Fix The Toaster....Or At Least The One Who's Using It

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“Car crashes are the #1 cause of death to our kids. Nearly 35,000 people die in car crashes annually. If the toaster was killing that many people we’d think it was ridiculous. We’d un-plug it and say, let’s fix it. I think it’s time to fix the fact that we’ve lost nearly 1/2 MILLION Americans since 9/11 to traffic fatalities. I don’t have the answers, I do have ideas.”

The above statement is from FixTheToaster. Created by my friend and co-creator of Expressing Motherhood, Lindsay Kavet. Lindsay has always had a mission to help keep driver safety in the spotlight and kudos to her for doing so.

I spend a lot of time driving around one of our local elementary schools here in Burbank. I cannot believe how many people…adults…parents, I see speeding at rates that make my heart jump, just to get their kid to school either on time or no more late than they already are….or how many of us are still holding the phone up to our ears when we’re driving..running stop signs…entering crosswalks with pedestrians still in them..tailgating.

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Are we all in that big of a hurry? Do we all feel that entitled?

I am not exempt from this list.

In the fall, I got a speeding ticket for the first time in 15 years.

I was speeding… in a residential neighborhood… with my child in the car.

$230 ticket. Online traffic school. Reality check and a full helping of humble pie.

I had a lot of things on my mind that day. Distraction doesn’t always come in the form of a phone or anything else physical.

April happens to be Distracted Driver Awareness Month, which is why I’ve asked Lindsay to guest post on Burbank Mom. You can look for her post soon.

I don’t think we need to obsess over the death rates or fear getting in our cars. But I do think we need to educate ourselves and be responsible adults. I think we need to teach our children what responsibility looks like so when they start driving as teens, they might just recall a thing or two from watching us….not the honking, not the tailgating, speeding, texting or incomplete stops.

I actually had a really great time doing that online traffic school. I learned a few new things but was reminded about many things I don’t think about any more. I told my husband I was glad I did it.

I say let’s jump on board to see how the toaster is or isn’t working…and if it isn’t working right, chances are, there’s an internal problem or we’re doing something wrong.

Visit www.FixTheToaster.Wordpress.com for more information on Lindsay and her mission, and look for her guest post soon!