The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

If you had to choose for your teen to drive through an icy winter storm or an 80-degree “not-a-cloud-in-the-sky” day, which would you prefer? If you’re like most, you’ll probably put your trust in the warm summer day as opposed to the blistery winter one. Now, ask yourself the same question after reading the following statistic: According to the  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety  (IIHS), the summer months of June, July, and August consistently have  higher teenage crash deaths  than any other month. It would take a rare parent to send their teenager off for a drive during a winter storm without a few words of warning (if you were to even let them behind the wheel at all!) But do you allow yourself the same pause for reflection before your son hops in the car after summer practice to go to the beach with friends? Or when your daughter pulls out of the driveway on a warm July night to catch a movie? Here’s to making summer 2015 the safest one ...

Proms, Memorial Day, Summer-Break..... All of these mean more teen drivers on the roads.   Sure, our teens know they shouldn’t text and drive – and we have preached forever about drinking and driving – but are they listening? Most teenagers still believe accidents won’t happen to them – they are immune to bad things happening – they actually believe that looking at that that text for a second or worse, responding to one, won’t make a difference. It’s imperative that parents get the message across to them that not only is  buzzed driving considered drunk driving , but  only seconds  of distraction is dangerous not only for them, but for others with them and those on the road. TALK TO YOUR TEENS  FREQUENTLY  about distracted driving. The conversation is not one time discussion.  It is an  ongoing  chat – a daily reminder of the importance of being aware and alert of others on the road as well as respecting your passengers ...

With school opening shortly many teens will be driving for the first time to school. A recent AT&T survey found that 97% of teens say they know that texting is dangerous. The survey also found: · 75% of teens surveyed say that texting while driving is “common” among their friends; · Almost all teens (89%) expect a reply to a text or email within five minutes or less; · And 77% of teens report seeing their parents text while driving. Wireless provider AT&T *, seeking to bring attention to a serious road-safety problem, today urged all Americans to pledge to stop texting while driving, and then to join with others September 19th to make a lifelong commitment to never do so again. AT&T’s “ It Can Wait ” public awareness campaign is focused on a simple, powerful message: No text is worth dying for . AT&T plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on the campaign in 2012 and has made it an ongoing commitment in future years. ...

BikeMonkey Over and over again we read articles about distracted driving.  Oprah featured the No Phone Zone and accumulated thousands to join in.   It is a fact, texting and driving or talking on your phone can kill .  It is distracted driving that can take your focus off the road and into an oncoming car within seconds. Newsflash: Distracted driving includes bicycles! As school has opened in many parts of the country, including Broward County, teens will ride to their bikes to get to school.  After witnessing several teenagers in Sunrise biking and texting in the morning to school, suddenly I realized that there are not enough warnings about the dangers of biking and texting . Riding a bicycle is part of growing up, however riding a bike responsibly is maturity.  Teenagers need to realize distracted driving extends to distracted riding. In many situations teens are not allowed to have their cells on in class, so every other waki...

AT&T recently launched a new campaign to raise awareness about the risks of texting and driving and remind all wireless consumers, especially youth, that text messages can – and should – wait until after driving. The national campaign features true stories and the text message that was sent or received before someone’s life was altered, or even ended,because of texting and driving. Stop what you’re doing. Take out your wireless device. Read out loud the last text message you received. Would reading or responding to that text message while driving be worth causing a serious accident? When you look at it that way, there’s no text that couldn’t wait. AT&T* is launching today a new campaign to raise awareness about the risks of texting and driving and remind all wireless consumers, especially youth, that text messages can – and should – wait until after driving. The national campaign features true stories and the text message that was sent or received before someone’s life ...