Philadelphia: The City of Brotherly Love

I spent this weekend and a couple of days in Philly for a Lifesavers Conference. I flew, and my co-worker, Gregg, drove. I consider any trips over two hour’s flight time. Gregg is still a trooper so he’s ok with the driving. The people were very nice and friendly, not surprising, I understand. It is a very diverse population and I can see why. The city seems to ooze history. In some parts of the area, it’s like walking back in time. And believe me, I love to walk. Yes, wherever I go, I like to get up early and start trekking. If there are landmarks, that’s even better. I’ll walk at least 10 miles, five to get there and five to get back. I try to walk in the safe areas but if you’re foreign to any area, how would you know? You can ask but if you look at, any area can be dangerous. Cars can be just as dangerous as people, even construction work can be harmful. It’s a chance you have to take. Keep in mind, I said I walk early in the morning, ample time to recover, if lost, and plenty of daylight to mark your bearings. Well, I walked this weekend and saw where the founding fathers of this great nation signed and wrote the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of the Federation, and the Constitution. I was in the same building (Freedom Hall) where they were, saw the places where they sat, and quite possibly walked along the same areas. I imagined that there was quite a bit of heated discussion regarding the colonies, their separation from England, their new found freedom, wars, and the issues. of slavery. After all, the Philadelphia was part of the Underground Railroad and the Liberty Bell became the battle cry for abolitionists, Liberty for All!

The conference was informative and creative! I enjoyed hearing about new ideas and implementations in traffic safety that’s happening throughout the country. You’ll see in cars, laws, and neighborhoods. On the way back home at the airport, I met Janette Fennell, founder of Kids and Cars. If you’re in the policy making hierarchy, she’s well known. I didn’t know her, so you know where I stand. She and her husband were instrumental in pushing the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) to collect Not-in-Traffic Statistics (NiTS) (Not head lice). It’s all about little kids dying in cars with the windows up and the adults forgetting about them, fatalities that occur in driveways when the adults accidentally run over them, and closing the door on their little body parts. She also worked with the doctor who lost his son in the trunk because there was nothing to open from the inside. Well now there’s a glow in the dark pulley that unlocks the trunk from the inside. This is something in the safety world. By the way, Janette is a wonderful person. Click on the red highlights, they’ll link you to the websites. Please see how many children are injured, it would surprise you.