Lando Fehrenbach

Some Quick Life Saving Advice by Lando Fehrenbach

2010-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

I was reading a news article a few weeks back that was quite upsetting. An SUV suffered a blowout returning from a trip to Disneyland. 19-year-old Abby Guerra and 21-year-old Marlena Cantu's identities were mixed up. The Guerra family was first told that Abby died at the scene. But six days after the accident they learned that there had been a mix up -- it was Marlena Cantu who died. Abby was alive and in critical condition at a Phoenix hospital. READ MORE HERE

My point in writing this blog is to share some simple advice about your car, your life and the four rubber tires that your life is "riding on." Over 5,000 people die every year in the US because of a tire mishap on the road. I cannot tell you how many times (probably once a month) I leave a note on someones car door telling them they have a nail in their tire or that one of their tires is FLAT. It was just last week that I beeped my horn at a guy who was driving up the 405 with a flat tire on his trailer and a second or two later it ripped apart and he almost wrecked while he was trying to pull over.

I am going to guess that 50% of us have a nail in one of our for tires and if it flings out while on the road your tire will flatten in minutes or hours and if the timing is right (or wrong I should say) you could have a major blow out and death for you and others on the road if you are not lucky. Of over 5,000 people die on the road each year - how many thousands of people are involved in accidents, some of which surely leave behind injuries.

4 Tips to Tire Safety:

1. Check the air pressure in your tires regularly.
2. Every time you walk up to your car look at the tire facing you. Make this a habit and you won't even think about it at some point. Just last weekend I spotted 2 nails in my buddy's front driver's side tire.
3. Get your tires balanced, rotated and checked regularly by a professional.
4. Get new tires sooner than later. Don't wait until they are bald!

California Leads in Push for High-Speed Rail

2010-02-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

Could high-speed rail one day come to a city near you? In his State of the Union address this week, President Obama proposed billions for rail transit to create jobs of the future. But as CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports, the challenge is convincing Americans to give up their cars.

In Davis, Calif., Marty Devault starts his day facing a long and brutal commute. It is some 75 miles from his home near Sacramento to his office in San Francisco. The freeway is routinely jammed. but Devault doesn't sit stewing in traffic. He climbs on a commuter train and settles in for a relaxing hour-and-a-half ride.

"This is a much more civilized way to travel," he said.

Civilized, yes - but imagine how much more civilized this it could be. California envisions a network of trains crossing the state within 10 years. The trains would run up to 220 miles an hour, making the trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 2 hours, 40 minutes. It's a six hour drive.

The plan got a big boost Thursday when President Obama announced $8 billion in grants for high speed rail - with the biggest chunk going to California.

"The state of California is getting $2.3 billion towards our high speed rail project this is really great great news," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said recently.

That's a small part of the $42 billion price tag, but to get construction started on the planned 800 miles of track, California voters have already approved almost $10 billion in bonds.

"The people have understood the difference between spending and investing in our future, and building the high speed rail is investing in our future," Schwarzenegger said.

"I would say it's almost like building the original railroad from east to west," said Tony Daniels, the project manager for California's high speed rail initative. "This is a massive project."

Daniels knows what a battle it has been to bring super-fast trains to the United States. He moved here from England 30 years ago with dreams of modernizing American rail travel

"China does it. All Asia does it. The Japanese, the French, the Germans - Why not us?" he said.

Daniels says building high speed trains is more economical than building more roads or expanding airports.

"It's taken a long time for finally the U.S. to turn around and recognize that there's another mode of travel like this that can save billions of dollars," he said.

But critics say the plan is on track to waste billions of dollars on trains most Americans won't use.

Dedicated train riders like Marty Devault do see promise in high speed rail - but American travelers now largely ignore train travel as an alternative even as they crawl on crowded freeways. The challenge for high speed rail is to change America's entrenched car culture.

Victim's Rights Week - Honoring Rachel

2008-04-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Last week several of Rachel’s family members attended Victim’s Rights Week starting with a Candle Light Vigil Wednesday night and then a March to Riverside County’s Historic Court House the following day. Victim’s Rights Week honors victims if violent crimes.

I learned that 1 person is murdered every hour in Riverside County, scary!

Speeches started around noon, featuring Erin Runnion of Orange County, who founded the Joyful Child Foundation after her daughter Samantha was kidnapped and murdered by a child molester in 2002; Kim Goldman, whose brother Ron was murdered in 1994, and Mark Klaas, who founded the Polly Klaas Foundation following the 1993 murder of his daughter at the hands of a sex offender.

One of the most graphic displays was an exhibit sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, consisting of a massively damaged car. A 3 time offender struck this car going 94 miles an hour killing a 26-year old mother and her 2 year old daughter. He survived the accident.

[click on images to enlarge]

Rachel’s father Steve Elliott marched with determination holding a large poster of Rachel and never once let it rest. He was also able to meet in person two District Attorney assistants who will be assisting with Rachel’s case.

Lindsay made a Memory Board in honor of Rachel’s life, which was on display for hundreds of people to see. I watched many people walk up and look at images of our precious Rachel.

I was with Steve during the March and although it was heartbreaking to be in the company of this sort, I know it is just a fact of life now and I will attend next year and do all I can to ensure that Rachel’s tragic story is hear over and over.