This week at Rotary we heard from from Dan Strollo from In Control. In Control is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that has trained over 40,000 students and receives endless praise from graduates, parents, schools, police departments, insurance companies, legislators, and community groups all over New England.   

 

The United States currently ranks around 40th in the world in terms of safety on our roads. We used to be the world leaders (in a good way). In Massachusetts, road tests are currently only 5 minutes, as opposed to Germany which can take up to an hour. In Control offers a hands on course with the goal of reducing crashes and fatalities. Most graduates enjoy insurance discounts and the peace of mind of knowing that they have been trained for emergency situations.  Third-party research has found a 70% reduction in crashes for new driver graduates of their training and similar results for experienced drivers trained through our commercial programs.

While focused on training New England drivers of all ages, In Control has traveled the U.S. providing training, consulting, and services to keep people safe from the most dangerous thing we do.

Dan spent some time reviewing the main items offered in their course and showing us what their classroom. Core items include differentiating between ABS and non-ANS use, texting distractions, hands-on slalom driving to reinforce driving with hands at 9 and 3 on the steering wheel, and preventing accidents resulting from tailgating. The programs uses professional drivers and focuses on experiential learning. 

 

Some interesting facts:

• The "Dutch Reach" is using the opposite hand to open a car door, forcing the person to look behind them while exiting. Our resident Dutch expert denies ever hearing the phrase. 
• Massachusetts is second to last in seatbelt use. New Hampshire is first. The most common reason given for not wearing a seatbelt is that the occupant did not plan on getting into an accident. 
• Lack of wearing seatbelts leads to the most fatalities of law enforcement officers.
• Massachusetts ranks #1 in tailgating. #winning
• A safe following distance is 3 seconds
• Lack of sleep is the main cause of car crashes
• It is safer to back into parking spots than to back out of them.
• You do not need to see back of vehicle in the rearview mirrors which need to be pushed out to eliminate blind spots 

To find out more information on In Control visit their website at www.DriveInControl.org

No news this week. You all had too many questions for our guest!