TommyLog – Seat Belts First – The Start of Great Driving Habits #FordDriveSave

 

I remember, as a kid, car safety and seat belts were not the daily mantra like they are today. Heck, I still remember cars that just had lap belts and no shoulder belts. I think I still recall some that had no seat belts at all. Boy, does that date me. Growing up, we used to joke as a family that I was brought home from the hospital in the back of my parents Buick; just placing me all bundled up on the rear deck between the speakers and the back glass. At about age 7, my father would ask us if we were all buckled in, offering us a “bribe” of $1 if we were.

Seat belt MadelineOne very powerful childhood memory on the topic was a public service announcement on seat belt safety put on by Head Captain of the NY State Troopers. The gist of the ad was this: He said, “In the 25 years I have served on the force, I have never had to unbuckle a dead body.” Here I am, 30 plus years later and that commercial is still embossed in my mind. What a powerful  message!

Fast forward to November 2014, there are many safety messages for new drivers, each more important than the next, but I want to remind you of most basic of all–seat belts.  They are first line of safety in your car. You need to do that first, before you turn the ignition key, put the car into reverse and begin your journey.  To quote the State Trooper seat belt ad mentioned above, “Seat belts:  It’s Not Just a Good Idea, It’s the Law!”

To find the seat belt laws in your state, here’s a great page for your to reference from the Governors Highway Safety Association http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/seatbelt_laws.html

Another great resource to check out is Ford’s Driving Skills For Life. https://drivingskillsforlife.com/
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Disclosure: I receive a fee for participating in certain promotional campaigns for Ford Motor Company. All views and opinions expressed are my own.

TommyLog TECH – Surfing Safely with a Verizon Mobile Hotspot #VZWBUZZ #AD

WIFI SecureHey gang, for today’s TommyLog Tech, I want to talk about being safe while on the traveling on the road. For those who are frequent travelers by air, you know there are many safety checkpoints along the way. Make sure sure that all your gels and liquids are in a clear zip-lock bag, please empty your pockets, take off your shoes and belts and put your laptops in the bins. You all know that TSA security checkpoint drill.

But how many of you are as safe on the road when it comes to surfing the web? Free public WIFI is available wherever you go from the airport, to your hotel rooms to the local coffee shop. While this Internet access is free and plentiful, it may not be without prying eyes. You need to always play heads up ball when using public WIFI and follow these 6 simple rules found in this article from Verizon Wireless:

1. Protect yourself by avoiding credit card transactions while using unencrypted Wi-Fi hotspots—such as those offered free in many businesses and restaurants.
2. It’s recommended that you send personal information only to web sites that you trust and that are fully encrypted (indicated by an https at the beginning of the address).
3. Log out of the sites you visit, and turn off Wi-Fi connections when not in use.
4. Yes, it’s a pain, but be sure to create a unique password for every site you use. In the event that a hacker does obtain your login credentials, this practice will limit their access to only one of your sites, not all of them.
5. For added safety, install browser security add-ons or plug-ins on your device, and consider using a virtual private network (VPN) that adds encryption between your device and the Internet—even over unsecured networks.
6. Finally, make sure your computer has the latest firewall software, security patches and software updates.

Surfing the Internet safely while on the road by using the Verizon mobile hotspot on my Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is totally Tommy Approved!

Verizon has more information on how to stay safe while using WIFI on the road. HERE

[DISCLAIMER — I’m one of the cool kids who has been asked to play with and test technology for Verizon. They asked me to test and share my thoughts. All my words are original and my own.]

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TommyLog – November 11th – What a Special Day

November 11th is such a special day in the Clifford household! Great Grandma Clifford's birthday is today, Madeline's birthday is today and today is veterans day. Both my brother Mark and father Tom Sr. served our country in the armed service. THANK YOU for putting others first and serving. Happy Birthday Madeline, you all rock!

TommyLog – Be a Gracious Loser

This week was the midterm elections or as I like to call it Political Superbowl and I’m so fascinated with the process. I love watching the political exit polls and returns on election eve. On thing I noticed is people who are not gracious losers during their concession speech. Win or lose, be gracious in all you do!