For many of us, the holidays are a time for joy.  A time for family and friends.  For many this year, the holidays bring great sorrow.  One hundred thirty-seven police officers lost their lives this year.  Over one hundred fire-fighters, medics and tow truck drivers combined were also laid to rest this year. When their families sit down for their holiday dinners, everyone at the table will be sadly aware that someone is missing.

Not all of these lives were lost in “struck-by” incidents, but the majority were automobile related.  Most of these lives were lost because of negligence, stupidity, drinking and driving, and the list can go on.  I will allow you to fill in your own adjectives.

Most of these lives were lost as a result of whom?  US!  The traveling public.  We are the ones to blame for these lost lives.  The men and women in uniform who were killed on our nation’s roads this year were out there protecting whom?  US!  The traveling public.  Can you see the pattern?

If your friends won’t hand you their keys after they have “had a few” then take them!  If your husband or wife won’t slow down through the construction zone tell them to pull off at the next exit and you drive!  If your neighbor rolls through that stop sign everyday, knock on their door.  Our laws are in place for a reason.  They were written because lives were lost.  We asked our legislators to enact these laws.  We asked our DOT for a smoother road surface.  We asked our police officers to protect us.  We asked for it.  So the next time you choose to fly through that school zone or construction zone and the nice trooper hands you a citation for $350, remember…you asked for it.  Don’t waste the time of our judges and DA’s.  You asked for the laws to protect your children.  You asked for the officers to protect you.  You asked for it.

Families for Roadside Safety has been so fortunate this year.  We have had support from coast to coast.  We have received thousands of e-mails from Florida to Washington, received over $4000 in donations and sold nearly $2000 in shirts and bumper stickers.  2006 has blessed us with a great deal of success.  In February, we were asked to be on ABC’s Good Morning America.  As a result of the GMA show, we were then asked to be on CNN and FOX News.  Thanks to GMA’s interest in doing a struck-by story, the snowball affect was thousands of lives saved.  Awareness was raised across the United States!  We also witnessed several states adding a MOVE OVER LAW to their books!

The only states that we are aware of WITHOUT A MOVE OVER LAW are:

Connecticut, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey and Rhode Island.

If you live in one of these states, you have some work to do.  Let us know if we can help.  Please don’t wait until another life is needlessly taken before you do something.  Lives depend on it.  Even yours!

Please don’t forget, you have less than three weeks to send in your tax-deductible donation!  FORS is a 501(c)3 non profit organization.  All donations are tax-deductible!

We now have a limited supply of 2007 calendars available!  These are small 3-inch wide, 4-inch high calendars with a peel-off sticky back!  They are available through FORS for $3 each.

This holiday season, please take your time out there.  Plan ahead, be aware and remember that every child needs their kiss goodnight.  Don’t take a child’s kiss away.  Let everyone make it home alive.

Happy Holidays from Families for Roadside Safety.

I have two e-mail accounts, one for my family and the other for FORS.  Each day that I open my personal e-mail I know I will find jokes, photos of friends’ children and quick catch-up notes.  They are the e-mails that I look forward to opening because chances are they will end with a laugh or a smile.

My FORS e-mail on the other hand is always opened with hesitation.  After I spend five minutes blocking out Viagra advertisements and the like, I am left with only a handful of e-mails.  Most come from my friends at Responder Safety.  Their e-mails mostly begin the same…”Officer struck…,” “Trooper Killed in Struck-By…,” ”Medic in Critical Condition…,” “Firefighter hit at accident scene…”  Some days there are only one or two like this.  Some days there are a dozen.  By the time I finish reading them, I might find myself teary eyed, but with each one I must open the next. 

I could easily delete them as I delete the scores of junk mail about the latest in prescription medicines, but I don’t.  They are saved in a file on my computer.  They are my daily reminder to push forward, and to open each new e-mail.  They are my reminder to continue on our efforts to protect the men and women who protect us.  They are my reminder as to why I do this.  It is okay if I finish reading them with tears in my eyes because I know I will have a funny joke from my father-in-law greeting or a picture of a cat in a halloween costume greeting me on the other end of my cyber world to bring a smile back to my face.  Whatever it takes, whatever the motivation, we must push on.

Just a reminder that there are only 57 days left to make a tax deductible donation for 2006.  We would be grateful if the donation was to FORS.  Checks can be made out to “FORS” and mailed to: 141 Spirea Drive, Waynesville, NC  28785.  Please keep in mind that we are still working toward our $30,000 billboard goal!

Please allow me to extend a few thank you’s!  First, to our webhostess Amy Soesbee with E-Starr Webhosting.  She has been working hard on getting our new website designed.  We will announce its debut in the coming weeks!  It will have some wonderful features including a place where the FORS updates will be posted and you can make comments online, including an archive of previous updates and announcements.

Secondly, thank you to the NC Department of Labor’s Western North Carolina Safety and Health School.  I had the honor of being one of the keynote speakers for this year’s Safety School in Asheville, NC.  The other honor bestowed upon me was that the other speaker was Cherie Berry, the Commissioner of the NC Department of Labor.  I had the pleasure of spending some time with our famous “elevator lady.”  Thank you to Cathy Coomer and the rest of the School’s Board of Directors for making me feel so welcome.  My apologies to the six audience members who I killed during my accident simulation.  They were awarded one of our FORS t-shirts for their pain and suffering.

Thank you, as always, to my dear friends at the Responder Safety Institute.  They might send the tears, but they are my motivation to push forward.

We recently learned that the owner of Fat Buddies restaurant in Waynesville, NC is going to do a FORS day where proceeds will go to benefit our organization.  We will let you know when that will take place should you want to enjoy of wonderful BBQ meal!  Right now we are looking at next spring.  If you are restaurant or business owner, we would love to do a similar benefit day with you at your convenience.  The pleasure would be ours ;)  We will also be looking for some volunteers to help us coordinate and advertise for our Fat Buddies day.  Please contact me if you would be interested. 

On an additional note, if you own a business and would like to provide an item, etc. for FORS to be able to put on an E-Bay auction, please let me know.  Anything from hotel stays, golf packages, etc. would help FORS generate funds.

Thank you to everyone for the continual support of our efforts.  T-Shirts and bumper stickers are still available.  We hope to have mini dashboard 2007 calenders available soon.  We will announce their availability along with the debut of the new FORS site in the coming weeks.

As always…MOVE OVER & SLOW DOWN FOR STOPPED EMERGENCY & PUBLIC SERVICE VEHICLES…Our lives depend on it.