Category: News

Dr. Paul Atchley, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Kansas, worked hard to dispel myths about distracted drivers when he spoke to the Lawrence Central Rotary on January 22, 2014.  Atchley conducts research as a part of the KU Transportation Research Institute that focuses issues of vision and attention related to driving. In his presentation he pointed out a few myths about technology and driving today.

Myth #1:  Everyone talks on the phone while driving, so it must be ok to do it.
Atchley declares that the probability of being in a car crash goes up 400% if the driver is distracted by texting, talking on a cell phone, or even talking to a passenger in the car.  And he has the statistics to back it up!

Myth #2:  When people know the risks, they will change.
So why do people persist in dangerous behaviors?  Atchley says that the human brain deceives us into unrealistic expectations about our own abilities.  He gave a number of examples to demonstrate that seeing is not just a visual capacity, it is a process of “attending.”  And everyone thinks they are better at it than they really are!

Myth #3:  Multitasking.
Atchley reminded club members that when traffic gets heavy, usually the driver of a vehicle stops conversation and both the driver and the passenger focus on other the cars around them.  If a driver is listening to the radio or a book on tape, he probably will miss a chunk while navigating a difficult traffic situation.  No one can do two things at once, not even talking and driving.

So certainly we won’t make a phone call from our car on the way home from the meeting.  Another myth!  Our attitudes are disconnected from our actions.  Most of us won’t change the way we behave.

So what do we do?  Atchley’s solution  to stopping distracted drivers is “education and enforcement.”  He and others conducting research have the story to tell.  The next step is to enact tougher laws against the use of cell phones in moving vehicles.

Jeff Severin, Director of the Center for Sustainability at Kansas University, got a lot of questions from Lawrence Central Rotarians this week about the new parking lot on campus that has pavement developed to reduce heat and to allow rain water to flow through it.  Not only is the lot an experiment to test the permeable pavement, it also features trees and other landscaping, LED lighting, and accessibility enhancements that are cutting edge, according to Severin.

Jeff sees KU’s campus as a “living lab” for sustainability.  At its core, sustainability is respect for all relationships that build community.  His small staff works to foster sustainability awareness in all aspects of campus living including administration, buildings and grounds, curriculum and research, student life, energy, waste management, transportation, and procurement.  They  encourage innovative projects like the parking lot as well as the research that will determine the success of its features.

Other sustainability initiatives at KU include implementing a method of quantifying sustainability factors using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).  Jeff leads a Tree Advisory Board that develops policy, plans work priorities, and raises funds to replace trees on campus.  He chairs Bike KU, a group encourages student biking by providing information about bike maintenance, parking, safety, and theft prevention as well as by coordinating with the City of Lawrence rideability initiatives.  Another project this fall was to oversee the collection of waste at the football games on campus in order to recycle and compost in an effort to reduce the amount of garbage brought to the landfill.

Flexibility and being open to change, combined with solid values make for a successful business, Ernie Cummings of Kizer-Cumming Jewelers told members of  Lawrence Central Rotary on December 11.

Cummings, who said he was an army brat who grew up near an army base in Missouri, came to Lawrence in 1974 to start a retail business. He has dealt with differences in his store’s location (now at 833 Massachusetts ), ups and downs in the economy, the dot.com bubble and a downtown that is constantly changing.

Positives include the great labor pool of students in Lawrence who have worked for him before going on to careers of their own, having a good banker and joining the Small Business Administration.  He said he has always been involved in community activities and believes in running a hands-on business.  “When you’re in business you’re constantly learning,” he said. “You never quit going to school.”

The learning has involved adopting enormous changes in technology. Blaine Allmond,  an artist, and designer, who has worked with Cummings for the last 10 years, demonstrated a computer technique using a T-Spline Timelapse Matrix 7 computer which creates three-dimensional models of his jewelry designs.  These computers create wax models, although, Allmond said, some of the newer computers use plastic.

“I find these changes positive,” Cummings said. “They make being in business exciting.”