Governor proclaims Sunday, October 27, 2002 as 'SLOW ... please! DAY' in Massachusetts

BOSTON, and MARBLEHEAD, Mass., Oct. 17 -- Governor Jane Swift, with the cooperation of the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau, has officially proclaimed Sunday, October 27, 2002 as SLOW ... please! DAY in Massachusetts. SLOW ... please! is an award-winning, grass-roots, non-profit public safety organization. Its primary purpose is to counter the effects of a fast- paced society with personal reminders throughout the day that life is fragile. These reminders use the humanistic word "please."

"SLOW ... please! DAY reminds us to take time for life and to drive with care," said Kate Reilly, organization founder and president.

The group designated the last Sunday in October - the day most of the country returns to Standard Time - for SLOW ... please! DAY based on a study published in the American Journal of Public Health. The study concluded that fatal crashes involving pedestrians increase 300 percent immediately after the return to Standard Time. The resulting lower light level during the busy evening traffic hours makes it harder to see pedestrians and increases the risk of motor vehicle crashes involving pedestrians.

In Massachusetts, according to 1995-2000 statistics provided by the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau,

there is a trend of increased pedestrian injuries in speed-related crashes between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. 29% of pedestrian injuries occurred between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. people under the age of 20 accounted for 28% of all pedestrian injuries. "We believe driving becomes an extension of our fast-paced lives," Reilly said. "Therefore we remind each other to take time for life before we ever get into the car. This program is unique because it uses the word 'please' to trigger a split-second personal response to make us accountable to one another as human beings. The program has done what no other public safety program has ever done: it has combined mandated law with a personal plea - the word "please" - bringing a new level of accountability to our streets. SLOW ... please! takes the heart of the law to the heart of the people."

SLOW ... please! will air 21 public information spots on WRKO Radio during morning drive time beginning Thursday, October 24 and running through Sunday, October 27 with the "Life is fragile ... Take time for life. SLOW ... please!" theme.

Reilly founded SLOW ... please! in 1987. The Massachusetts mother was rushing in her car to meet her daughter only to find a young girl resembling her daughter had been struck and dragged 97 feet by a truck. Reilly kept repeating the word, "please ... please ... please!" To this day, Reilly refers to that moment in time when "time no longer mattered - only life mattered."

Reilly returned to the street the next day holding a homemade SLOW sign. But, it wasn't the slow sign that impressed the passers-by - it was her own personal plea, "please!"

That is why SLOW ... please! works with local officials to add the word "please" to local traffic and road signs.

From this impassioned beginning, SLOW ... please! is now a nationally- recognized, award-winning program for public safety. "Most of us drive the way we live. In our race for time - with laptops, cell phones, instant messaging and over-scheduling - SLOW ... please! is a gentle reminder to take time for life," Reilly said.

For this innovative approach to public safety, Reilly has earned the Public Service Award from the Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration in Washington, D.C. This is the highest award the Department of Transportation presents to a private citizen. In addition, Reilly has appeared in local and national media. The program's ideas have been adopted in cities and towns across the United States and n in Europe.

For more information about SLOW ... please! call 1-800-649-SLOW in Massachusetts.

Statistic cited in "Ferguson, Susan A. et al., "Daylight Savings Time and Motor Vehicle Crashes," American Journal of Public Health, January 1995, pp 92-95. Cited with permission of American Journal of Public Health. Photos available upon request. Further information is available at these Web Sites:

massghsb.com * www.nhtsa.dot.gov