You are here
Search
No one starts their day anticipating getting into a car crash. But teens like Presley teach us that it only takes one time riding in a car without bucking up for a life to be changed forever.
Presley's Story
"I lost my best friend because we didn't buckle up."
Eight years ago, Presley lost her best friend, Lindsay to a tragic car crash when the pair were driving home from a nearby gas station. It was a rainy fall night and Lindsay hit a curve in the road and lost control of the car. The car ran off the road, crashed into a ditch and flipped several times.
Washington, D.C. – More teens die in motor vehicle crashes than from any other cause of death, about 2,500 per year. Fatalities are split almost equally between teen drivers (56 percent) and passengers (44 percent). In half of the fatal crashes, the teen was not wearing a seat belt. To develop strategies to drive down the number of teens killed in cars (which claims fully 25 percent of all preventable injuries among children), Safe Kids Worldwide conducted a survey among teen passengers and drivers.
Sixteen years old. The age that came with the one little piece of plastic I’d been waiting for since my first toy car. I took the class, passed the test, waited in the line, and after what seemed like forever, the woman sitting in the small cubicle at the DMV handed it to me: my driver’s license.
Every four years, right around this time of year, I start getting incredibly excited about what I think is the greatest sporting event of them all: The World Cup.
I know, I know. Americans aren’t known for their love of soccer. But the rest of the world definitely is. Did you know in the last World Cup, in 2010, more than 2.2 billion people all over the world watched the event? Just to give you some perspective, a record 111.5 million people watched this year’s Super Bowl between the Broncos and the Seahawks.
I grew up around kids – I baby sat, had lots of younger cousins, and my brother is nine years younger than me. So I’ve always been comfortable with babies and kids and I knew I wanted my own when the time was right. But it only took a few seconds after our first son was born before I realized that I was not really ready for fatherhood.
This little, wrinkly 6-pound ‘thing’ invades your home and everything changes, every perspective you once had is different. Instantly. You are now responsible for another human life and there is something very sobering about that.
Hey guys! It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy. My name is Alysia Montaño and I am an Olympic runner proudly representing Team USA. As summer approaches, I just wanted to give you guys a couple of tips on keeping your family safe this summer.
“Why don’t cows live in houses?” “Why do cows have spots?” “Do cows eat grilled cheese for lunch, too?”
It doesn’t take long being around children to realize that their curiosity (and imagination) is unparalleled. I was asked all these questions while babysitting my 3-year-old neighbor, Jonathan — yes, even the one about grilled cheese. While their curiosity and innocence often enhances their cuteness, it also inevitably leads them into vulnerable and sometimes dangerous situations.
My dad has always loved big shiny toys. Cars, grills, televisions and tools never fail to bring out his inner child. However, he has never cared much for big owner’s manuals. In fact, he can hardly be bothered to read the heating instructions on frozen dinners, much less read the small novels that come with most electronics today. Whether it’s Christmas, a birthday or Father’s Day, I’ve grown used to hearing my mom ask, “Honey, did you read the manual?” only to be met with a glare as my dad fumbles with his new toy, assuring us that he knows what he is doing.
This post originally appeared in The Parents Perspective, from Parents Magazine.
Tareka Wheeler, Director of U.S Programs for Safe Kids Worldwide, talks to NBC’s Today Show about never leaving a child alone in a car. Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths for children, and it can happen to anyone, anywhere. On average, every 10 days a child dies from heatstroke in a vehicle. These tragedies are 100% preventable.