Page 3 - AAA Schuylkill County - AAA Now! March/April 2015

CEO MESSAGE
AAA
Volume 27, No. 2
HEADQUARTERS OFFICE
340 South Centre St.
P.O. Box 990, Pottsville, PA 17901 Telephone: (570) 622-4991 • 1-800-666-SCMC
BRANCH OFFICE
202 East Broad Street, Tamaqua, PA 18252 (570) 668-1003
OFFICE HOURS
POTTSVILLE
Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday
9:00 a.m. - Noon
TAMAQUA
Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday
9:00 a.m. - Noon
OFFICERS ROBERT W. WACHTER
Chief Executive Officer
WAYNE S. HAMILTON
Chairman of the Board
DAVID J. HOLLEY
President
GEORGE URITIS
Vice Chairman
RONALD DERENZO
Solicitor
DIRECTORS
Wayne S. Hamilton ........................... Orwigsburg David J. Holley ......................... Schuylkill Haven Allen C. Koch ........................... Schuylkill Haven John Levkulic ........................... Schuylkill Haven Lowell P. Martin...................................Frackville Robert Mills...........................................Pottsville John D.W. Reiley...................................Pottsville George Uritis ......................................... Cressona
JUDIE KARHAN
Editor-in-Chief
DOROTHY CROUCH
Senior Editorial Director
HANS FRUST
Creative Director
ANGELA ILICH
Director of Production
SUSAN B. McCORD
Regional Editor
AAA Now! (ISSN 08988552; USPS 002-243) is published quarterly by AAA Schuylkill County, 340 South Centre St., Pottsville, PA 17901. Periodicals postage paid at Pottsville, PA 17901 and at additional mailing offices. A subscription price of $1 per year to primary members is paid through dues.
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to AAA Now! Schuylkill County, 340 South Centre St., Pottsville, PA 17901.
AAA does not endorse any product or service advertised in this publication other than AAA club services and products. The publisher of AAA Now! Does not endorse or make any representations or warranties concerning any service or product advertised in this publication. The published is not liable to any advertiser or reader for any errors or omissions in advertising or editorial copy appearing in this publication, provided, however, that the publisher will print a correction after the publisher has been notified of an error or omission.
TM
On the Street Where You Live
By Robert W. Wachter
ROBERT W. WACHTER
Chief Executive Officer
Traffic safety is a complex world of interactions among people, machines, roads, weather, time, light, animals, objects, and geography. Changes to a single factor – say, a squirrel running across a telephone wire that distracts
a driver for a few seconds – can set off a chain reaction of events that affects the
safety of road users for miles around.
That’s why the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
pursues its mission by fostering a comprehensive
safety culture, where safety is a priority and paramount concern for all road users. As the safety culture improves, not only will people embrace the practices and tools that keep us all safe, they’ll come to value safety more than any other aspect of driving.
Making this happen requires millions of people changing their attitudes and behaviors, but it all starts with just one driver: you. When you put safety first, you protect yourself, your passengers, and all other road users. In fact, you already know how to build a stronger traffic safety culture:
Buckle up – Never put a car in gear unless you and your
passengers are secure (and that includes using child
safety seats).
Pay attention – When you’re driving, your only task
should be operating your vehicle. Texting, talking on the phone, arguing with passengers, fooling around with accessories, and even eating cause deadly distractions.
Never drink and drive – Use a designated driver or call a cab, but never get behind the wheel after drinking.
Wake up and stay alert – Don’t push yourself when you’re drowsy. Get off the road and rest.
Slow down – Speed limits tell you the maximum safe speed under optimal conditions. If you’re speeding – or pushing the limit – under bad road conditions, by definition you’re putting yourself (and everyone else on the road) at risk.
Forgive and forget – If some driver is doing something that annoys you, get out of the way and let him pass. You only increase your own risk by engaging or “policing” bad behavior.
Share the road – Driving around in today’s climate- controlled, entertainment-filled, high-comfort bubbles, it’s easy to feel like you’re in your own world,
but never forget that you are sharing the road with other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and others who have as much right to be there as you do.
Teach your children well – Kids see how you react and what you do, so reflect good practices. They’ll pick up your safe driving practices right from the start.
That should be a pretty familiar list to most drivers.
These are practices you learn before you get a license, and they’re issues we all read and hear about on the news – all too often when ignoring those leads to tragedy.
In fact, that brings up one more rule to put on your safety culture list: Don’t fool yourself into thinking that the risks of unsafe driving don’t apply to you. If you believe that you can text while driving, drink and drive safely, stay under control while speeding, or demand that other drivers clear the way, you’re deluding yourself and putting all other road users at risk.
Take the opportunity to build a better safety culture on the street where you live. You’ll make your own trips safer and more pleasant, and everyone will benefit from your efforts.
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MARCH/APRIL 2015
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