Driving safety research

She put the pedal to the metal!

How safe are you

when you're driving?

(photo courtesy University of Minnesota research project)

"Risk awareness" - do you know how safe you are when you're driving?

Researchers from the University of Minnesota’s HumanFIRST program and the Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory are hoping to reduce crashes by providing drivers with some new road signs that present information about traffic.

Many area folks volunteered to take part in the "Study to Measure Intersection Behavior" they conducted last fall.

At the Minnesota Department of Transportation site southwest of Cannon Falls I met Justin Graving and Danny Drew, researchers for the project. They spent five days a week for several months collecting data which is still being analyzed. Their purpose is to help people have a safer driving experience.

I was asked to drive a car that was equipped with computers that collect "driving behavior" data. At the end of the study I learned that these computers kept track of my GPS location and my speed while I was driving through the intersection.

There were almost a dozen cameras recording everything that happened inside and outside the car. Justin accompanied me during the test. He sat in the back checking all the computers and providing instructions on the driving tasks he wanted me to do. Part of my instructions were to drive as, “I normally would…”

Specifically, I was asked to make several types of typical driving maneuvers through the intersection of Highway 52 and County Road 9 near Wastedo (about 10 miles south of Cannon Falls). The high rate of collision at this busy intersection has caused a great number of crashes.

The HumanFIRST researchers were conducting this study to investigate the effectiveness of a new traffic sign that was designed to assist drivers entering this type of intersection and help reduce traffic crashes.

Justin described the signs as similar to "giant television screens that displayed icons resembling the traffic approaching from the southbound lane and northbound lane.” There were several of these signs placed at various locations in and across the intersection.

Just getting out on the road for the test turned out to have some problems for me! The first time we tried a couple of test runs the researchers found the recorders weren't working. (Should I have told them that I have had strange problems with computers before?)

Another time the test car had a flat tire. The next time the battery had died. But they got that fixed and we soon headed out on the road.

One of the types of crashes these special signs are intended to reduce was the situation I experienced during the first half of the study when the signs were turned off.

Justin was sitting in the back seat as usual. I was driving from the west on C. R. 9 and making a left turn into the northbound lane on Highway 52.

While waiting in the median, monitoring traffic as normal, I saw what appeared to be a safe gap in traffic and pulled out. After I made my turn, I took a quick glance in the rear view mirror and to my shock saw a semi-truck barreling down on us from behind. The semi hadn't been there when I pulled out! I stepped on the accelerator and got out of there.

As I returned to the starting position of the test drive I took a deep breath and thought I'd better tell Justin that I didn't see the semi in my lane when I pulled out. Justin, who had remained silent during the drive replied, “He merged into your lane after you turned.” (Guess he was watching too!)

He recalled another time when an older female driver made a painfully slow maneuver crossing the intersection but didn’t realize a fast-approaching semi nearly hit them.

Justin compared this to a similar but separate situation when a risk-taking younger male driver participated in this study. He explained, “But it seemed that he knew the situation. So, although he chose similar gaps in traffic compared to the older female driver, his driving behavior reflected that he was aware of what he was doing, while her driving did not reflect that she was aware of the near-collision."

The goal of this study was to see if drivers’ behaviors were different with the new signs.

Justin added: "I think a big part of the problem is that drivers are seldom aware of the risk they are in when they are behind the wheel… We’re hoping that these signs might help increase drivers’ risk-awareness.”

The study by itself has probably already helped those of us who took part become more "risk-aware" drivers!

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Snow storm...

Snow storm a couple of days ago.
I was substitute teaching in another school district.
They closed around noon because the weather was getting worse.

The driving in the country was bad.
By the time I got near home I couldn't see the road.
It goes through a field and was hidden by the snow.
It all looked flat.
So I aimed the car toward the tall pine trees about 1/4 mile away.

I was OK until after I passed them...
and the road turned...
but my car didn't!

After much shoveling - around and under the car - I got help from Paul with his tractor.

Later the warm house sure felt good!

Those "dumb blond" jokes -

may not be just for blonds!



I enjoy some of the sweeter "dumb blond" jokes

I probably enjoy them because I have said some pretty dumb things myself.

The most recent was at the newspaper's Christmas party. I came in the door at the VFW club and found a table to sit at so I could warm up from the cold night outside. The lights were subdued and the decorations were festive and I knew the food would be delicious.

I went up to the bar to order a glass of wine and noticed a list of all the refreshments available.

So I could try something new.

One that caught my eye on the list was: "Mich golden light".

In my most sophisticated voice I said to the bartender, "I'd like a Michelin golden light beer".

Immediately my lightning-swift mind zapped me with the thought, Michelin is a tire, not a beer! (I think I also heard it say, "Stupid!")

Whoops!

I explained my mistake to the bartender and asked, what is the real name of that beer?

"Michelob!"

After laughing I decided that it could be that the roots of my hair are actually blond!

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Computers are fascinating to me too.Our internet server was having problems with its e-mail service. None of it was getting through.
But my yahoo.com mail site was working so I asked them to forward my mail to my yahoo account. They had to figure it out but finally it worked.

I thought I was pretty smart getting my e-mail while other folks weren't.

Later that day, when my internet provider got their problems straightened out, I asked them to put my mail back on their site.

But I was talking to a different tech guy than the one who moved my mail originally. This one explained that they could NOT transfer my mail back because they wouldn't have transferred my mail in the first place!

I explained that they had done it earlier but he insisted they hadn’t.

I ended the discussion at this impasse.

I'm sure I could get it straightened out if I wanted to take the time. But it's been several months since then and I have found it rather convenient to get all my mail on one site… even if it's not possible!

(Maybe sometimes, white hair is close enough to being blond!)

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A Christmas stranger...

It's been a year of changes for Paul - including removing the beard he had for almost 40 years!

He made this decision because of two surgeries… one for a growth that had recurred in his sinuses and required extensive surgery last January… and the other was for an enlarged right thyroid - he was told it was the size of a cantaloupe - in August.

He is doing well now. The pictures show the progression of shaving off his beard as a goatee,

then a mustache, and then just Paul!

Yes, after all those years with a bearded man, it was a little unnerving

at times to turn around and see this "stranger" hanging around the house!

Ray Kimmes carries the tradition on…

"Grandpa's Peanut Cake"

Just like Mom used to make!

Ray Kimmes was a teenager back in the 1950's when his mother had him help her shell the peanuts for her special Christmas cake. Those peanuts would have a red skin on them so next they had to roll them in a dishtowel to remove them.

Then he had to crush the nuts in a hand meat grinder.

Ray has changed the ingredients a little bit when he does it today. He uses mixed nuts that are already cleaned. But he grinds them up as before.

Ray admits that it is still a lot of work but "the reward is great!"

That reward is not only the yummy tasting dessert but the "oohs" and "ahs" of those who get to eat it.

Grandpa's Peanut Cake

3 tbsp butter 1 c sugar

1 c milk 1 egg

2 c flour 3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla (or you can use lemon or almond)

¾ tsp salt

Beat eggs until fluffy; add sugar and butter and mix well. Add milk, and then flour and baking powder and salt mixture. Mix well and then add extract. Pour into a greased, floured cake pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Before it is too cool, remove from pan and place on baking sheet.

Frosting and nut ingredients:

2 # powdered sugar

3 tsp. butter (soft)

1 tsp vanilla extract (or lemon)

Approximately ½ c milk until spreading consistency.

3-5 pounds of peanuts or mixed nuts

Chop or grind the peanuts or a combination of mixed nuts and set aside in a bowl. Leftover nuts can be used in other cooking projects.

The next step is to frost the cake.

Mix powdered sugar with butter, vanilla and enough milk to mix well to frosting consistency. You will probably have to make more frosting to complete frosting this cake.

Frost one side of the cake and then spread and pat in the chopped mixed nuts. Leave set for five minutes and then turn the cake over onto the other side with the nut side on the baking sheet.

Then frost this side of the cake and cover with mixed nuts.

Then cut your cake into small rectangular pieces. Frost the remaining sides and cover with chopped nuts.

Be sure the frosting is dry before storing in a covered container.

These also freeze well.

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When the "Merry"

is gone

from "Merry Christmas!"

If you think you won’t be able to stand it if you hear another Christmas song telling you to be “merry and bright”, keep in mind that you are not alone.
The Christmas season can be a wonderful time. But it can also bring to mind the sadness of missing loved ones or watching someone suffer with disease or pain.

Some of these folks recently met for an ecumenical service at the Lundberg Funeral Home.

Part of their tradition, explained Sue Klicka, funeral director, is to put the names of loved ones who had died during the year on ceramic decorations and hang them on a Remembrance Tree. After the service, folks gather around and look for their ornament to take home.

But also, they are mingling with other people who know the heartbreak too.

And nothing needs to be said. But you might like to share a knowing look or a hug.

A similar service is held at First English Lutheran Church. Pastor Phil Ruud has asked folks what was their most difficult time? Some of the answers were:

“The first Christmas that I spent without a loved one, who had died.”
“The first Christmas after my divorce and my kids were with my ex-husband and I was all alone.”
“I remember Christmas during WWII. My brother and my husband were overseas. I was worried about them. It didn’t feel like Christmas at all.”
“The Christmases when my family member was drunk. They were at their worst during the holiday.”

Actually, these thoughts weren’t just from Pastor Ruud's congregation. A couple were from himself. One Christmas he had to confront a relative who had a devastating alcohol problem. Another time he had a relative who was dying.
And, he reminds us, heart attacks, SIDS, and car accidents also happen around Christmas.

"The thought that everyone else is merry at Christmas when you are anything but merry can make Christmas even more difficult."
So he asks: "What can we say to people who are having a hard time at Christmas? What can you do when you find yourself not so much in the Christmas spirit?"

His answer is: "It’s helpful to have people who will listen… and listen… and listen some more to our real feelings and emotions.
“It’s valuable to have people who will accept and empathize and respect our feelings without trying to cheer us up or change the way we feel.”

And "remember that Christmas is the story of how God comes to meet us in all the broken imperfections of ourselves and this world."

The Christmas story itself is not only about the joy of the birth of a child, our savior, but about physical discomfort and fear of the authorities of that day. And soon, "even the wood of the manger would become the wood of the cross."

"But," Pastor Ruud concludes, "Christmas is a story that tells that God comes to be with us… and it can be a time for receiving Christ’s blessing even though we are not merry and bright."

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(Photos from Brian Robison and the Minnesota Vikings.)

Minnesota Vikings

"Benchwarmer Bob"

could advise

"Blitz 'Em Brian"

He's copying me!
Or so it seems to former Minnesota Vikings football player, Bob Lurtsema as he talks about Vikings Defensive End Brian Robison.

Benchwarmer Bob" Lurtsema, Vikings Defensive End 1972-76.

Lurts was a darned good player. But he is also remembered for his endearing commercials for Twin City Federal Bank (TCF). In these he showed his sense of humor when featured as "Benchwarmer Bob". He could kid about sitting on the bench instead of being out on the field playing.

Now it is reality that in pro football you don't always get to be the star. But Bob made that fact less embarrassing as we empathized with him in these commercials. They ran on the air for about 12 years and even showed Lurts being traded to Seattle. According to the commercial he didn't get to fly out there... he drove an old rusty pickup!

So how does this relate to present Vikings defensive end, Brian Robison?

As a rookie last year, Robison ended up being a starter. That looked pretty good for this year's season.

Until the Vikings hired Jared Allen as probably the highest paid defensive end in the league! And Robison got a taste of the sidelines again.

That brought a reminder of "Benchwarmer Bob", all right! And that brought the thought of updating those commercials by having the old "Benchwarmer" train in his successor!
But with one change... we'll leave the benchwarming to the fans and have Robison known as "Blitz 'Em Brian"!

So I contacted the Vice President and Director of Marketing at TCF and told him of my idea. He was kind enough to explain that they weren't running any TV commercials right now but may decide whether to add some next year.

So going back to writing my column, I asked folks for questions they would like to ask "Blitz 'Em" Brian.

Here they are:

Q: What’s the most surprising thing you have learned in your first two years in the NFL?
A: How hard it is to keep my mind off football when the game is over.

Q: Calls of “holding” appear to vary from ref to ref… do you believe that offensive linemen "hold" on just about every play?
A: Without a doubt.

Q: Do you think “trash talk” is effective?
A: It can be if it get's in your opponent's head.

Q: What kind of superstitions or rituals have you seen?
B: One of the guys has to hide his shoes under the training room table, before every game.

Q: Who is the biggest worrier about the games… you or your wife, Jayme?
A: Definitely Jayme.

Vikings Defensive End, Brian Robison and his wife, Jayme
who is a competitive barrel racer. She trains her horses in a stable near Cannon Falls.

Q: How do you wind down after a game?
A: Eat a good dinner and relax for the rest of the evening.

Q: How long does it take for you to stop hurting after a game?
A: About a day and a half.

Q: In the off season, where do you live?
A: We have a ranch in Texas.

Brian's dog, Sadie, shows her preference is for #96 of the Minnesota Vikings.

Now whether "Benchwarmer Bob" ever gets "Blitz 'Em Brian" trained or not...
it's been fun to think of these two Vikings as part of a sport that has fascinated so many people all these years.

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