had to resort to unnecessary and time consuming tactics to get out of traffic and respond.

This directly relates back to earlier discussions about having good situational awareness.

Bottom Line: Allow proper spacing between vehicles when stopped so you can respond if necessary to protect yourself.

Visit ICE4SAFETY Website

ICE & Public Service Messages

ICE lends it self to public service messages for Vehicle Safety/ Fire Safety /Distracted Driving Safety / Poison Control / Workplace Safety / Campus Safety / Emergency First Aid.......and the list just keeps on growing.

The enhanced poster above gets your attention and makes a point. Simple.

Visit ICE4SAFETY Website

Ambulance on ICE - Amber

Amber Ambulance in Marietta, New York - on the peaceful shores of Otisco Lake continues to celebrate their 60th year as an all-volunteer ambulance corp. The only one in Onondaga County in fact! That is no small accomplishment given all the regulatory issues and training that go into running one of these squads!

These folks found the time to roll out an ICE Program as well as juggling their family time and handling emergencies as their way of giving back to the local community they had served for 60 years.....lot of history there! Amber also would like to say thank you again to the people of the community for their generous support during this years annual fund drive.

ICE representing the delivery of emergency medical services!

Visit ICE4SAFETY Website

Back to School !

It's that time again...summer winding down and some colleges already are in session.

With school comes extracurricular activities like ski club, soccer, xc track and others that require travel.

Parents, are you absolutely confident that your child's safety is well in hand or might there be something else you could do - or that your school could do to ensure the safety of your children?


Each year about 800 school age children are killed in motor vehicle incidents during the regular school hour travel periods.

Approximately 2% of those killed are bus related.
Private passenger vehicle deaths account for 74%
Pedestrian and Bicycle accidents account for 22%

One way might be to make sure they come back to school prepared by using ICE - some common sense thoughts when travelling to school:

Be cognizant of your route to school - delays, construction areas, detours.

Start out early to school...that way you won't be forced to rush and take chances or be subject to be late due to road delays.

Wear high visibilty clothing when walking - when driving don't tailgate the bus - stay back.

Stay off the phone and do not text when driving your kids to school.

Make sure walking students know enough not to use phones or text when in traffic so they can be fully aware of others who are driving and also may not be paying attention.