For Smyrna High, this week is Spring Break. It's a time when the weather is nice and everyone has somewhere to go...which means more people out on the roads. We urge everyone to be safe and follow the rules of the road.
Also, look out for our upcoming commercial. It will air in school during announcements. We'll also try to post it to the blog.
Be safe and have fun!
Friday, April 17, 2009
I Love Smyrna School District Day
Every year Smyrna School District hosts a day full of activities, fun...and free stuff... in honor of our school district. Community and school organizations gather at Smyrna High School to present information about themselves to all the stop by, sometimes giving away some freebies as well. Other schools within the district present student artwork. The performing arts programs in all the schools have a small performance in the auditorium. Even small school clubs put themselves on display. For any newcomer, it the perfect place to get a little taste of Smyrna!
Among the contests, activities, and projects, we also decided to set up an area in the school where people could learn about the Soaring Eagles and pledge to "Drive to Save Lives!." We set up a table with a poster which included many interesting driving tips and facts. We also made pins to hand out with our candy. They are ribbons that look like the Act Out Loud driving ribbon. We also made pledge cards for people to sign. People could sign a pledge card, pledging to be a safe driver and then sign our giant poster, which has been hung in school.
Because we wanted to spice things up a little, we also marked a line on the floor with tape and asked people to wear the drunk goggles. they had to try to walk the line without straying away from it. The goggles made people see what it feel like to be drunk.
Overall, it was a pretty succesful day!
Among the contests, activities, and projects, we also decided to set up an area in the school where people could learn about the Soaring Eagles and pledge to "Drive to Save Lives!." We set up a table with a poster which included many interesting driving tips and facts. We also made pins to hand out with our candy. They are ribbons that look like the Act Out Loud driving ribbon. We also made pledge cards for people to sign. People could sign a pledge card, pledging to be a safe driver and then sign our giant poster, which has been hung in school.
Because we wanted to spice things up a little, we also marked a line on the floor with tape and asked people to wear the drunk goggles. they had to try to walk the line without straying away from it. The goggles made people see what it feel like to be drunk.
Overall, it was a pretty succesful day!
More Publicity!
We just found out that we are going to be featured in University of Delaware's Safety Extensions that is published quarterly online. It is an online newsletter. It will provide information about what we've been doing and what we are aiming to do with our campaign. The newsletter also features many other safety tips. to see the website, visit www.rec.udel.edu and click on Safety, then click on Safety Extension newsletter. We will also be featured in Smyrna School District's Quarterly Messenger. It is sent out to all the homes in the district. It will also explain to people what we've been doing recently.
Inattentive Driving Survey
Last week we wanted to do something where students in school could get involved in our Distracted Driving Week! We decided to hold a school-wide survey during all lunches that asked questions about certain distractions student may have while driving. The Questions were:
1. Have you ever used your cell phone for texting while driving?
2. Do you talk on the phone while driving?
3. How many people do you usually have in the car with you?
4. Have you ever played with electronic devices while driving?
5. Have you ever had a "close call" or an accident because of these behaviors?
After tallying up all the answers, these are the results:
59% of the students said they have texted while driving.
45% of the students said they have talked on the phone while driving.
43% of the students said they normally have 1-2 people in the car with them.
47% said they normally have 3-4 people in the car with them.
48% of the students claimed that they have used electronics while driving, but this question could have been misinterprested because some people didn't know this included the radio.
34% of the srudents said they have had a "close call" or an accident due to these distractions.
We want to encourage everyone to participate in our survey, so please feel free to leave comments answering the questions, or go to our facebook page, Smyrna Drives to Save Lives!, to give us your comments and opinions. Thanks everybody!
1. Have you ever used your cell phone for texting while driving?
2. Do you talk on the phone while driving?
3. How many people do you usually have in the car with you?
4. Have you ever played with electronic devices while driving?
5. Have you ever had a "close call" or an accident because of these behaviors?
After tallying up all the answers, these are the results:
59% of the students said they have texted while driving.
45% of the students said they have talked on the phone while driving.
43% of the students said they normally have 1-2 people in the car with them.
47% said they normally have 3-4 people in the car with them.
48% of the students claimed that they have used electronics while driving, but this question could have been misinterprested because some people didn't know this included the radio.
34% of the srudents said they have had a "close call" or an accident due to these distractions.
We want to encourage everyone to participate in our survey, so please feel free to leave comments answering the questions, or go to our facebook page, Smyrna Drives to Save Lives!, to give us your comments and opinions. Thanks everybody!
DUI Newspaper Article
This is our article for the local paper, all about driving under the influence. It's written by our own Emiley Conboy...
This week the Soaring Eagles are raising awareness about driving under the influence. The statistics surrounding this issue are surprising and everyone should be aware of the dangers.
Every forty minutes a drunk driver kills someone. In 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in drunk driving related crashes.
Watch the hours that you are on the road as 80% of alcohol related crashes occur between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Nineteen percent of young people killed in car accidents were driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Among the drivers killed fatal crashes, 30% had a BACs of 0.08% or greater.
Driving is not the only risk when talking about driving under the influence. In 2006, 45 children age 14 years and younger who were killed as pedestrians or bicyclists by alcohol-impaired drivers.
It is easy to see that there are too many risks when driving under the influence. It is not worth the risk to your life and the lives of others. Be sure to drive responsibly and keep your eyes open for those who have little regard for human life on the road.
Driving Under the Influence
This week the Soaring Eagles are raising awareness about driving under the influence. The statistics surrounding this issue are surprising and everyone should be aware of the dangers.
Every forty minutes a drunk driver kills someone. In 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in drunk driving related crashes.
Watch the hours that you are on the road as 80% of alcohol related crashes occur between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Nineteen percent of young people killed in car accidents were driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Among the drivers killed fatal crashes, 30% had a BACs of 0.08% or greater.
Driving is not the only risk when talking about driving under the influence. In 2006, 45 children age 14 years and younger who were killed as pedestrians or bicyclists by alcohol-impaired drivers.
It is easy to see that there are too many risks when driving under the influence. It is not worth the risk to your life and the lives of others. Be sure to drive responsibly and keep your eyes open for those who have little regard for human life on the road.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Distracted Driving Newspaper Article
Next week's news article, featured in the Smyrna Sun Times in the SHS Eagle Eye section will be all about distracted driving. This week's article was written by our own Melissa Hubert.
Driving With Distractions
by Melissa Hubert
Eagle Eye Staff
by Melissa Hubert
Eagle Eye Staff
Almost everyone is guilty of the Soaring Eagles' driving topic this week. While driving, there are many things that can take your attention from the road. Studies show that distractions are a factor in a quarter of all crashes, equaling more than 4,300 accidents in a day.
The most common distractions include talking on the phone, texting, eating, playing with the radio, talking with passengers, and lacking sleep. These tasks might not seem dangerous, but one second of inattentiveness can be life threatening.
Cell phone usage is the number one cause of distraction among driver. People using cell phones in their car are four times more likely to get in an accident serious enough to be injured. Distractions due to cell phones delay a person's reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08%, the legal limit.
Many people think that they can solve this problem using hands-free devices with their phones. The truth is that the danger is still there because your full attention isn't focused on the road. Driving while having a phone conversation reduces the amount of brain activity used to keep focused on the road by 37%.
Taking you eyes and mind off the road when you're behind the wheel not only endangers your life, but others' as well. It's much safer and easier to complete tasks by simply waiting until you've arrived at our destination, or pulling over to the side of the road. Being responsible and focused while driving will make you a better driver and possibly save your life!
The most common distractions include talking on the phone, texting, eating, playing with the radio, talking with passengers, and lacking sleep. These tasks might not seem dangerous, but one second of inattentiveness can be life threatening.
Cell phone usage is the number one cause of distraction among driver. People using cell phones in their car are four times more likely to get in an accident serious enough to be injured. Distractions due to cell phones delay a person's reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of .08%, the legal limit.
Many people think that they can solve this problem using hands-free devices with their phones. The truth is that the danger is still there because your full attention isn't focused on the road. Driving while having a phone conversation reduces the amount of brain activity used to keep focused on the road by 37%.
Taking you eyes and mind off the road when you're behind the wheel not only endangers your life, but others' as well. It's much safer and easier to complete tasks by simply waiting until you've arrived at our destination, or pulling over to the side of the road. Being responsible and focused while driving will make you a better driver and possibly save your life!
Going Beyond Local...
We are EXTREMELY happy and we've got good reason to be, too! This week we were featured in the Delaware State News, Dover's newspaper. There was a full article with pictures and everything. The article explained our cause and the activities we plan to do and what we've already done. This is a big step for us because it isn't just local Smyrna anymore. We've gone beyond Smyrna and into other cities as well. Many people read Delaware State News, so now our name is even more well known now than we ever thought it would be!
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