Let’s admit it. Almost all of us have been guilty of using our cell phone while driving. Most of us have also sent or received texts while driving as well. As text messaging becomes more popular the number of driving while texting (DWT) accidents is skyrocketing. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted drivers account for almost 80% of all crashes and 65% of near-crashes in the United States.

According to two recent studies by the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, the risk of a car accident increases by 50% for people who text message while driving and those who texted while driving increased their crash risk by 23 times.

The following video is a graphic Welsh Public Service Announcement that depicts the dangers of driving while texting. We recommend that all adult and teen drivers watch the video.

Driving while texting is dangerous because studies have shown:

• texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with your eyes off the road
• texting took a driver’s focus away from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds – enough time to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph
• text messaging and using iPods caused drivers to leave their lanes 10 percent more often
• drivers that text and drive become more than one third slower than if they were coherent and not texting. This leads to slower stop times, swerving in and out of lanes, slowed driving speed and longer speed up times after texting.

In fact, driving while texting is more dangerous in terms of reaction time than driving while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Text messaging lowered reaction time by 35 percent, while people high on marijuana slowed down 21 percent and those who were drunk slowed down by 12 percent.

Driving While Texting is Even More of a Danger for Teens

While teens are less experienced drivers than adults, the danger really lies in that they use texting as a primary form of communication with their friends. The average U.S. teenager now sends or receives an average of 2,899 text-messages per month and almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 admit to texting while driving.

Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year. In 2007 alone, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.

In order to help reduce teen driving while texting, parents need to be firm with their teens. A joint study conducted by according SADD and Liberty Mutual showed 52 percent of teens say their parents are unlikely to follow through on punishment if they drive and text-message so they will continue to do it while only 36 percent of teens believed their parents would penalize them.

Legislation and Insurance Policies

Many states and even congress are now looking to ban driving while texting. A bill is being introduced in the Senate for a national ban of driving while texting and emailing. Utah being the more extreme example with a possible 15 year prison sentence for those who cause an accident while texting. Even insurance companies are starting to look at your cell phone usage prior to an accident to decide how they will handle your accident claims. In the near future, we are likely to see punitive damages and jail time for people who drive while texting and cause accidents, similar to DUIs.

Remember if you have to use your cell phone to make a call or text, the safest thing to do is pull over and stop in a safe location first and then use your phone.

Heading to college is a very exciting time in most people’s lives. It is often the first experience we have for freedom away from our parents and the chance to be responsible for ourselves. We have the opportunity to experience so much academically, socially and to really find ourselves. It is a wonderful experience.

It can also be a very dangerous and traumatic time as well if you are not careful. Predators are often looking to exploit the innocence of young women on campus. Females between the ages of 16 and 24 are more likely to be raped than any other age group. In fact, the Department of Justice conducted a study that found one out of every four college women polled was sexually assaulted within four years at college. Additionally:

• 62% of college rapes are committed by classmates and friends
• 2.8 % of college women are raped in the first 6 months of college
• 40% of rapes will occur in your own home or dorm, 11% near your residence and 11% at or near a friend’s home/dorm.
• Over 80% of rapes go unreported and less than 5% of rapists spend anytime in jail.

The easy access to alcohol and drugs are also a recipe for disaster. It is estimated that at least 45% of rapists were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they assaulted their victims. Lines also get blurry at parties where both the man and woman are drinking and date rape drugs are very common on college campuses.

The long term effects of an assault can be long term and devastating. Victims of rape often manifest long-term symptoms of chronic headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbance, recurrent nausea, decreased appetite, eating disorders, menstrual pain, sexual dysfunction, and suicide attempts. In a longitudinal study, sexual assault was found to increase the odds of substance abuse by a factor of 2.5.

Victims of date rape are also 11 times more likely to be clinically depressed, and 6 times more likely to experience social phobia than are non-victims. Psychological problems are still evident in cases as long as 15 years after the assault.

This is why it is imperative to be proactive about your safety on campus and not have the mentality it can never happen to me. Follow these steps to help reduce your chances of becoming a victim of assault at the university.

Prior to selecting or arriving to school:

• Request information on crime statistics from your school of choice.
• Go to the Department of Education’s site to check the status of campus safety at http://ope.ed.gov/security/
• Check with family members and friends to see if anyone had attended your campus of choice.

Upon arrival:

• Check the access availability to the residential halls.  Can anyone enter the dorms?
• See if there is a residential aid,  sign in requirement for guest,  security presence,   security cameras and emergency phones nearby.
• Get to know the security personnel. Ask about previous crimes on campus.
• Make friends with like-minded students and look out for each other.
• Survey the campus at night to see if it’s well lit, especially along walkways and around the buildings.
• Walk about the campus with confidence, display good posture and constantly be aware of your surroundings.

Dorm area:

• Be sure doors and Windows have strong locks. Always keep them locked at night!
• Never give out your room key or combination. If lost, replace your locks immediately.
• Be mindful of who you let in your room. Make a pack with your roommates not to let strangers in the room.
• Keep your cell phone on at night. Program security’s number in your phone.

Dating:

Although your primary focus should be on accomplishing your goal of getting your degree, if you do decide to date, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t rush into any relationship. Take your time and get to know the person.
• If you do go out with him, tell a trusted friend his name as well as where you’re going and what time you’ll return.
• Go to a public place with lots of people present.
• Avoid wild parties and alcohol. Statistics show that over 70,000 students between 18 and 24 have been victim of “alcohol related” sexual assault.
• If you feel uneasy about the person, pick up the phone and contact your friend and let her know your feelings, then leave at once.

By taking these simple steps, you will make your college experience an enjoyable one without the risk of becoming a victim. Remember; awareness and avoidance is 90% of prevention!

It’s back to school time for you and “Peak Season” for the predator!

As you go about the business of preparing your child for school, beware of the petty thieves and robbers lurking in the malls and parking lots. Statistics show that August and December are peak crime months for petty thieves and robbers.

They know that you’re going to be out in numbers spending large sums of money on school clothes and supplies. Contrary to popular belief, predators are very smart. They watch the news and read the paper to see where the big sales are going to be. They survey certain department stores and malls to see which ones have security and quick escape routes. Then they sit and wait for the race to begin.

Here is a list of preventive measures you can take to avoid being a victim:

• Be aware of your surroundings while out at the malls and parking lots.
• Stay off your cell phone, while shopping, so you can stay alert
• Avoid carrying large sums of cash. Use your credit or debit card for large transactions.
• Carry your purse over your shoulder, pulled slightly to the front of your body.
• Avoid shopping at night. If you must, be sure to bring someone with you.
• Place all of your items in the trunk of your vehicle. This will reduce your chances of being a victim of a “smash and grab”.
• Do not place your purse in the shopping cart… keep it with you at all times.
• Be sure to keep your hands free when exciting the store. Use a shopping cart to transport your bags to your vehicle.
• When exciting the store, scan the parking lot and walk down the center of the street.
• Keep your keys and cell phone in your pocket, so if your purse is stolen you can still call for help and get home. This also helps prevent the robbers from having easy access to your house.
• Look in, around and under your vehicle before entering.
• With ID theft being a major concern, keep all of your receipts handy and match them against your online statement for accuracy.
• Be sure to carry a personal safety item, such as the Defender Safety Keychain, with you at all times.
• If approached, unless you are trained in self defense, do not fight or chase after the thief. You can always replace your items. (You only want to fight if they try to physically harm or kidnap you)

By taking these simple steps you will greatly reduce your chances of becoming a victim!

17 Year-old Lily Burk was running errands for her mom in the afternoon when she was kidnapped in an attempted robbery then killed hours later in an alley.

Our hearts go out to Lily and her family. Please take this opportunity to learn from this tragic event and share this article with your friends and family.

How to Avoid Being a Victim in a Similar Attack

The best way to stop an attack like this is to always be aware of your surroundings. Often times when we approach our car we are distracted – fumbling for our keys, talking on the cell phone or trying to put our shopping bags in the trunk. Take the time to look around the parking lot and your car before approaching it. If you see someone suspicious, turn around and go to a safe place with other people around.

If surprised by an attacker, NEVER go with him to a second location. While it is unclear whether Lily’s attacker had a weapon, it should not affect your strategy in this situation. ALWAYS fight back and do not believe for a second when the attacker says, “If you do as I say, you won’t get hurt.” That is a way for the attacker to try and verbally control you into submission. The majority of them just want an easy target and not one that will fight for their survival.

For a woman to physically fight off a man without specific training can be difficult. That is why we recommend carrying a safety device of some kind. We personally carry and recommend the Defender safety keychain. It is high effective, easy to use and is with you at all times! We’ve put together a little preview clip with two possible scenarios of an attacker approaching a woman as she is going to her car and how the defender is able to give you an advantage over your attacker:

In a kidnap attempt even if you do not have a safety device, still fight back. Use your elbows and knees instead of your hands, repeatedly scream “Help! Help! I don’t know this man” and run away from the attacker. Yelling “Fire” may get other people’s attention but they are less likely to help if they think it is a domestic dispute.

Over 70% of attacks are committed by an unarmed assailant but even if they have a weapon statistically your odds of survival are exponentially better if you fight back and run away. Often times an attacker will say he was a weapon when he does not or will show you his weapon as a scare tactic – it could be in his belt covered by a jacket that he flashes you. Keep in mind by the time he pulls out the weapon you could have put a very good distance between the two of you. If you are screaming and drawing attention to yourself he will most likely not pursue you. Predators are looking for easy targets.

Even with a gun, the chances of the assailant being able to hit a moving target are low. Remember to keep your head down, run in a zig zag pattern and do not stop until you are in a safe location.

In Lily’s case surveillance cameras showed the attacker driving away from the kidnap spot in her car while she was in the passenger seat! If you find yourself in a car with the attacker, wait for the vehicle to slow down then quickly unlock the door and jump out of the car. You can also grab the steering wheel and force the car to crash. Whatever you do, don’t go without a fight! Statistics show that when most victims are taken to a second location they do not survive the attack.

More than ever it is necessary for women to take responsibility for their personal safety. Join the Women’s Personal Safety Network’s free online community for exclusive access to the latest safety information and resources.

82% of women who resisted an assault say it helped their situation.
ONLY 18.9% OF WOMEN WHO RESISTED SAID THAT IS WORSENED THE SITUATION.

Of those who were helped by resisting:

39.9% AVOIDED INJURY OR GREATER INJURY
38.3% ENABLED THEMSELVES TO ESCAPE
21.7% SCARED OF THE OFFENDER

Although over 70% attackers are unarmed, even if they do have a weapon, you have a much higher survival rate by resisting and trying to escape. Virtually ever victim who goes with an attacker to a second location is sexually assaulted and/or killed. If the attacker has a gun, run away in a zig zag pattern and the chances of him shooting and causing a fatal injury greatly reduces.