‘Tis that time of year again, when an extra cup of eggnog can mean the difference between life and death in a wintry storm. 

Though this is a bit overly dramatic, we do take winter (and drunk) driving seriously here at RVS. 

While we offer both heated systems AND driver fatigue detection systems (including an AI facial recognition dash cam in the works!) that address both of those issues, we also recommend taking preventative steps if you have to hit the road. 

Going that extra mile is crucial if you live in one of these 10 states* where driving fatalities are especially high in the winter:...

Ever wonder how dangerous your state is when it comes to driving?  

Well, according to insurance company data, there’s a method to figure this out. It involves combing through 4 million insurance applications to calculate the proportion of drivers to speeding tickets, at-fault accidents, and DUIs. 

Based on the stats extracted by the above mentioned method, these are the 5 most dangerous states, in order from bad to worst:

5. 5. Virginia 

“Virginia is for lovers,” so that might explain the 14.34% of drivers with a speeding ticket, but it doesn’t explain the 26.68% of drivers with at least one...

St. Patrick’s Day has long been the day designated to celebrate the Irish roots of approximately 34.2 million Americans. However, St. Patrick’s Day is also a very dangerous day for driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, between 2012 to 2016 during the St. Patrick’s Day holiday period, there were 269 fatalities due to drunk driving crashes. If you're going to celebrate with alcohol, be sure to remember the following precautions.

Safety Tips

Plan ahead. Decide how you are going to get home before you go out. If you plan on drinking alcohol, designate a sober, reliable...

It’s a brisk morning in Topeka, KS, winter 2001, and I’m
running late again. I warm up the old yellow Subaru and pull onto 10th street,
lurching towards Topeka High School. There’s a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch balanced
in my lap and a pair of headphones on my ears, Blood Brothers blaring. I’m approaching
the first green light, 10th and Gage, when there’s a loud flash of red at the
corner of my eye. I slam on the brakes. An ambulance rushes through the
intersection, missing my jalopy by inches. It was that close.

I pull into the animal hospital parking lot and sit, shaking
in my car, cereal and...

The Super Bowl is an exciting event. I will be watching the game this Sunday, along with around 114 million people. As a native Kansan, I'll be cheering on my beloved Chiefs. Whether you are hosting a party or simply attending one, it's important to have a plan ahead of time that prevents drunk driving. We already know drunk driving is dangerous. 28 people die from an alcohol related crash in the US every day.

• Be responsible when drinking alcohol. Know your limits and be watchful of what your friends are consuming as well.
• Have a designated driver or use ride sharing services. Decide how you are...

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. From texting to eating to settling sibling disputes in the back seat, there are countless distractions that can fatefully take your focus off the road.Texting and driving causes 1 in 4 accidents in the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUNCAMKZbFk

What can you do?

Distracted Driving

Teens: Speak up when you see a friend driving while distracted. Share messages on social media.

Parents: Lead by example, never drive while distracted. Have a talk with your family about all the responsibilities that come with driving.

Educators & Employers:...

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. When I was growing up all 6 of us would pile into our SUV and travel to Kansas City from Topeka. It was about an hour drive, and I thought it was so cool that I could spend the day in a “big city.” The venue would often change, sometimes we would do Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncles, sometimes at my cousins’ house. One of my favorite parts of the day was after the meal, traveling downtown to watch The Plaza lights turn on. This is a must for Thanksgiving in Kansas City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLXM7kZ034k

It was a wonderful experience with my...

Getting a driver’s license opens a whole new world. I still remember the day I got mine. I was smiling ear-to-ear for my picture at the DMV by the highway. Now I could drive to the mall myself! There was not a lot to do in my hometown. More importantly for me and my friends, it meant we could drive to Lawrence ourselves.

I’ve always loved music. From my dad playing Bob Dylan and The Beatles to my older brothers blasting The Red Hot Chili Peppers, our house was always full of music. My friends and I loved seeing live music, but all of the bands we wanted to see would never come to Topeka. They would...

Drunk Driving can change multiple lives in an instant. It is a preventable problem that we all need to work together to stop. Shear Comfort has created a guide that can help keep a friend from driving drunk. Please take a look. It’s a matter of life and death.

For many adults and college-aged teens, alcohol consumption can become a part of their casual lives. At dinner, parties, or nightclubs or bars, alcohol is often used as a way to relax or enhance one's enjoyment. Unfortunately, this casual enjoyment can quickly turn deadly when the person drinking makes the decision to get behind the wheel...

These are also known as sobriety checkpoints. This is a brief detention developed by police for the purpose of investigating and evaluating passing motorists for drunk driving. These roadblocks on public roadways do not only give the police the chance to check tags and licenses or peer into the vehicle for a moment, they also give them an opportunity to whiff the driver’s breath. It is determined by a policy-making official with logical reasons.

The police closely monitor the cars approaching a DUI checkpoint, so if you are guilty of a DUI, then you might be on the wrong side of the law. The State...

Other than the hazards of not clearly seeing objects behind you where a Rear View Camera is clearly the solution, distracted driving is a very serious problem. A breathalyzer for your cell phone could be part of the solution.

New York police could soon by using textalyzer phone scanners that act as a breathalyzer for your cell phone, allowing them to quickly see if a phone was used at the time of an accident while also keeping content private.

Assembly assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz and New York Senator Terrence Murphy have partnered with awareness group Distracted Operators Risk Casualties to propose...

Autonomous cars are no longer a distant dream. Tesla already has a car with an advanced autopilot mode with some “automatic” features, including autonomous braking and self-parking, while Google, Delphi and Audi are currently developing and testing fully-autonomous models. These tests began years ago. Induct Navia is already using autonomous public shuttles in Europe and Asia. While this technology is flashy, futuristic and downright fun, one important question remains: Are they safe?

The benefits of this tech is clear. Consumers could have a more productive trip, working, reading...

St. Patrick's Day has long been the day designated to celebrate the Irish roots of approximately 34.2 million Americans. However, St. Patrick's Day is also a very dangerous day for driving; between 2009 and 2013, there were a total of 276 lives lost in drunk-driving crashes on St. Patrick's Day. If you're going to celebrate with alcohol, make sure to take the following precautions; they may seem minor, but they save lives!

Plan ahead. Decide how you are going to get home before you go out. If you plan on drinking alcohol, designate a sober, reliable driver to get you home safely. Better yet, hand...

According to road safety statistics that were recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, we may be well on our way to having completely safe roads for drivers and pedestrians in our lifetime. According to a new report, auto related fatalities have significantly declined in 2014 compared to the same period in 2013.

According to the NHTSA, the total number of traffic fatalities in 2014 was 32,675, compared to the number of 32,719 in 2013. While this itself is good, the rest of the report isn't quite as optimistic and points to the fact that there is still very real work...

Written by bcadmin on September 24, 2015

According to the GHSA, nearly 30 Americans die every single day due to alchahol-related car accidents. That adds up to around 10,000 fatalities per year. Those in their early twenties are at especially high risk, and account for a third of the deaths.

Traditionally, driving under the influence has been combated by advertising campaigns, DUI checkpoints, and a variety of educational resources. Now, with the advent of new technology, there are even more options available. There are quite a few great apps which can help prevent these deadly accidents from...

“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over”: Local Law Enforcement Organization Is Cracking Down on Drunk Driving This July Fourth

• The Fourth of July holiday is a favorite time of year for many Americans. Backyard parties, good food, and fireworks. But the celebrating unfortunately turns deadly when people drive after drinking alcohol. Drunk driving is a preventable problem on Independence Day each year in the United States.

• In 2013, Forbes magazine named the Independence Day holiday “the most dangerous holiday of the year.”

• This year, the Fourth comes on a Saturday, so Friday, July 3, is the Federal holiday...

Oftentimes when people ask me why I am in a wheelchair, I tell them that I am one of the reasons that they raised the drinking age from 18 to 21.

I am a quadriplegic who was injured two weeks before my high school graduation in 1977 when I was drinking and driving. It was a single-car accident. And fortunately my only passenger was not badly injured.

I, on the other hand, was barely alive. I damaged my spinal cord at the C4-5 level, was in intensive care for two months and rehabilitation for six months.

As difficult as it was for me personally going through this completely life-changing experience...

Together We Can Make a Difference.

This article is also in Spanish. Click here for the Spanish version.

Millions of people worldwide do it. Many say “What’s the harm, I got home safely and no one was hurt?” Just because you made it home safely to your bed does not mean that you’re making a right decision. When putting those keys in the ignition and driving away after drinking you are not only putting your life at risk but you are risking the lives of all those you come across while driving.

Poor Decision Making

Alcohol affects you in a way that changes your judgement, depth perception as well...