Another story in the San Diego North County Times about the untimely death of a teen driver, Michael Hoffman, just 18 years old. He was just 10 days shy of graduating from High School.
Firefighter Dad Helped After Son's Crash
How sad that we will never know if he indeed followed in his father and grandfather's footsteps to become a firefighter. We will never know how many lives he would have touched by his dedication to helping others in their time of need.
Be careful out there. Drive carefully. Cars can be replaced. People can't.
Alliance Defensive Driving School extends our deepest condolences to the Hoffman family for the loss of their son, Michael.
For more information about Alliance Defensive Driving School, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/index.html
For information about our teen program, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/teens.html
For information about our online drivers ed. program and our prices, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html
Showing posts with label North County Teen Deaths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label North County Teen Deaths. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Keeping Safe--In The Car and Out
Recently there has been a lot of publicity surrounding the disappearance and subsequent deaths of Chelsea King and Amber Dubois, and the capture of John Albert Gardner III in connection with their murders. Three commonalities will always join these two girls forever more in this heinous crime: they were teenagers, they were walking alone, they did not do anything to provoke their attacker.
Being in a seemingly safe, affluent area, as Chelsea King was, might give some a sense of security. But in reality, sadly, no one is safe anywhere, and our guard must not be dropped under any circumstance. It's a sad fact of our modern life. To be fair though, this has been true of any age. There have, and always will exist, people who, for whatever reason, want to do us harm.
There are various websites on the internet devoted to the subject of personal safety, offering valuable tips and classes that you can take to safeguard yourself and your family. A simple Google search will offer a plethora of helpful sites.
One of the core concepts of defensive driving that we at Alliance Defensive Driving School teach is S.I.P.D.E., which stands for Search, Identify, Predict, Determine, Execute. While this is often taught as part of driving defensively, the exact same concept could be used for walking...or jogging...or riding the bus. In other words, anywhere you happen to be in a public space; from an isolated wooded area to a bustling mall or crowded city street.
To illustrate how S.I.P.D.E. could be used as a pedestrian, let's imagine the following scenario:
You're walking along a busy street, aware of people around you, when you suddenly spot out of the corner of your eye someone possibly following you. You keep an eye on him, noticing that he is definitely following you. He is not going to stop following you, no matter what you do. You decide to go into the nearest store and call for help and you head for the store you're passing and call the authorities. Meanwhile you also let the store staff know about your concerns.
Search: For possible trouble
Identify: Person following you
Predict: By his actions, he looks like he will not stop following you
Determine: What you are going to do, i.e. duck into a store and call for help.
Execute: You go into the store and call for help.
Depending on where you are, the scenario would change slightly, but the principles of S.I.P.D.E. remain exactly the same, whether on foot or driving or on public transportation. That's the great thing about this simple acronym; remember it and it will carry you through any situation that you might find yourself in!
Whether in a car or on foot, please be safe out there! If you feel uncomfortable about a certain situation you find yourself in, heed your instinct and remove yourself from possible harm! If it turns out to be a false alarm, well, better to be embarrassed than to wind up in a hospital...or worse!
For more information about Alliance Defensive Driving School, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/index.html
For more information regarding our Teen Program, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/teens.html
For information about our online Driver's Ed. Program and prices, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html
Also be sure to read our other blogs: The Driver Guy and The Highway for more great info and tips!
Being in a seemingly safe, affluent area, as Chelsea King was, might give some a sense of security. But in reality, sadly, no one is safe anywhere, and our guard must not be dropped under any circumstance. It's a sad fact of our modern life. To be fair though, this has been true of any age. There have, and always will exist, people who, for whatever reason, want to do us harm.
There are various websites on the internet devoted to the subject of personal safety, offering valuable tips and classes that you can take to safeguard yourself and your family. A simple Google search will offer a plethora of helpful sites.
One of the core concepts of defensive driving that we at Alliance Defensive Driving School teach is S.I.P.D.E., which stands for Search, Identify, Predict, Determine, Execute. While this is often taught as part of driving defensively, the exact same concept could be used for walking...or jogging...or riding the bus. In other words, anywhere you happen to be in a public space; from an isolated wooded area to a bustling mall or crowded city street.
To illustrate how S.I.P.D.E. could be used as a pedestrian, let's imagine the following scenario:
You're walking along a busy street, aware of people around you, when you suddenly spot out of the corner of your eye someone possibly following you. You keep an eye on him, noticing that he is definitely following you. He is not going to stop following you, no matter what you do. You decide to go into the nearest store and call for help and you head for the store you're passing and call the authorities. Meanwhile you also let the store staff know about your concerns.
Search: For possible trouble
Identify: Person following you
Predict: By his actions, he looks like he will not stop following you
Determine: What you are going to do, i.e. duck into a store and call for help.
Execute: You go into the store and call for help.
Depending on where you are, the scenario would change slightly, but the principles of S.I.P.D.E. remain exactly the same, whether on foot or driving or on public transportation. That's the great thing about this simple acronym; remember it and it will carry you through any situation that you might find yourself in!
Whether in a car or on foot, please be safe out there! If you feel uncomfortable about a certain situation you find yourself in, heed your instinct and remove yourself from possible harm! If it turns out to be a false alarm, well, better to be embarrassed than to wind up in a hospital...or worse!
For more information about Alliance Defensive Driving School, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/index.html
For more information regarding our Teen Program, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/teens.html
For information about our online Driver's Ed. Program and prices, please go to: http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html
Also be sure to read our other blogs: The Driver Guy and The Highway for more great info and tips!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Why...
Ah, the eternal question for which there seems to be no easy answer. In this particular case, the "why" comes from the recent reports in the North County Times regarding the recent deaths of eight North County teens at the hands of alcohol, speed and inexperience. An often deadly combination that has been happening since the dawn of the mass production of the combustion engine. And despite numerous attempts to solve the problem through legislation, education, and plain old common sense, the trend continues with the predictably horrifying results.
Below are the articles that appeared in the North County Times detailing the tragedies.
Teen Road Deaths Confound Community
The Driver Guy would like to hear from our teens on what their thoughts are on these tragedies. Do you ever feel pressured from your friends to give them a lift, even though you know it's against the law? Do you give in, or do you find a way to firmly yet gently decline? And if you do, what do your friends say?
Contact us at http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html for some great tips on how to stay safe behind the wheel. And to learn why these laws are actually working in your favor, not against you. Believe it or not, if you follow the rules, you will end up a much better driver than your friends who pressure you into breaking them for their own selfish reasons.
Be sure to read our other blogs for more fun and information as well!
The Driver Guy
The Highway
And, of course, please visit our website at http://www.thedriverguy.com/index.html for more great information on driving and our school.
Teens, if you're interested in online driver's education, please visit our program page at http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html, but first visit our Teen page for important info about what you have to do before you can take the Driver's Ed course and Behind The Wheel Training at http://www.thedriverguy.com/teens.html
Hope to see and hear from you soon!
Below are the articles that appeared in the North County Times detailing the tragedies.
Teen Road Deaths Confound Community
The Driver Guy would like to hear from our teens on what their thoughts are on these tragedies. Do you ever feel pressured from your friends to give them a lift, even though you know it's against the law? Do you give in, or do you find a way to firmly yet gently decline? And if you do, what do your friends say?
Contact us at http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html for some great tips on how to stay safe behind the wheel. And to learn why these laws are actually working in your favor, not against you. Believe it or not, if you follow the rules, you will end up a much better driver than your friends who pressure you into breaking them for their own selfish reasons.
Be sure to read our other blogs for more fun and information as well!
The Driver Guy
The Highway
And, of course, please visit our website at http://www.thedriverguy.com/index.html for more great information on driving and our school.
Teens, if you're interested in online driver's education, please visit our program page at http://www.thedriverguy.com/online_driversed.html, but first visit our Teen page for important info about what you have to do before you can take the Driver's Ed course and Behind The Wheel Training at http://www.thedriverguy.com/teens.html
Hope to see and hear from you soon!
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