Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Launches Podcast

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Think of the last time you drove to the store, walked the dog down the street, or rode your bike to the park. On average over 100 people die in traffic incidents a day. Those are our daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends, in our communities.

For more than 20 years now, the nonprofit Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 has been committed to making streets safer for all who walk, cycle, play, drive and ride. Today, we’re excited to launch the Keep Kids Alive Podcast, a monthly show sharing real stories from everyone involved in helping accomplish that mission.

Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 Launches Podcast

In our first episode, we hear from the founder and executive director of Keep Kids Alive Drive 25, Tom Everson, who shares how the organization got its start and has grown over the years. In addition, we’d like to thank the Ford Motor Company Fund Driving Skills for Life program for providing the funding for this podcast.

Our Origin Story

The idea for Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 came about during a morning run.

“I’m a runner and that's important to the story because in late July of ‘98. I was out running early one morning, probably about 5:30, 5:45 in the morning and I was rounding 120th and Center, just coming around the curve there and the phrase ‘Keep Kids Alive Drive 25’ literally popped in my head,” Everson recalled.

After having a logo made, Everson presented the idea to the Omaha Police Department. At that time, officers said speeding was the No. 1 complaint in neighborhoods throughout the city. That’s also where the idea of the yard sign was born.

New Challenges and Initiatives

As driving habits and technology have evolved over the years, so have the campaign initiatives started by Keep Kids Alive Drive 25. For instance, cellphones. “If we just take that one object, the cellphone. To me that has changed things, and I can't say that has changed things for the better, because we might be able to look at death rates going down from some other behaviors but not from distracted driving,” Everson explained.

That’s where the “Phones Down, Eyes Up” campaign applies, based on the following research:

  • Phone use, even hand-free, erases use of peripheral vision, meaning your visual field is reduced by 1/3 to 1/2. (University of Rhode Island).

  • Phone use also slows reaction time to that of someone .09 under the influence, making it 4X more likely to be involved in a crash (University of Utah).

Reaching Communities Nationwide

Citizens in neighborhoods around the nation and world have launched campaigns to make their streets safer. To date, that includes over 1,700 communities representing 49 states, 3 Canadian provinces, Queensland State, Australia, and the Bahamas. “You share information. You help mobilize people,” said Everson. “But they're the ones who go out and do it. That’s to me where the word joy comes to mind in terms of there's a certain joy attached to seeing people take ownership of their own community and to help create environments that are helping people to be safe on and along roadways.”

Stay Tuned for More

It’s gearing up to be a busy year for Keep Kids Alive Drive 25! We’re looking forward to the 9th Annual Keep Kids Alive Drive 25 5K Live Forward! & Run/Walk to Remember on June 5, 2020. As well as the 14th Annual Live Forward!® Run to Remember Aug. 20-23, 2020.