During warm weather and especially during heat advisories – NEVER leave babies/children/elderly and pets alone in hot vehicles – it can quickly become a death trap. I’ve seen two pets left in vehicles this past week and was about to call 9-1-1 when the owners returned.

If you love them – don’t leave them!  And don’t walk your dogs on hot asphalt and side-walks during hot weather days – this will burn their paws!

http://news.aaa-calif.com/news/auto-club-warns-hot-cars-can-be-death-traps-for-kids-and-pets?fbclid=IwAR08D_ScSOFmLUH0nvZ54X6CPDhOIZJ6RDe_OyTJvKy9MpqaWvfA1C2-woI#.XUfqkeM5Mpo.facebook

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has great information on buying the safest safety car seat for your child.  The following link with take you to their information.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats#find-compare-seats

I’m sure you’ve experienced or have seen angry drivers on our roadways.  The Automobile Club of Southern California offers some valuable advice on curbing the rage.

http://news.aaa-calif.com/news/survey-shows-nearly-80-of-drivers-express-significant-anger

Some tips I offer in dealing with road rage:

• When someone cuts you off – let it go, don’t take it personally.
• You cannot educate other on how to drive…it’s not worth the possible dangers if you get angry and honk, yell curse words, or use a variety of obscene hand gestures.
• Remember – you endanger yourself and your passengers when you try to get even with other drivers.
• Also, do not drive angry or in a bad mood.  Cool down, play some uplifting music, or have a picture of someone or something you love near the dashboard – and remember that person, your family, your favorite sport or vacation spot is MORE IMPORTANT than playing the road rage game.
• Let karma get even for you – I see this all the time, someone cuts me off and then that bad driver is often cut-off by other drivers.

Sometimes I imagine that person driving badly or rudely is:

• Running late for work and may be fired.
• Responding to a family emergency.
• Has a stomachache and needs to find a bathroom fast!
• Maybe they were just served with divorce papers or given devastating news.
• They’re just in a bad mood and mentally I wish them well.

Best – Be a courteous driver:

• Control your anger.
• Don’t take traffic problems personally – Let it go.
• Avoid making eye contact with an aggressive driver.
• Don’t make obscene gestures.
• Don’t tailgate.
• Use your horn sparingly — even a polite honk can be misinterpreted.
• Don’t block the passing lane.
• Don’t block the right turn lane.

Another incentive – the Road Rage Law – you could be arrested if you’re trying to get even with someone, running them off the roadway or deliberately hitting their vehicle with your vehicle.  Jail time and fines may be issued.

Stay Alert-Stay Alive!

Monica Zech

What Is Distracted Driving? Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.

Texting is the most alarming distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. You cannot drive safely unless the task of driving has your full attention. Any non-driving activity you engage in is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.

*Note: “I’ve been impacted three times drivers on their cell phones – so I personally know the dangers!”

Monica Zech

Safe Driving Speaker

 Getting around as safely as possible – the following links can help!

TRAFFIC Information & more:

• Traffic Information from CALTRANS: http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
• Traffic Information page from NBC 7/39 San Diego: https://www.nbcsandiego.com/traffic/
• Traffic information from CBS 8 San Diego: https://www.cbs8.com/traffic
• Traffic Information from KGTV ABC 10 San Diego:  https://www.10news.com/traffic
• Traffic Information from Michelin:  https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Traffic/Traffic_info-San_Diego-_-California-United_States
• You can also call 5-1-1 for traffic information.

Freeway Project Information:  Click here – https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-11

Disaster Preparedness and additional resources…

• A great resource page provided by KUSI TV provides Disaster Preparedness information (earthquake, fires etc.) at your fingertips: https://www.eqheadquarters.com/San-Diego/?utm_source=kusi-tv&utm_medium=tv&utm_campaign=epic-san-diego 
• When searching for local resources, (health, wellness, housing and more), there are  more than 6,000 resources by calling 2-1-1, you can call this number for the nearest emergency shelter following a disaster (earthquake or fire).   Or, visit their website:  https://211sandiego.org/

Stay safe!

Remember, when buying a safety car seat you’re investing in your child’s safety & future.

For some immediate help visit: https://carseat.org/ or http://carseat.psc411.com/ – great for recall information. Check it regularly for any changes or alerts.

Another important safety website is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – here is their information on safety car seats:

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats

Here in San Diego County contact the Pacific Safety Center to check and see if your carseat is installed correctly.

Pacific Safety Council  858-621-2313 x116

*You could also try calling your local police department to see if there is someone trained to help you install your safety car seat.

Know the Law!

• Children 8 years old or 80 pounds must be in a child passenger safety seat. Infants should ride in rear-facing safety seats as long as possible until they are 12 months old and weigh 20 pounds. Children, who are at least 1 year old, weigh 20 to 40 pounds, and can no longer ride rear-facing should ride in forward-facing child safety seats. Children over 40 pounds should be correctly secured in belt-positioning boosters or other appropriate child restraints or safety car seat until the adult lap and shoulder belts fit correctly (usually around age 8). Once the vehicle safety belts fit children, both lap and shoulder belts should be correctly used. All children ages 12 and under should always be properly restrained in the back seat every time, no matter how short the trip.
• All safety seats must be installed and used according to the manufacturer’s instructions and vehicle owner’s manual.
• READ YOUR MANUALS! You will be surprised at the information that is available to you.
• “Buckle-UP – it’s a snap!!!” Research shows if you buckle-up your children will buckle-up! As emergency agencies, almost daily we see how wearing a seat restraint increases your chances of survival in a car collision. It’s being prepared for the “un-expected!” And it’s the LAW! A law that’s saving lives!

• Note: As a parent – are you always buckled up correctly – and is your child’s safety car seat installed correctly?
• Unfortunately, studies show over 90% of the safety car seats in use are not installed correctly! So the fatality rate is very high for children involved in car collisions.
• Another fact – not all safety car seats fit all cars!
• When buying a new safety car seat “always” send in the warranty cards in case of recalls. Don’t scrimp on your child’s safety – never buy a car seat from a garage sale or thrift store, or as a hand me down from a friend.

Some Facts about Safety Seats: 

• Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of injuries and death for children.
• When used correctly, child safety seats can reduce fatal injuries in cars by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for children from age 1-4.
• Don’t forget to always wear your seat belt and be a good safety role model for your children…in everything you do.

A powerful video reminding us to “slow down” especially on surface streets, especially in the area around schools:

Several important websites for teens and their parents in the area of driving safety:

One or more of these links will help in making your teen feel better about driving. I strongly recommend “not” doing “online” driver education.  The classroom setting is much more real and has a greater impact.

The following are some of my favorite websites in covering teen driving:

#1.  From the California DMV – great information about teen drivers:

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/detail/pubs/dl603/teen_htm/gettingstarted/

#2. National Safety Council – Teen Driving & Parents

http://www.nsc.org/safety_road/TeenDriving/Pages/teen_driving.aspx

#3. Teen Drivers and Highway Design

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications/research/safety/humanfac/pdfs/01-120.pdf

#4. Insurance Information & safe driving tips:

https://ratesforinsurance.com/distracted-driving/

Being 100% alert behind the wheel reduces your collision factor dramatically.  It’s distracted driving, impaired and aggressive driving kills and injuries.  In regards to speed – the faster we go – the less control you have, and less likely to avoid a collision.

If you’re are interested in a safe driving talk – please go to my contact section on this website, or email your request to [email protected].

My passion is safety – thank you & be safe!