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xcel
03-18-2009, 10:01 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Simple bumper sticker can save $57 Billion and over 14,000 lives nationwide. (cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=195076)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/How_s_My_Driving.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (cleanmpg.com) – Mar. 18, 2009

A simple sticker changes many drivers “habits”.

Washington -- "There's a new sheriff in town and it's you." A new program that targets high-risk drivers by placing "How's My Driving?" bumper stickers on their cars works. Much like Neighborhood Watch programs have done for street crimes, citizen advocacy helps to reduce car crashes and save lives.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports, "One third of all accidents and two thirds of all vehicle related fatalities are caused by aggressive drivers." A recent study shows that 6.8 million car crashes cost our country 164.2 billion dollars in repair costs each year; however, the real tragedy is nearly 43,000 people dying in car crashes every year. That is approximately 117 per day or 5 deaths by car crashes every hour! If this was a disease, it would be considered a national epidemic and worth preventing!

Unsafe driving is a major part of the problem, while other factors include inattentiveness, driving while impaired, and fatigue. "We've made cars safer, lowered speed limits, put black boxes in vehicles, improved highway lighting, instituted graduated license programs for teens and still haven't substantially decreased the number of crashes, injuries or deaths. It's time for the people to take back the streets," said Alvin Butler, President of TTI Inc

Twenty-three percent of teenagers and twenty-one percent of fleet drivers are in crashes each year. The program encourages MVA, judges and insurance carriers to require “How's My Driving?” monitoring for these and all "high-risk" drivers, because the solution is accountability.

The Great West Casualty Company, a leader in fleet safety, studied 78 trucking companies and found that in the two years after they implemented How's My Driving? programs, accident frequency dropped by 53%. Other studies have shown similar results.

This unique program does not require reporting a number on a sign but uses the vehicle's license plate as the identifying number. It, therefore, allows any driver to report any other unsafe driver. Knowing this changes the attitude of unsafe drivers.

Butler estimates that if every state implemented "How's My Driving? For Everyone" the annual benefits would exceed 57 billion dollars per year and save over 14,000 lives. "We welcome questions and support from others interested in reducing the cost of unsafe driving in dollars and lives.

Yarisman
03-18-2009, 10:18 AM
I honestly can't figure out how this would save the money they think it will.

All it will do is get kids in trouble with their parents because of a few neighbors who don't like kids driving.

Better regulation on the training that kids get and a little more parental oversight would go farther in the long run. We, as a population, need to be more involved in parenting. I love the experience and bonding of teaching the kids of my family how to drive. If more people would take the time to do this, they would gain a lot of respect with the kids as well as some insight into what kind of driver they will be.

PaleMelanesian
03-18-2009, 10:22 AM
The kids will soon learn that driving that way will get them in trouble. Then they will stop driving that way. (or at least reduce the frequency and / or magnitude of the bad driving)

I know of a few non-kids who need this.

Elixer
03-18-2009, 10:46 AM
I think his estimates on cost and life savings are overly optimistic by a long shot. However I think the stickers are not a bad tool for parents to use for their wild-driving-offspring.

voodoo22
03-18-2009, 11:43 AM
So will the benefits outweigh people using hunting for their cellphone and then dialing the number while driving?

PaleMelanesian
03-18-2009, 11:47 AM
So will the benefits outweigh people using hunting for their cellphone and then dialing the number while driving?

Things that make you go, "hmmmm..."

I think maybe so. The mere fact that the sticker is there will deter a lot of bad behavior.

Kurz
03-18-2009, 11:54 AM
To be honest I am seeing my brother drive and he is already showing the signs of being hotheaded (Less than a month of experience).
Maybe when we get him a beater we'll get this sticker for him.

Well like a true hypermiler I told him you are driving something that weighs 3000 pounds.
Act like it and be responsible.

Still that sticker will probably make him see the light.

ChenZhen
03-18-2009, 02:58 PM
said Alvin Butler, President of TTI Inc

I was having a hard time determining from the article, who/what is TTI?

I was thinking of putting my # on the bumper sticker. That'd be fun. :)

300kmileprius
03-18-2009, 06:54 PM
There are other ways to promote safety than using big brother. How far is this nanny government gonna go??

msirach
03-18-2009, 10:28 PM
I contacted Amy with Girls in the Garage (http://www.girlsinthegarage.com/Home_Page.html)today and talked to her about doing "1 of" stickers.

I am going to get one with MY phone # on it. My daughter turns 16 in April.

bomber991
03-19-2009, 01:27 AM
So will the benefits outweigh people using hunting for their cellphone and then dialing the number while driving?

Yeah they probably do unfornutaely.

The program encourages MVA, judges and insurance carriers to require “How's My Driving?” monitoring for these and all "high-risk" drivers, because the solution is accountability.

There's one bad thing with this being required for bad drivers. There's a lot of jerks and scum out there who will just call the number and report the cars just so the drivers get in even more trouble. It's like those people who go to sex offenders houses and beat them up / murder them. Now the bad driver doesn't have a good defense. What are they gonna say "I wasn't driving dangerous! I swear!!!". Yet since they have a history of it, then that pretty much makes them look guilty. Hell, people already call up pizza places and "complain" about the delivery driver going too fast in their neighborhood, or cutting them off, or driving crazy or something. Of course you can tell when they're lying cause they'll get mad for you not giving them some free food for the whole ordeal.

I think they should just require some kind of large sticker that labels the dangerous drivers as dangerous drivers. Something like a giant orange triangle or something, but I think there's too much room for abuse with a "How's my driving" sticker on a normal passenger car that most people are going to know is there for being a high risk driver to begin with.

voodoo22
03-19-2009, 06:19 AM
I wonder if this sticker would have stopped the young driver with the beginners license who was pulled over for going 194 km/h weaving in and out of traffic last night? I just don't believe it would. I think it's much like gun licensing in Canada. It will only have an impact with people who are already following the law.

hobbit
03-19-2009, 08:33 AM
Waitasec, I've already got big red triangles on the back of
my car...
.
_H*

PaleMelanesian
03-19-2009, 08:38 AM
:p at hobbit

Kacey Green
03-19-2009, 09:09 AM
These stickers haven't deterred a great deal of commercial drivers around here, they still drive recklessly/menacingly.



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