A lot of people are asking me these days, "What was your inspiration behind developing LynxSafe and how did you come up with the idea?"

The answer is simple...I'm a Father!

I lost a 16 year old brother, Shane Rush, in 1983 to an accident that was a result of him racing another kid home from school. I remember having to tell my parents, who were both at work at the time about the accident and that their son was not coming home.

I've never experienced or witnessed such grief as I watched my parents go through during that time. Today, even 29 years later, my Mom and Dad still tear up when any mention of the accident is brought up.

Today, I am a 48 year old adult with children at the age of 13 and 10. As they approach the age in which I will be taking them to get their "Temps", it was my desire to create a way in which I could come as close as possible to ensuring that they drive as safely with their permanent license as they do when Mom or Dad was in the car.

From a selfish perspective, I wanted PEACE of MIND bay always being linked to them and their driving habits.

Being able to ensure my kids drive the speed limit that I set forth, always drive with their seat belts and not text and drive or surf the internet on their smart phones, was the inspiration behind our LynxSafe driving product.

I wanted to share an article from USA Today about the growing epidemic that we as a society of parents are facing.....

Deaths rise among youngest drivers

By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

A report from a national road safety group highlights what could be a troubling trend among young drivers: an increase in fatalities among 16- and 17-year-old drivers after several years of declines in that age group.

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) examined deaths of 16- and 17-year-old drivers through the first six months of 2011 and found an 11% increase over the same period in 2010. Deaths of 16-year-olds rose 16% and 17-year-olds 7%, for an overall jump of 11%.

Twenty-three states saw increases, 19 had decreases, and there was no change in eight states and the District of Columbia.

• STORY: Phased-in licensing could save 2,000 a year

• STORY: Technology tackles distracted teen driving

• MORE: Parents distracted teaching teens to drive

The study by the GHSA, which represents states on highway safety issues, covers only the first half of last year. Traffic deaths usually rise during the second half of the year, which includes summer and vacation driving. If data for the second half of 2011 continue the trend, it would be the first time in eight years that deaths have risen for this age group of drivers.

The rise is believed to be caused mainly by two things, says Allan Williams, a highway safety consultant who conducted the study:

•The improving economy means more teens on the roads. The recession probably helped reduced travel among teen drivers in 2008 and 2009; those drivers are returning to the highways.

•The impact of phased-in driving privileges for teens — graduated driver licensing (GDL) programs — is leveling off. These initiatives, implemented or strengthened in the mid-1990s, are in place in every state. "Once you get that initial impact, you're not going to get another 20% drop the next year, unless you can improve compliance," Williams says.

The states that saw increases in deaths among young drivers "don't stand out as weak" GDL states, Williams says. He says there is room for further strengthening of state GDL laws and for more consistent enforcement of some provisions, such as restrictions on teen passengers and nighttime driving.

Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, cautions that "if you're looking at six months' worth of data, you've got to be careful about trying to draw global conclusions."

GDL programs are proven effective, and parental involvement is crucial, he says.

"Regardless of state laws, parents can just institute and enforce restrictions consistent with the best GDLs," Kissinger says. "The best GDL programs are only as good as what is enforced. And parents are in a much better position than local police to enforce those provisions."
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  For more information on how Lynx Telematics, an OEM located in Cincinnati, Ohio can help your company crack down on cargo theft or custom design a solution to meet your fleet management needs, contact Vincent Rush at (866) 314-0461 

LynxTelematics is an OEM that controls design, engineering, firmware, software development, IT support and manufacturing processes of our product, allowing us to produce the highest quality product in our industry, while offering our customers competitive pricing.

As your partner, we provide ongoing training and support to insure that the product is properly sold to the end user, maximizing the re-sellers profitability.

As one of the pioneers in telematics technologies, Lynx Telematics provides our clients with powerful end-to-end vehicle telematics tools. Our technology offers a real solution that delivers safety, saves money and provides an unprecedented level of peace of mind to our customers. 

Our product, LynxSafe, is the newest and most advanced in-vehicle communication system currently on the market. It combines GPS/satellite and GSM cellular technology to provide users and family members with immediate access to real-time information delivered directly via any internet enabled device including I Phone and Android smart phones.

All of our devices benefit from the innovation of U-Blox technology and a 3D Accelerometer, providing the industry’s most accurate pin point locating technology to within a 3 ft. radius.

Parents, Jeanne and Johnny Mac Brownm Warn of Texting Danger

UNION — Alex Brown could text with the best of them. Sending and receiving 10,000 messages in just a few weeks time was nothing to her. Texting with multiple people at once was easy.

But on the morning of Nov. 10, 2009, she did it while driving.

The 17-year-old senior from Wellman, Texas, died that day after flipping her pickup truck off a rural road on her way to school. She was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected through the front windshield. Investigators later found her phone, and evidence on it that she had been texting with four friends just prior to the crash.

Her parents, Jeanne and Johnny Mac Brown, shared their daughter’s story with about 400 juniors Monday here at Ryle High School.

“We’re not here to scare you,” Jeanne Brown said. “We simply want you to know the truth of what happens when you text and drive.”

The Browns started the Remember Alex Brown Foundation to educate the public about the dangers of texting and driving. They began traveling the country telling Alex’s story just weeks after her funeral, and try to drive everywhere they go so they can tow the truck Alex was driving. The Chevy Silverado, which sat outside Ryle on Monday, is in the same condition it was after the crash shattered glass, a crushed roof, four flat tires.
“I told my wife that we needed to show kids that truck,” Johnny Mac Brown said. “My idea was to do a dozen or so of these talks around our hometown and it would be over, but word of mouth kept it going. I never knew it was going to be this big.”

The Browns have spoken in 26 states, and are booking engagements into next year. They will speak at several high schools in Cincinnati this week, including Madeira, Wyoming, Mariemont, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Seven Hills Academy.

They will also conduct a workshop for parents at the Ralph Rush Center in Florence (next to Florence Elementary School) at 7 p.m. Thursday, and will speak at Cooper High School on Friday morning.
According to www.distraction.gov, the official U.S. government website for distracted driving, drivers are 23 times more likely to crash if texting, with teen drivers more likely than any other age group to be involved in a fatal crash when distracted.

Jeanne Brown, who was the first to come upon the crash scene after Alex didn’t show up for school that morning, opened her talk Monday by describing that horror. Johnny Mac Brown talked about how his daughter’s decision changed the lives of everyone close to her, something teens who believe they are invincible don’t think about before making choices, he said.

“It should not be an option for parents to have to bury their children,” he said.

They also played a video from their 13-year-old daughter, Katrina, who spoke directly to the students about the emptiness in her life since Alex’s death

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The Browns then invited students to sign a pledge to not text and drive. Though students were not required to take a pledge card, most did.

“This was very emotional, very helpful and sent a very good message,” said 16-year-old Katie Connor, who just got her license. “I’ve read a few texts while driving, but this has changed my view. I can’t wait to sign the pledge.”

Cole Snyder, 16, was struck by Katrina’s message that Alex was her hero.

“The sibling part got to me because I have a little brother and I know he looks up to me,” Cole said. “This has definitely opened my eyes and made me rethink some stuff.”

Daniel Jensen, 17, said he often travels through rush hour traffic to go to Boy Scout meetings in Cincinnati, and admitted he checks his phone while in the stop-and-go traffic.

“I’ve had a couple of close calls,” he said. “This (talk) was powerful and will make me think twice.”
State texting-while-driving laws were passed in Kentucky and Indiana in 2010 and 2011, respectively. In Ohio, certain cities and counties have laws against texting and driving, including Cincinnati.

They are laws, though, that many law enforcement officials have said are difficult to enforce.

“Laws aren’t going to fix the problem, and our presentation isn’t going to fix the problem, but I think it helps,” Johnny Mac Brown said.

Jeanne Brown said roughly half the students they’ve spoken to the past two years have signed the pledge.
“We know some kids aren’t going to listen, and not all of them will keep the pledge, but some of them will,” she said. “And for those some that do, it’s that many parents who won’t have to get that call that something has happened to their child.”

For information on what Lynx Telematics has done to insure your teen does not have the ability to text and drive, please contact Vincent Rush of Lynx Telematics at 513-702-0495 in Cincinnati, Ohio, or visit our website at Lynxtelematics