The
Daily Herald Co., Everett, Wash.
Street Smarts
Please keep your pretty eyes on road
By Lukas Velush
Herald writer
Published: Monday, April 5, 2004
On the road
With a sudden swerve, a blue, sporty car pulled in front of me.
The first clue that something was wrong was the rearview mirror.
It was askew, cranked sideways.
Instead of watching the road or looking back at me, the driver was apparently focused solely on herself.
Then the car swerved to the left, running over the lane markers between my lane and the carpool lane. A quick adjustment and the car swung back to the right side of the lane, and then jerkily found its way back to center.
Then came the proof: A mascara wand waving in the air.
OK, it wasn't exactly waving. However, the driver was using the wand to apply makeup to her face, all this while driving 60 mph down packed I-5, an obvious no-no.
Boorish driver behavior like that is a good reminder to put the makeup kits away, to eat breakfast at home, and to stay off the cellphone whenever possible. Shaving, reading and changing a baby's diapers also need to be avoided while you drive.
If you keep putting on mascara while you drive, you could end up having a mortician apply your make up for the very last time.
Safety a world theme
The World Health Organization is using this year's World Health Day -- check your calendar, it's Wednesday -- to remind people that automobile accidents are one of the world's biggest killers.
Every day as many as 140,000 people are injured on the world's roads, according to the World Health Organization. Worse, more than 3,000 die each day and some 15,000 are disabled for life.
This year the organization decided to focus its efforts on helping young people to become better drivers.
To that end, young drivers or their parents can download what's called a "Parent-Youth Safe Driving Contract" at www.ipromiseprogram.com, a free online training program designed by a father of a young driver.
"Every young person should return home safely each time they take the car," said Canadian Gary Direnfeld, of Dundas, Ont., who developed the training program when his son became a driver. His son is now 20 years old and has a clean driving record.
Contact:
Gary Direnfeld, MSW,
RSW - Executive Director
Interaction Consultants / I Promise Program Inc.
20 Suter Crescent,
Dundas, Ontario, Canada
L9H 6R5
(905) 628-4847
garydi@sympatico.ca
Teen safe driving: www.ipromiseprogram.com
Parenting:
www.yoursocialworker.com
Gary Direnfeld is a social worker and expert on matters of family life. He
is in private practice (Interaction Consultants), writes and provides
workshops and is the developer of the "I Promise Program" - teen
safe driving initiative. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider Gary an
expert on child development, parent-child relations, marital and family
therapy, custody and access recommendations, social work and an expert for
the purpose of giving a critique on a Section 112 (social work) report.
His opinion helps resolve child custody and access matters.
Search his name on GOOGLE.COM to view his many articles or click on either
of the above websites. Feel free to call him for your next conference and
for expert opinion on family matters. His services include counseling,
mediation, assessment and assessment critiques.