Sahel Jasmine Heydari, 19 years old, was driving back to the Bay Area this past Thursday evening, when her Infiniti G35 crashed into a light pole.  The car hit the pole on the driver’s side and Sahel was pronounced dead at the scene.  Her close friend and passenger, Alyssa Williams, had abdominal pain and was taken to the hospital.  Both were wearing seatbelts and airbags deployed.  The roads that evening were wet from rain, while speed and worn tires are thought to have contributed to the crash.

While we come across stories like this one all the time, daily it seems… this particular crash really hits home.  Heydari is a friend of a friend of one of Driving Safety Foundation’s founders.  We are reminded of the dangers of driving.  Period.  We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Heydari family and friends.

A few weeks ago we moved into Club Auto Sport of San Jose, CA and they have a whole section devoted to Green Automotive Technology Incubation – a lab of sorts dedicated to advancing Green and Alternative energy for the automotive industry. To launch this new incubator, Club Auto Sport invited many local venture capital firms and angel investors out to “Fast Lane to Clean Technology,” an introduction to the current technology trends of the clean/alternative energy focus.

Highlights of this event included Saba Motorsports entry for the Progressive EV X-Prize which does 0-60mph in less then 5 seconds.

Also noted were the slew of green/electric transport options – everything from ticket maid carts, to golf buggies, to full size buses. We definitely could imagine the eco friendly buses in Yosemite Valley being replaced by these fully electric transport machines. Finally on display were these circular discs which are stack-able to achieve desired horsepower. Each disc we believe is good for 80hp and to get to your desired horsepower output one just does simple arthritic to stack these discs. These discs are the same units which power the Radical SR0 a zero-emissions race car from across the pond, which is currently set to tackle at 16,000 miles of the Pan-American Highway.

The technology is here.  It’s just a question of bridging the gap between ideas to actual consumer reality. This segment of the automotive industry is moving at a blistering pace, and we’re sure that we’ll begin to see more vehicles like the Nissan Leaf or Tesla Roadsters out on our public roads real soon.

At Driving Safety Foundation we're always on the move.  Whether it's training new drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, helping people understand their vehicles inside and out through our Car Maintenance Workshops, or just driving to and from the grocery store, kid's soccer games, or the office… we're always on the move.  This week, we've literally been on the move… moving! 

Driving Safety Foundation has moved its headquarters from Palo Alto to San Jose, CA… into the luxurious Club Auto Sport offices (a hub of Bay Area car-related companies).  We are super excited about our new home and would love to have you stop by if you're in town!

Driving Safety Foundation, LLC
521 Charcot Avenue #209E
San Jose, CA 95131
Telephone:  (650) 918-6126
Email:  info@dsf-usa.com

One of the most important responsibilities of owning a vehicle is proper vehicle maintenance.  Many people opt to take their vehicles to the car dealership or to a local mechanic to have their car serviced.  However, with the US economy struggling, we have noticed that many people are performing basic maintenance tasks in their own garages and driveways across America.  This leads us to today’s blog topic:  Working On Your Automobile and the safety tips everyone should remember before they begin working on their vehicle.

If you’re looking to improve your basic car maintenance knowledge, Driving Safety Foundation offers Car Maintenance Workshops in Mountain View, CA every month!  Visit our Training Events page for more detail.

As Halloween quickly approaches this weekend, the Driving Safety Foundation would like to remind everyone to be extra careful on the roads and especially in the neighborhoods we drive through each day.  Kids, teens, and even adults are paying less attention to their surroundings, and more attention on their own Halloween fun.  Masks, hats, and wigs will often block peripheral vision, making it even tougher to cross the street and see oncoming traffic.  Yield to pedestrians and make sure that eveyone has a safe and happy Halloween!

Here are some great tips for drivers and Trick-or-Treaters — from Progressive:

To help everyone bring home treats — not tragedies — follow these 10 tips for a safe Halloween:

• Know when your neighborhood is holding Halloween activities. When the actual holiday falls on a weekday, some neighborhoods may opt to have trick-or-treating on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday evening.
• Don’t use a cell phone while driving through neighborhoods. A single distraction could lead to a tragedy. Pay extra attention to the side of the road while driving.
• Stay well below the posted speed limit during trick-or-treating hours.
• Do not pass other vehicles that have stopped in the roadway. Other vehicles could be dropping off children.
• Be alert when driving through intersections. Children could be crossing the street.
• Never assume a pedestrian approaching the roadway will yield to your vehicle. Children may not see your vehicle approaching or might not be familiar with crossing roadways.
• Make sure other drivers can see you. If you’re driving a group of children, but you’re staying in the running vehicle at the curb, be sure to put on your hazard lights to alert other motorists.
• Make sure other drivers can see the children. Give the children flashlights and glow sticks or use reflective tape on their costumes. These items will help the children make their way in the dark and ensure that drivers see them.
• Be sure your children know how to cross a street. Instruct children to look both ways before crossing the street and to cross only at corners or crosswalks
• Take advantage of your community’s Halloween safety programs. Most communities offer Halloween activities for younger children that keep them out of harm’s way. Your community may also offer a service that inspects candy to ensure that it is safe for children to eat.

Last week we saw the nation focus their attention on Teen Driver Safety. The collective effort in promoting safe teen driving has been outstanding. New technologies, new courses, and the fresh faces that have come to light during National Teen Drivers Safety Week has opened the nation’s eyes to solutions other then the standard, mandatory DMV driver’s training.

Our message this week is that while Driver Safety Week is over, it shouldn’t just be our focus for one week out of the year.  When you’re a Teen, New Driver, Parent of a New Driver, or even a Seasoned Driver – Driving Safety should be incorporated into your daily life. We make decisions every day that effect us directly and have the potential to effect the lives of those around us. Simple things like checking our seat positioning and mirrors before we start the car, making sure our paths are clear, buckling in, asking if our passengers are buckled up, using our blinkers… there are so many little things that we can do everyday to make an enormous impact on our daily drivng safety.

If everyday was Driver Safety day, we would all drive on much tamer and safer streets. If each of us remember to pass on this common knowledge, paying it forward, even to just one other driver, we can change the driving world around us,

As Halloween approaches, remember all the little ones that will be walking the streets… often unaware of the cars and dangers around them.  Slow down and be extra careful driving through neighborhoods.  Make this Halloween a happy and safe time for everyone!

Help us spread the word on Driving Safety, and change the world we live in.

This week, October 18-24, 2009, is National Teen Drivers Safety Week. It’s a week that we as parents, educators, and fellow drivers need to remind ourselves, each others, and our loved ones about choices. This week is all about re-thinking, and re-evaluating one’s decisions prior, during and after getting behind the wheel.

Impact Teen Driving states that 75% of all teen related crashes have nothing to do with drugs or alcohol, rather they are related to distracted driving. With this said, we want to focus on simple solutions to one serious epidemic.

1. Bluetooth Headsets – Today, headsets come in all different flavors and are relatively affordable.  Many entry level headsets begin at just $19.99 and most basic phones come equipped with Bluetooth technology.  At the Driving Safety Foundation, we are big fans of the Jawbone series of Bluetooth Headsets.

2. Aftermarket Bluetooth Hands-Free Kits for your Vehicle – Often we hear “I just don’t like having it in my ear” or “It doesn’t match my shoes” as a ‘valid’ excuse for not using a Bluetooth headset.  While more complicated and quite a bit more expensive, another option is the Bluetooth Hands-Free Kits for your vehicle. If your vehicle does not come equipped with a factory Bluetooth integrated console, you can have one installed. Most range around $100 and can be set up in a matter of minutes. The best part is that these kits will allow you to communicate without touching your headset and without taking your hands off the wheel. The more complicated systems actually channel the call through your vehicle’s speakers.

3. The Power Button – This is one of the most overlooked features. Rather than using technology to solve another problem caused by technology, we recommend that all new drivers simply turn off the phone prior to getting behind the wheel. This resolves any temptation to pick up the phone, check messages, send text messages, or perform any other phone/headset related activities while behind the wheel.

There are many other solutions out there… but the point that needs to hit home is that distracted driving can be prevented. The decision is yours. Choose wisely.

A knowledgeable driver is a safer driver. Driving Safety Foundation’s goals are not only focused on behind-the-wheel and classroom Driver Instruction, but also implementing current technology with today’s vehicle operators. I was introduced to Gas Cubby, an iPhone application built by App Cubby some time ago and have been using it to track my vehicle’s maintenance, gas consumption and overall operating costs.

Gas Cubby has a clever iPhone interface that allows its users to upload unlimited vehicles, their complete profile, and all associated information. It also syncs with an online account that the user is able to access via computer. Forget your car’s license plate number when checking into a hotel? It’s stored on Gas Cubby. Forget your vehicle’s insurance carrier and policy number? It’s stored on Gas Cubby. You get the point. In addition, Gas Cubby will notify the owner when periodically scheduled maintenance is due (or overdue), as well as chart maintenance costs, fuel costs, and so forth. For example, my SUV costs $80 to fill up on a weekly basis – it’s not a big deal as I’m used to it. However, charted out over the last two months, I’ve spent $640 on fuel for this particular vehicle.

Regardless of the vehicle you drive, applications like this can help you manage your vehicles fuel costs, mpg, and scheduled maintenance right at your fingertips!

Pretty cool app, check it out – http://www.appcubby.com/gas/index.html

Over 300 people attended the summit, including advocacy groups, transportation researchers, political decision-makers, and teens, giving their expertise and experiences to help solve the “epidemic” of distracted driving.

September 29, 2009

Seventeen magazine’s Editor-In-Chief, Ann Shoket, hosted an interview with three panelists that was broadcast to classrooms around the nation, stressing the importance of driver safety and the consequences of distracted driving. Students heard firsthand testimony from Reggie Shaw (age 22) and Nicole Meredeth (age 18), who were responsible for causing accidents while they were busy texting-while-driving.

Reggie Shaw’s 2006 crash resulted in the death of 2 men and sent him to prison for 30 days. As a direct result of this incident, the state of Utah now enforces some of the most stringent distracted driving laws in the nation. Nicole Meredeth’s crash was featured in Seventeen magazine, describing the impact of her distracted driving, as she drove off the road and totaled her vehicle.  Natalie Hayford (age 17), a teen advocate for Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), also spoke about the dangers associated with distracted driving.

September 30 – October 1, 2009

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called “distracted driving” a “menace to society” and an “epidemic.” The video of his address can be found on the DOT website at http://j.mp/114OaY.

Rose McMurray, acting deputy administrator at the Federal Motor Vehicle Carrier Safety Administration, lead a panel discussion on the facts and risks linked to distracted driving. Panelists such as Dr. Ann Dellinger presented staggering statistics on accidents caused by driving while texting.  In 2008, 5870 people were killed in distracted driving related accidents and 515,000 more were injured. In any given day, over 800,000 vehicles are being operated by a driver with cell phone in hand.

One of the most interesting segments of the day was presented by Peter Appel, Administrator at the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), describing technology as the main cause behind distracted driving, but also commenting on how we can utilize technology to help combat distracted driving. The Driving Safety Foundation will help play a core roll in this segment; teaching, demonstrating, and preparing not just new drivers, but every driver.  Drivers can experience the dangers and consequences of distracted driving through Advanced Driving Safety classes. With such training and instruction, we hope to better the driving ability of our students, while heightening the awareness of driving safety across the nation.

At the Driving Safety Foundation, we believe that with an open mind and a national commitment to driving safety, we are on track to a nation of safer drivers.  Leave sooner, text later, live longer!

source: http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/