Century Council Blog
The potential of ignition interlocks
From The New York Times:
"Here are two compelling facts about ignition-interlock devices for preventing drunk driving. One is that these devices are highly effective, despite the logical possibilities for bypassing them. The second is that they are rarely installed in the cars of people who have been known to drive while intoxicated.”
The Century Council supports mandatory ignition interlock use for hardcore drunk drivers and for people who refuse to take a BAC test. For first-time, non-hardcore offenders, we support judicial discretion on a case by case basis regarding the decision to install an ignition interlock device.
The Century Council participates in the Governors Highway Safety Association’s Annual Meeting
The Century Council is currently participating in the Governors Highway Safety Association's Annual Meeting in Savannah, Georgia. The theme of this year's meeting is "Toward Zero Deaths: Every Life Counts." State decision-makers, national and regional staff of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Highway Administration, nonprofit groups, the private sector, law enforcement, state partners and grantees, and many others are all in attendance to share strategies and plans to help improve our nation’s roadways.
The meeting agenda contains 15 informative workshops as well as an exhibit hall, where The Century Council is distributing educational materials. The full meeting agenda can be found here. Additionally, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Debbie Hersman will be the keynote speaker at the meeting’s opening session and will make her first major address to the highway safety community since her recent confirmation.
By having a chance to share strategies and best practices, The Century Council is better able to work with other organizations to make our roadways more safe. If you are attending the meeting, please stop by our booth (#2; located to your immediate left as you enter the exhibit hall).
Dr. Wolf: Discuss underage drinking with your kids
Another end of summer, another start of the school year. What better time than now to start your teen off with some thoughtful advice about underage drinking.
A problem with giving advice as to why underage drinking is not good is that there never does seem to be the right time to do it. So, frequently that discussion never happens. So how about doing it now. Beginning of the school year. Off to a good start. Pry them away from their computer, cell phone, iPod, iPhone, whatever. Don't wait for a good time, because it may never come.
"Jennifer, I want to talk to you about drinking. This will not take a long time."
"Mom, must we? This is so inconvenient."
It's never convenient for them.
"Yes, we're going to talk about drinking."
"I'm really busy now. Besides, you know I don't drink."
One strong reason for talking to your teen about drinking is that you can't know for sure that they are not drinking, or are not going to drink. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the first use of alcohol typically begins around age twelve, and half of 13-15 year olds say they will be faced with making a decision regarding alcohol in the next three months.
Dr. Wolf: Try a little daily tenderness
How to fill that awkward silence: 'I love you.' Your teen will hate it - and love it
Tonia is lying on the couch watching television. Her mother comes into the room to look for a pencil, finds one next to the magazines and leaves.
Adam is in his room with the door closed. His parents are both home. Over the course of the next three hours, there are no verbal exchanges between them.
Morgan's dad drops her off at soccer practice. She mumbles "Bye," as she darts out of the car.
Lance, on the way to his room, passes his father in the hallway. No words are spoken between the two.
Once they hit their teens - as part of the normal temporary allergy to parents - a child's end of conversations can all but dry up. It becomes very easy to go through days with virtually no communication, apart from day-to-day business.
"Ryan, don't forget you said you'd take out the recycling."
"Sure, whatever."
Days at a time - maybe even more than days - can go by with no real loving contact between a parent and a teen. Even if your relationship is mostly harmonious, there may still not be a whole lot positive happening.
This is not good.
Let me suggest another way. Let's try the above scenes a little differently.
Despite recent rise, few drunk driving fatalities involve women
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released statistics detailing alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes over 2007-2008, broken down by state and gender. The report serves as an important reminder that while recent high-profile cases have highlighted that the number of women arrested for drunk driving has risen over the past decade, drunk driving is still overwhelmingly a male problem.
The number of alcohol-impaired drivers involved in fatal crashes from 2007 to 2008 fell by 9% nationwide, 11% for females, 8.6% for males. This decline is roughly in line with the decline in the total fatal crashes over this period, most likely reflecting that there have been fewer drivers on the road due to a higher unemployment rate and lower consumer spending.
The majority of states had a downward shift in fatal crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers. Thirteen states showed no change or an increase in the number of male drunk drivers involved in fatalities, fifteen states showed similar results for females. Most of these states are smaller or less populous states that make up a small percentage of the national total of alcohol-related fatal crashes. Worryingly, drunk driving fatalities seem to have risen sharply in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Overall, female drunk drivers represented 15% of the total of alcohol-related fatal crashes in 2008, unchanged since 2007. The Century Council will continue to evaluate the data. We aim to eliminate all drunk driving on our nation’s roadways, regardless of gender.
Dr. Wolf: Don't kvetch to your kids, protect them
Keep your misery to yourself. Children deserve parents who shield them from the full force of adult suffering
Aidan was supposed to tidy up the house after school. But when his mother got home from a long day at work, she found her son sprawled on the couch, watching TV and eating tortilla chips while the place was still a disaster zone, the floor covered with crumbs and driblets of yellow gooey stuff that might be cheese spread. She lost it.
“Aidan, you were supposed to pick up the house, but all you've done is made a bigger mess.”
“What? Why are you yelling at me?”
“I can't believe you. Look at this room. You don't give a crap about this house or anything I say. Do you understand what this does to me? You don't understand at all how much I sacrifice for you. I get no help from you or your stupid father. I'm under pressure all the time at a job I hate. I constantly have to worry about money. I don't have time for anything. What kind of life do I have? And I come home to this? It's so unfair.”
How much of your own personal suffering is it appropriate to share with your teenager?