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Drowsy, distracted, aggressive, impaired and not buckling up are not the only cause of traffic related deaths!
My beloved husband, Brian and his daughter, Kristin were killed in Spanish Fork Canyon (Highway 6) in January 2008 when they hit black ice and swerved into oncoming traffic and were hit by another vehicle. I am convinced that there would not have been fatalities in this accident if there would have been concrete barriers dividing the lanes of traffic going in opposite directions.
These concrete barriers would also help prevent other fatalities caused by head-on collisions, whether or not it's a drowsy, distracted or aggressive driver.
01/08/2008
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on july 6,2005. my two sons were walking home and were only two blocks away from their house,in a school zone. they were crossing the street when a careless driver hit and killed my 7 year old son. jordan lee morse. the driver admitted seeing the kids crossing the street, but to ditracted by something he was doing, he didnt stop. he got off with not even a ticket. this has devastated my family, this is a senseless loss thar could of been avoided.01/03/2008
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The short answer is YES. You see, substances such as alcohol and drugs affect our reaction time, ability to multi-task, and our coordination. This is why people don't recognize that they've run a stop sign or over-correct when they swerve. I can't speak for every person in the world, but as I get more tired I react more slowly, can't concentrate on as many things, and tend to become more clumsy.
Yes, it may seem silly to have "Driving While Tired" laws because not everyone is affected by tiredness in the same way I am. Apparently, however, many people ARE affected in a manner similar to intoxication. It is also very apparent that many people do not choose to control themselves when they are a danger to others. This is where the nature of many laws comes into play - our protection and definition of punishment for those who choose to do harm, whether the harm is realized or not.
Before my fiancee and I married, I would typically travel to her parents house (about 45 minutes away from my home) fives days of the week. There were many times I would get very tired (especially on the way home), and I would often pull over to rest before continuing on. However, there were a few times I decided to push forward because I *needed* to get home *as soon as possible* to address something of *critical importance*. In other words, I decided that my needs and wants were worth the risk of hurting or killing someone else.
I can remember two times I was drowsy behind the wheel - the first occurred on a winding, mountain road. I was swerving all of the place, struggling to keep myself awake. The glaring headlights in my rearview mirror exacerbated my drowsiness. Surprise and confusion set in as the other driver passed me over the double-yellow line and the state seal floated just a few feet beyond my window. A state police officer on a state road passed someone exhibiting all the classic signs of drunk driving, AND DID NOT DO A THING ABOUT IT. Instead, I was left to weave and swerve my way home.
A few months later, as I was driving home on a highway I fell asleep behind the wheel. My foot never left the gas pedal, and I traveled around one-third of a mile down the road. I woke up as the back of a trailer filled my windshield, and had enough time to yell "NO!" before I rammed into the semi's back tires at 60 miles per hour. Glory be to G-d, I was the only one hurt and came out of the crash with just a swollen lip and a headache. I also came out of the crash with a full realization of just how dangerous I am when I'm driving while drowsy.12/08/2007
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I work 12.5 hours nightshift 7pm to 7am in a critical care unit. Many of the nurses I work with are so sleepy when we get off work that we have to pull to the side of the road and take a quick nap so we can drive home safely. We are not allowed to remain at the hospital and take a nap (30 minutes) after work. We are not allowed to use our meal break (30 minutes) to take a nap either. I think that hospital management should be held partially responsible for the high fatique level of the staff.11/16/2007
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I have driven a lot, all over the country. I see bicyclists wearing helmets and yet think they are supermen. They ride on the line that divides car lanes and cycle lanes. I have seen them get mad because they almost get hit by cars who will hit them rather then have head-on.
Cyclists need to pay attention as well as drivers and not push their rite (they think it is) of way.
They lose every time and I do not know how to get it across to them that they should be in their lane, not just the wheels of their bikes, but their bodies as well. I stopped a cyclist on Bangerter highway and tried to tell him it is illegal to ride on this road, he passed several signs, and he wanted to argue and fight me before he realized there were in fact signs and he was going to get himself killed.
I also ride a bicycle, just not during rush hour and not in areas that force drivers to pick between another car and the bicyclist.
You want to make commercials, make on pointing out to cyclists not to straddle the line, but get in the lane!!!!
09/03/2007
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on april 29th 2007 my friend dani was taken from me. she was only 18. since that day my life has been turned upside down. and now from that i am battling depression. and it's all because someone wanted to get high. dani was killed in a head-on collision. she had so much to live for. and it was taken, everything was taken. my whole school was affected. it just makes me wonder, why did it happen. i am only 16 and i have learned early on that no matter how hard you try to be safe on the road, some isn't and they could change your life forever. all of this has brought on alot of anger. and we can prevent more deaths just like this one. i would've never thought that something like this could really affect me. before when i would hear about this stuff i would just think "it's just another statistic, it won't matter to me" i was wrong. i am begging all of you people to think twice before getting into a car after drinking or doing drugs. and we have to help prevent this from happening again. cause maybe next time it will affect you or even happen to you. now when i hate watching the local news because im expecting to hear that another one of my friends has been taken just like dani. please help prevent this08/15/2007
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This is a VERY serious problem. You may think this is a joke, but many people die each and every day on highways all across this country due to drowsy driving! YOU know if your too tired to be driving. And the sad fact is almost everyone is guilty of driving drowsy, but not of drinking and driving. Yes you should be held accountable if you get behind the wheel of a car and drive knowing your tired! You can try to convince yourself, just like the person leaving the bar. But you are impared! There is a law "Maggies Law" in New Jersey, for a 20yr old woman who lost her life due to someone "thinking" they could make it home, but knowing that they were tired, and still made a choice to drive. If you know your tired, and everyone knows when they are tired! You should not be driving! Don't fool yourself into thinking, oh it won't happen to me or someone I love. It can. AND unless someone in your family dies due to a drowsy driver, or is put in a wheelchair for life due to someone knowing they are tired but makes the choice to drive a car anyway, then you should be held accountable for your choice! I hope you never have to experience first hand the pain of losing a loved one, or living the rest of your life knowing that you are the cause of someone else losing their life just because you think it's OK to drive when your tired! IT'S NOT OK! And it would not be making headlines across the country and TV ads would not be aired, road signs telling you to pull off the highway and rest would not be up along several highways if this was not becoming such a serious issue! People need to be aware. People need to be held accountable for their choices. It's not just your life you are putting in danger but all the other people out there on the highway with you.
Think about it.....08/08/2007
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August 22, 1998, my son Ronnie Lynn Thompson lost his life in a automobile accident. His friend was driving. They had been training with the Marines that morning. Then my son and his Army, J.R.O.T.C. Cadet friends stopped at our home to get Ronnie's gun and ammo. They were on their way to Tooele Army Depot to practice their shooting skills. After they got off the freeway, they stopped and my son exchanged seats with Cadet Josh D.This now place Ronnie in the front passenger seat and Cadet Josh D. in the back seat, directly behind Ronnie. Then,they were on their way. The speed limit on this 2 lane (not divided highway) was 60 MPH. They were traveling the speed limit that Saturday afternoon, when the driver,Cadet Vance B. fell asleep at the wheel. They were headed Southbound ( towards Tooele )the car started drifting to the right shoulder, that must have woke the driver, he was heading off the road when he over corrected, and 60 MPH he lost control of the car. The car started to roll and the tires started to come off the rims, which dug into the road, they were now in the Northbound lane and the car was struck broadside, impact speed 120 MPH, the driver of the other car had no time to do anything except hit the car. My son Ronnie died on impact. The car was almost cut in half and parts of the car and the contents of the car were all over the highway. There were 3 young men in the car, including my son. The other car held 2 people a mother and her son. Out of 5 people involved in this horrible accident, my son was the only one who did not survive. He was getting ready to start his jr. year at Taylorsville High School and to start his 2nd year of Army J.R.O.T.C., he also was a Navy Sea Cadet at Fort Douglas, and graduated from Navy Sea Cadet Boot Camp in Fort Wachuca, Arizona. Ronnie had also been invited to Washington D.C. and was planning on meeting the President, Bill Clinton. Ronnie wanted to attend West Virginia Military Acadamy. He had filled out several papers, and was looking forward to a brite future. Ronnie was just 16 years old when he was taken from his Mother and his Sister, and the rest of his family. Our lives were ripped apart that day, and I will forever have a hole in my heart, that nothing, not even time can heal!
Ronnie was given a military funeral,including a 21-gun salute, Army J.R.O.T.C. Cadet members from Taylorsville High. Taps was played for him and his bearers were also Cadets. They folded the flag that was on his casket and handed it to me. I will never forget that feeling when I drove home that awful August early evening. Two police cars were parked in front of our home. My daughter and my cousin were standing in the front yard, and before I knew it Ronnie's Father arrived. I still had no idea of the terrible accident. The officers asked me if I was the Mother of Ronnie Thompson, and I said I was. They then told me there had been a accident, then they told me Ronnie had not survived the accident. I have no memory after that. My daughter Candace told me I screamed so loud and then passed out. I remember being in our living room, and feeling numb. I was looking at the officers, and one of them saw a large photograph of Ronnie in his Navy Sea Cadet uniform, and he said to someone in the room that he hated this and to look at that picture of Ronnie he seemed upset I heard him say "why, he looked like such a good kid." The next few days I seemed to be in a fog. The day Ronnie was laid to rest still seems unreal. And to this day my heart aches for my son Ronnie Lynn. I am so glad that people are being made aware the dangers of driving while drowsy! I feel it needs to be right up there with driving drunk! I truly feel that almost everyone is guilty of driving while drowsy. While not everyone drinks and or uses drugs then gets behind the wheel of a automobile. I was to happy when I saw the first road sign on a Utah highway telling people to exit and get some rest if they are drowsy. These signs have been put on more highways in the state of Utah, and I hope to see more of them. Maybe even a ribbon can be tied to your car like the red ones for drunk driving awarness! Thank you for providing this space for this Mom to tell her story. 07/11/2007
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I do not work for Zero Fataliites, however, as a person who has had a family member die because of a drowsy driver, I feel the goal of Z.F. is to inform the public of this problem so we as members of a larger community can make better informed decisions when it comes to driving (ie, don't drive while you are tired, drunk, etc.) I find your comments very arrogant and show to me that the only time you think of others and how your driving might effect them is when the law needs to step in and tell you such. Open your eyes and just be smart about driving sensibly. 05/28/2007
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It was the early morning of November11,2005. Shane left for work as usual, it was about 5a.m when he left. He was killed instantly when a driver came through the intersection asleep and hit his driver side door. The man who killed him fell asleep at the wheel, ran the red light, and left me and my family to cope with the loss of Shane. Shane is the father of two young kids ages 2 and 4 at the time of the accident. We had only lived here for 6 weeks before this tragic event happened, we moved here from California in search of a better life. I don't know if you call this a better life. Shane was only only 34 years old and much too young to die. He loved his family and was such a proud husband and father. Now all we are left with is memories. We miss him so much and want him with us but the careless actions of this other driver robbed us of the life with Shane. The guy who did this to him was dismissed of all charges and now another blow to the heart that we have to live with. The laws are not fair and very unjust. This man should have to pay for something not let go as if my husband of 9 1/2 years did not mean anything. He means the world to us still and I refuse to give up. What drives me in my new life is my kids telling me that they miss their DADDY. I will fight for justice til the day I die if I have to. Laws need to be made, cause no other families need to go through what we have gone through. Now my kids have to grow up only knowing their DADDY from what they remember and Mommy has told them. Please find justice for these families as well as mine. His memory will always live on and he will never be forgotten. In loving memory....Shane Michael Davey 6-21-71 to 11-11-0505/17/2007
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I dont belive the story they have told about my friend Bob pulling in front of the Semi. THere were reports of this same truck driving recklessly in other lanes of traffic, as a drunk driver would. Bob was one of the safest drivers i knew, and never would blind pass a vehicle on the highway, especially with snow. Robert was wearing his seatbelt, but at the spped the truck was going it wouldnt matter. i want to make the point that because of some truck drivers mistake of driving impaired, we now have lost a member of our group. Bobert was only 19 when this accident happened, and he had so much more to live for. He had a Fiance, and many friends at the time. I can only wish that others will see how much pain this has caused all of his friends and family, so maybe we can help to stop those who make driving dangerous. We miss you Bob!04/24/2007
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As my family of four headed home to Hurricane from Cedar City, after a family get together. We were at the top of what is known as the Black Ridge when a Semi truck came over into my lane forcing me off the road and into the medium. If we had been a quarter of a mile further on the road, we would have been forced into the guard rail and squished. My husband quickly got on his cell phone from the passenger seat and called 911. The truck was finally pulled over just outside of Washington after several other people also reported him. We were called to come identify the truck and upon doing so, found that the driver was way over his hours and should have been asleep and not driving. Thank god my dad who is a truck driver never does that.01/12/2007
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As I was jogging one Sunday morning I was nearly hit TWICE by distracted drivers.
I was running in the bicycle lane facing oncoming traffic, when a woman talking on her cell phone drove toward me. Engaged in her conversation, she wasn’t even looking at the road. As her car started drifting toward me she looked up and saw me in time to pull her car back into her lane. If she hadn’t looked up and seen me, I would have been hit.
A few minutes later, as I was about to cross the road at an intersection, a man talking on a cell phone drove up to the stop sign and, instead of stopping to look for other cars or pedestrians, he kept going. He looked left as he was turning right, but he never looked to his right. He didn’t even see me, but he almost hit me as I was about to cross the street.
These two near-miss experiences made me a little nervous. I had been almost hit twice in my own neighborhood in broad daylight. I’m sure neither of these people was intentionally driving recklessly; they were just distracted. It reminded me that I have to be on the defensive all the time to keep myself safe from distracted drivers.
01/09/2007
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When I was a teenager, I rarely got a full night of sleep. I did a driving newspaper route in the early morning hours seven days a week, and tried to keep up with my schoolwork and social life the rest of the day. I liked working in the morning before school so I could be involved in activities after school, however, there were many times when I would crawl into bed around midnight after finishing homework or hanging out with friends, only to get up four hours later to do my paper route, way too tired to be driving.
One morning I had to take the freeway to pick up my newspapers. I was in the far lane and my exit was approaching, so I put on my blinker and started to move over. When I glanced to my right there was a police car, which I almost hit. I hadn’t even seen him come up next to me because I was so drowsy. I’m sure he thought I was drunk, but when he pulled me over and started talking to me, he realized I was just tired.
Another time on my way back from picking up my newspapers around 4 a.m., I unexpectedly saw flashing lights behind me. I pulled over and the cop asked me if I knew I had run a red light. I was in disbelief, but he told me I had run a light about a mile back. I hadn’t noticed the light was red, not even after I had driven right under it. It scares me that I could be so tired that I didn’t even know what I was doing, although I thought I was just fine. Drowsy driving really is just as dangerous as drunk driving.
During a college vacation, I went to Logan to visit some friends and didn’t start for home until after midnight. I couldn’t stay in Logan overnight because I was borrowing my mom’s car and she needed to use it in the morning, so I set out for the drive home through Sardine Canyon. I was getting really sleepy, but I knew I needed to get home, so I kept going. All of a sudden, I was pulled out of my sleepy stupor by a pair of headlights coming straight at me. The panic woke me up enough to realize the headlights I had seen were actually on the other side of the road, right where they were supposed to be. I was so tired I hadn’t been able to comprehend the curves in the road. If I had tried to swerve to miss the car I thought was going to hit me, I probably would have veered off the road and tumbled down a steep hill into a valley somewhere in the middle of Sardine Canyon. No one would have found me for hours.
I am one lucky girl. I have taken many risks with my life and have come out on top every time, never harming myself or anyone else. But I shutter to think what could have happened if one factor in any of these circumstances would have been slightly different. If there had been a car traveling through the intersection when I ran the red light or if the cop car on the freeway had been a few inches farther back, I would have hit them. I had no control over what was happening when I was drowsy, because I was too tired to make conscious decisions. I’ve never had a drink of alcohol, yet I have put myself in the same danger as those who drink and drive. I’m not going to wait for my luck to run out, because if I keep taking chances like this, someday it will. I’m going to change my driving habits and stop driving drowsy. My life is worth it.
12/02/2006
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At 17 years old, I felt like I was a pretty experienced driver. Two of my friends and I were coming home from a fishing trip in Dell, Montana, and I had a goal to drive all the way back without any help from my friends, to prove to them that I could do it. We had spent the day before fishing and hunting and we were all pretty tired, so I drove while the other two slept.
By about 11 p.m. or midnight, I was starting to employ little tricks to stay awake: cranking up the radio, rolling down the windows, slapping myself, etc. Just a few miles after crossing the Utah/Idaho border, I started counting the delineators (roadside reflector poles) and calculating how many there were between overpasses to keep my mind awake. Just as I was approaching an overpass in Tremonton, less than an hour away from home, my eyes followed a delineator as it flew past and the motion caused me to doze off.
My car hit the next delineator, making a loud noise which woke all three of us, and one of my friends grabbed the wheel, trying to pull us back onto the road, but actually causing us to move farther toward the edge. I wrestled the wheel back and turned the wheel to keep us from going off the side of the overpass bridge; if I had not grabbed the wheel, we would have flown off the overpass at 90 mph. Instead, the back of the car hit the guardrail and spun three times: once in the air and twice on the pavement. I looked up to see a semi-trailer miss us by maybe a foot. The car came to a stop and we were able to get the car off the overpass and eventually get home safely.
I think back to that night often and have how lucky I am to be alive. If even one thing had gone differently, I would have probably killed all three of us. Trying to be cool and thinking you’re able to make the drive, even if you’re sleepy, is not worth risking your own or anyone else’s life.
09/06/2006
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After spending the weekend working at my job in Wendover, I decided I could make the drive back to Utah, even though it was nearly 2 a.m. I didn’t feel sleepy and was sure I could make it home safely. As I drove along the lonely road, the low clouds were monotonous, almost hypnotizing…
I only dozed off for a second, but my head jerked up just as I was about to hit the guardrail. When I tried to get the car back into the lane, it spun out of control. I hit a reflector pole and my car spun four times before it came to rest in the median. I was wide-awake now, and very grateful I hadn’t been seriously injured and that my car was okay. That experience has changed my driving habits. I make sure that I’m not tired when I drive and I always take other people with me when I’m going on long trips.
09/03/2006
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I don't know how many times I've seen young women trying to put on their makeup while driving their cars. If they run into someone at 50 miles a hour it will require alot more that lip stick up to fix their faces.07/21/2006
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Since I can't seem to find a link for e-mailing the sponsors of this program I'll just simply write my thoughts on this preposterous fantasy that, somehow, we're going to stop all fatalities on roads, or otherwise, here. Seems, the only way anyone is ever actually going to achieve this naive notion is for government (local and national) to interfere with folks' lives to the point of absurdity. Is this actually the premise for this program, a launching point that, soon, the notion of some kind of tests be implemented that tell one whether they're too tired, for example, to drive? And, even worse, is this a launching point to propose laws of which add extra punishment for one who may, for instance, drive tired? Is it soon going to be advocated that folks are tested for tiredness, much like they're tested for drunk driving...and, if they're found to be too tired to drive according to new dictatorial laws created for this purpose, they'll be given, for example, DWT (Driving While Tired) citations? If this program is, indeed, such as that I describe above, I find it reprehensible. Further, this will be just another example of folks, in good faith, starting out with a good thing and others taking what started out as a good thing, to preposterous extremes and going too far. Will I soon be pulled over and given a test to determine if I'm too tired to drive and, if I'm determined to be too tired to drive as a result of this test, be given a heavy fine or arrested, because of it?06/14/2006
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A nickname we often called Emma was angel baby because she was so sweet, kind and beautiful. In Oct. 2004, Emma who was 19 mo. old, was killed instantly from head trauma when a 20 year old man fell asleep. Emma and her older sister, who was 5 yrs. old at the time were both in car and booster seats in the back seat and their dad who was driving was wearing his seat belt, when this man came into their lane of traffic and drove through the driver side of our car. Emma's sister was the first to see Emma dead, next Emma's dad saw her. A sister and father should never have to see a family member dead the way they saw Emma. It is a piture that will be with them forever. Before Emma's funeral, we were given the chance as a family to hold Emma's body one last time, however, her head was wrapped in a blanket. We never thought that we (Emma's dad and mom) would have to bury our baby. Emma's sister has also lost a piece of her childhood from nightmares and fears, that she is just getting back with the help of counseling. We feel like we drove safe before the accident, but now we drive even more safe just so another family does not have to go through the physical and emotional pain that we have. The District Attorney did not charge the man who fell asleep and killed our daughter because we were told that, too many people have drowsed off while driving and a jury would sympathize with him. (Editor's note: Utah does not have a law against drowsy driving. New Jersey has a law addressing drowsy driving known as "Maggie's Law" named after a crash victim.)06/06/2006
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Drowsy Driving
Distracted Driving
Aggressive Driving
Impaired Driving
Not Buckling Up
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We often look for people who have been a victim of (or participant) of dangerous driving behaviors, to help share their stories in community outreach events. If you would be willing to team with Zero Fatalities by sharing your story with groups around your area please email us at contact@ZeroFatalities.com.
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