Companies team up with foundation to fight drunk, distracted driving through vehicle magnet initiative

Posted 8/20/14

Two more companies are now displaying the Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation (KDMF) magnets on their vehicles – one thanks to a recent newspaper story.

“I read the article in the Cranston …

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Companies team up with foundation to fight drunk, distracted driving through vehicle magnet initiative

Posted

Two more companies are now displaying the Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation (KDMF) magnets on their vehicles – one thanks to a recent newspaper story.

“I read the article in the Cranston Herald [about the magnet initiative] and was interested in learning more about the foundation itself, so I went to the website and was moved by the story behind the foundation” said Kathy McMahon, director of marketing at Cole Cabinet Co. Inc.

Yard Works Inc. of Warwick is known for creating beautiful outdoor living spaces, and Cole Cabinets of Cranston takes care of creating indoor spaces. This month, the companies are joining forces with the foundation’s magnet program to help raise awareness about the dangers of impaired and distracted driving.

“The auto magnet program continues to be an extremely effective way to generate awareness to thousands and thousands of drivers on our roadways about the consequences of impaired and/or distracted driving,” KDMF Executive Director John DeCubellis said. “It is our hope that together with our corporate partners such as Yard Works and the Cole Cabinet Co., we will reduce the number of crashes and help to save lives.”

John and Meg DeCubellis know firsthand of the devastating toll impaired driving can have on a family. Oct. 29, 1999, a drunken driver killed 13-year-old Katie DeCubellis. Since then, the foundation has strived to raise awareness about the dangers of driving under the influence and distracted driving.

Driving under the influence and distracted driving is a dangerous epidemic on America’s roadways. According to the latest Centers for Disease Control statistics in 2010, 10,228 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for nearly one-third (31 percent) of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.

Those startling statistics have propelled Rhode Island businesses and organizations to team up with the KDMF. AAA Southern New England, Almeida Plumbing, Big Blue Bug Solutions, Cole Cabinets, Del’s Lemonade, Munroe Dairy, SeaScape, Wesco Oil, and Yard Works are all participants in the second year of the campaign to help keep roadways safe.

“Years ago I lost a co-worker in a car accident. He was driving and got distracted looking for something in his briefcase for his next sales call,” McMahon said. “I realized that could have easily been me, and it was a wake-up call reminding me to keep 100 percent of my focus on the road when I’m driving. Better to arrive a little late than not at all.

“The media is constantly sharing stories of how inattention behind the wheel for just a blink of an eye can have tragic results,” she continued. “In this fast-paced world of instant access, we all need to slow down and realize that for hundreds of years we survived without having to be in constant communication with others. Learn to live in the moment and concentrate on what you’re doing. Multi-tasking is vastly overrated.”

With more than 40 vehicles on the road, Yard Works is again paving the way to help make the road safer.

“For the second year, Yard Works Inc. is proud to continue its support of the Katie DeCubellis Memorial Foundation to help save lives. We believe that awareness of this growing problem is a major step towards reducing the number of deaths on the roadways from drunk drivers,” said Kevin Fox, president of Yard Works. “The response to the signs on our trucks last year was dramatic. Almost daily, one of our drivers was asked about the foundation.”

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