~ ** In Memory of Ronnie Lynn Thompson ** ~

I'd like to meet:

RONNIE LOVED THIS MOVIE

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CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW. RONNIE'S STORY IS POSTED ON THIS SITE.
http://www.zerofatalities.com/blog.php
http://www.beliefnet.com/milestones/commemoration.asp?milest oneTypeID=2&milestoneID=81279
http://www.geocities.com/ronnielynnsmemory/
www.drowsydriving.org.
http://www.we-remember-them.com/showdata.php?section=1
http://www.soldierwall.com/wall.php?segmnt=17action=showsqua re&squareID=12008
http://www.angelmoms.com/dates/august.html THIS JUST SHOWS RONNIE'S NAME & ANGEL DATE OF AUGUST 22, 1998
http://www.angelmoms.com/causes/accidents.html THIS SHOWS RONNIE'S NAME AND HOW HE DIED.

www.drowsydriving.org

THE LINK BELOW IS A TRIBUTE TO RONNIE LYNN THOMPSON,
WRITTEN BY HIS MOM

http://www.drowsydriving.org/site/c.lqLPIROCKtF/b.3414785/k. 7CE4/Ronnie_Lynn_Thompson.htm

OTHER PLACES YOU CAN FIND RONNIE IS: zerofatalities.com, http://www.geoecities.com/ronnielynnsmemory/

DROWSY DRIVING IS A CONCERN NATIONWIDE AND UTAH IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE PROGRAMS AIMED AT PREVENTING FATIGUED-RELATED CRASHES!
IN UTAH, IN 2004, 32 PEOPLE DIED AND 563 WERE INJURED AS A RESULT OF SOMEONE FALLING ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL!

THE “SLEEP SMART. DRIVE SMART.” TASK FORCE RECENTLY DEVELOPED THE “DON'T BE A BOB” CAMPAIGN,
WHICH WAS DESIGNED TO INCREASE AWARENESS THAT DROWSY DRIVING IS DANGEROUS AND DRIVERS SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO WARNING SIGNS!
ONE OF THE LAST BEHAVIORS PEOPLE EXHIBIT BEFORE FALLING ASLEEP IS THE “HEAD BOB” OR WHEN THE HEAD JERKS UP WHILE FIGHTING TO STAY AWAKE!
HEAD BOBS ARE AN OBVIOUS WARNING SIGN AND ONE THAT IS ALL TOO COMMON, WHICH IS WHY THEY BECAME PART OF THE CAMPAIGN'S THEME.

DRUNK or DROWSY?

STUDY FINDS MANY POLICE OFFICERS MISTAKE TIRED DRIVERS FOR DRUNK DRIVERS!

WASHINGTON, DC – NEARLY NINE OUT OF EVERY TEN POLICE OFFICERS RESPONDING TO AN AAA FOUNDATION FOR TRRAFFIC SAFETY INTERNET SURVEY REPORTED THEY HAD STOPPED A DRIVER WHO THEY BELIEVED WAS DRUNK, BUT TURNED OUT TO BE DROWSY

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AT LEAST 71,000 PEOPLE ARE INJURED IN FALL-ASLEEP CRASHES EACH YEAR AND A CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL RELATED FATALITIES IS 1,500.

NHTSA ESTIMATES THE MONETARY LOSSES EACH YEAR AS RESULT OF THESE CRASHES REPRESENT $12.5 BILLION.

MOUNTING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE NUMBERS ARE MUCH HIGHER!!

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89% OF POLICE OFFICERS AGREED THAT DROWSY DRIVING IS AS DANGEROUS AS DRUNK DRIVING!

93% OF POLICE OFFICERS BELIEVED DROWSY DRIVING IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM!

93% AGREED THAT DROWSY DRIVING IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR PASSENGER CAR DRIVERS!

97% AGREED THAT DROWSY DRIVING IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR COMMERCIAL DRIVERS!

95% AGREED THAT DRIVERS WHO CAUSE A CRASH BECAUSE THEY ARE TIRED SHOULD BE CHARGED WITH A DRIVING VIOLATION!

96% GREED THAT MORE EDUCATION IS NEEDED TO INFORM DRIVERS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF DROWSY DRIVING!

“THROUGH RELEASING THE RESULTS OF OUR DROWSY DRIVING SURVEY, WE HOPE TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS ON THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE,” NOTED PETER KISSINGER, PRESIDENT AND CEO, OF THE AAA FOUNDATION FOR TRAFFIC SAFETY.
“THE AAA FOUNDARION'A FREE BROCHURE, “WAKE UP!,” AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT....
http://www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/wakeup.pdf (650 KB PDF),
ALSO HELPS DRIVERS BY PROVIDING TIPS TO UNDERSTAND THE RISKS AND SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH DROWSY DRIVING WHICH ARE KEY TO AVOIDING IT!”

THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION (NSF) CREATED www.drowsydriving.org,
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“THROUGH OUR SITE, WE ARE SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP AND BEING ALERT BEHIND THE WHEEL!"
WE ALSO DEBUNK THE EFFECTIVENESS OF REMEDIES PEOPLE OFTEN ASSOCIATE WITH HELPING THEM STAY AWAKE WHEN DRIVING...SUCH AS ROLLING THE WINDOW DOWN OR TURNING UP THE VOLUME OF THE RADIO!”

A NHTSA-SPONSORED GALLUP SURVEY IN 2002 FOUND THAT 95 % OF THE DRIVING POPULATION CONSIDERS DROWSY DRIVING BY OTHER PEOPLE TO BE A THREAT TO THEIR SAFETY!
ABOUT 37% OF RESPONDENTS REPORTED THEY HAD FALLEN ASLEEP WHILE DRIVING AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR LIFE!
10% OF THOSE, OR AN ESTIMATED 7.5 MILLION DRIVERS, HAD DONE SO WITHIN THE MONTH PRECEDING THE SURVEY!

IN A 1999 STUDY COMMISSIONED BY THE AAA FOUNDATION, RESEARCHERS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH CENTER INVESTIGATED THE EXPERIENCES OF A SAMPLE OF DRIVERS WHO HAD RECENTLY BEEN INVOLVED IN DROWSY DRIVING CRASHES....
1/4 OF DRIVERS WHO HAD FALLEN ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, AND ABOUT 1/3 OF THOSE IN CRASHES ATTRIBUTED TO FATIGUE.
REPORTED SLEEPING AN AVERAGE OF LESS THAN 6 HOURS PER NIGHT. ONLY ABOUT 11% OF DRIVERS INVOLVED IN CRASHES UNRELATED TO FATIGUE,
AND LESS THAN 7% OF DRIVERS NOT INVOLVED IN CRASHES REPORTED SLEEPING SO LITTLE!VISIT www.aaafoundation.org/pdf/sleep.PDF FOR THE FULL REPORT!

TO DRIVE ALERT AND ARRIVE ALIVE, THE AAA FOUNDATION SUGGESTS.

NOT DRIVING WHEN YOU ARE SLEEPY.

STOPPING DRIVING IF YOU BECOME SLEEPY WHILE ON THE ROAD. DRINK A CAFFEINATED BEVERAGE.

SINCE IT TAKES ABOUT 30 MINUTES FOR CAFFEINE TO ENTER THE BLOODSTREAM, TAKE A 20-30 MINUTE NAP WHILE YOU'RE WAITING FOR THE CAFFEINE TO TAKE EFFECT.

GETTING PLENTY IF SLEEP (AT LEAST SIX HOURS) THE NIGHT BEFORE A LONG TRIP.

NOT PLANNING TO WORK ALL DAY AND THEN DRIVE ALL NIGHT.

TRAVELING AT TIMES WHEN YOU ARE NORMALLY AWAKE, AND STAYING OVERNIGHT RATHER THAN DRIVING STRAIGHT THROUGH.

AVOIDING SLEEPY TIMES OF DAY. TAKE A MID-AFTERNOON NAP AND FIND A PLACE TO SLEEP BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 6 A.M.

TRAVELING WITH AN AWAKE PASSENGER.

TAKE A BREAK EVERY TWO HOURS OR EVERY 100 MILES.THE AAA FOUNDATIONS'S MISSION IS TO PREVENT TRAFFIC DEATHS AND INJURIES BY CONDUCTING RESEARCH INTO THEIR CAUSES AND BY EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT STRATEGIES TO PREVENT CRASHES AND REDUCE THE IMPACT WHEN THEY DO OCCUR!

TO ORDER FREE DROWSY DRIVING MATERIALS,
CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION.
AAA FOUNDATION.
NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION.
THE NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY FOUNDATION, Inc.,
FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:

www.SleepSmartDriveSmart.com

DrowsyDriving.org

www.crashprevention.org

zerofatalties.com

http://www.restingplacesdoc.com/

***TAKE THIS QUIZ, SEE HOW YOU SCORE ON DROWSY DRIVING!!!!***

*****http://www.aaafoundation.org/quizzes/index.cfm?button=d rowsyquiz*****

Music:

Music Video: How Could This Happen To Me by (Simple Plan)

Music Video Code by Video Code Zone

Movies:

Get your Tombstone Generator at hostdrjack.com

Television:

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Books:

RONNIE'S LITTLE SISTER ANSWERED A QUESTION ON A SURVEY
WHEN I SAW THIS ANSWER IT MADE ME CRY.
SHE WATCHED THE SUNRISE WITH HER BIG BOTHER
WHAT A SPECIAL MOMENT TO REMEMBER!
Watched the sunrise with someone you care about (My brother)
~ BECOMING THE ~ ~ ONLY ~ ~ CHILD ~
BY: CANDACE THOMPSON {AGE 14} (1998)
THE DAY WAS TURNING OUT TO BE A NORMAL DAY, IT WAS A SATURDAY MORNING AND MY BROTHER HAD GOT UP EARLY TO GO MARKSMANSHIP TRAINING WITH FOUR OF HIS FRIENDS.
I SLEPT IN SO WHEN I GOT UP HE HAD ALREADY LEFT.
MY MOM AND I WERE GOING TO CLEAN THE HOUSE TODAY. WE CLEANED ALL DAY UNTIL ABOUT NOON.
MY BROTHER CAME HOME TO GET SOME AMMO FOR HIS GUNS, THEN HE LEFT AGAIN. ON THEIR WAY OUT THEY DROPPED OFF ONE OF HIS FRIENDS, BECAUSE HE COULD NOT GO.
I HAD NO CLUE THAT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST DAY THAT I WOULD SEE MY ONLY BROTHER ALIVE AND HAPPY.
I WAS GETTING READY TO GO BABYSIT, THAT DAY, WHEN THE DOOR BELL RANG. I WAS HOME ALONE SO I ANSWERED THE DOOR. THERE WAS A SHERIFF AND A VERY TALL MAN AT OUR DOOR, THEY ASKED ME IF MY PARENT'S WERE HOME AND I SAID "NO, THEY ARE OUT SHOPPING."
THE SHERIFF ASKED ME IF RONNIE THOMPSON LIVED HERE, I SAID "YES, WHY?" THE SHERIFF JUST GAVE ME A CARD AND SAID TO HAVE MY PARENTS CALL HIM, THEN THEY LEFT.
THEN MY RIDE CAME, SO I LEFT TO GO AND BABYSIT.
WHEN I CAME HOME THE SHERIFF WAS WAITING ON THE CORNER UP THE STREET. WHEN WE PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY THE SHERIFF PULLED UP BEHIND US.
HE GOT OUT AND ASKED ME IF MY PARENTS WERE HOME YET, I SAID "NO", THEY STILL WERE NOT HOME.
THEN I ASKED WHERE MY BROTHER WAS, HE SAID "RONNIE HAS BEEN IN A ACCIDENT."
I PANICKED, AND THEN I CALLED MY DAD AND TOLD HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON.
HE CAME RIGHT OVER, AND A MINUTE OR TWO LATER MY MOM PULLED UP.
I WAS CRYING OVER OUR MAIL BOX.
MY MOM ASKED ME WHAT WAS GOING ON.
I TOLD HER THAT RONNIE HAD BEEN IN A ACCIDENT. THEN SHE STARTED TO PANIC!
THEN THE SHERIFF TOLD US RONNIE HAD BEEN KILLED.
THOSE TERRIBLE WORDS STILL HAUNT ME TO THIS VERY DAY!
MY MIND WENT BLANK AS MY FATHER HUGGED ME, AND HIS TEARS ROLLED ON MY HAIR. THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW MY DAD CRY, AND I'M SURE THE LAST.
MY MOM PASSED OUT AFTER SHE SCREAMED IN HORROR, MY MOM'S BOYFRIEND HAD TO CARRY HER INTO THE HOUSE AND LAY HER DOWN.
I KEPT SAYING TO MYSELF "WAKE UP CANDACE, WAKE UP. THIS IS JUST A DREAM!" BUT I WAS WRONG, IT WAS VERY REAL, AND I HATED THAT THOUGHT!
"IT'S NOT FAIR, IT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME!" I SAID TO MYSELF OVER AND OVER!
THE NEXT DAY WAS THE HARDEST DAY OF MY LIFE.
WHEN I SAW HIM JUST LYING THERE, NOT MOVING, NOT BREATHING, IT JUST KILLED ME INSIDE!
"I WANT HIM TO WAKE UP, I WANT HIM BACK!" I KEPT TELLING MY GRANDMA SANDY!
THE DAY OF THE FUNERAL I KISSED HIM ON THE HEAD AND TOLD HIM HOW MUCH I LOVED HIM, AND HOW MUCH I WAS GOING TO MISS HIM!!
THEN I SAID "GOOD-BYE", AND I NEVER SAW MY 16 YEAR OLD BROTHER AGAIN!
IN LOVING MEMORY RONNIE LYNN THOMPSON
1-13-1982 TO 8-22-1998
RONNIE,
YOU WILL BE MISSED DEEPLY.
YOU'RE TIME WITH US CUT WAY TO SOON.
YOU WILL REMAIN IN OUR HEARTS AND MEMORIES FOREVER.
EVERYDAY GETS A LITTLE BRIGHTER WITH YOU IN OUR MEMORIES.
YOU'RE IN HEAVEN WITH THE ANGELS NOW, BUT IN OUR HEARTS AND SOULS FOREVER.
YOU'RE LOOKING DOWN FROM HEAVEN WATCHING OUT FOR YOU'RE FAMILY AND FRIENDS NOW.
RONNIE YOU AND YOU'RE LOVED ONES WILL ALWAYS BE IN OUR PRAYERS.
GOD BLESS
GARTH
** THIS WAS WRITTEN BY GARTH BROOKS AND POSTED ON HIS MYSPACE PROFILE ( WHILE HE STILL HAD ONE.) HE HAD RONNIE POSTED UNDER "HEROS"**

Heroes:

~MY "GREAT" GRANDMA IS IN HEAVEN WITH ME NOW. ~
1/28/1920 ~ 8/16/2007
DISTANT MEMORIES
TO: "MOM"
IN MEMORY OF RONNIE LYNN THOMPSON
JANUARY 13, 1982 ~ AUGUST 22, 1998
..."YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN"...
JOHN F. KENNEDY, POW-MIA SPEECH WASHINGOTN, DC 1961
WRITTEN BY ~ MIKE FERDERBER ~ ~ RONNIE LYNN'S BEST FRIEND ~
It was a calm and peaceful day. Not a care in the world when I went to Murray Park with the Taylorsville Army JROTC and you were there too.
Together we played against the other cadets and each other. I was running with the flag and you were beside me when an opposing cadet came after me so I ran towards the river. While in the river, I tossed the flag to you then fell down. It was the best time of my life.
You gave me a ride home even though I was soaked clear to the bone! You were laughing and having a great time!
The very next week, on Drill Team, we began to learn how to spin rifles and you dropped yours in the mud. When you pulled it out, the rifle had a big chunk of mud in the barrel.
But that was then....and this is now......
It has been four months since the accident and here I am at your grave, still hurt by the suddenness of the accident!
I see your face and hear your voice talking to me. Now I just wonder....Why did this have to happen to you?..... A sudden screech and a loud crash! Then you were gone from my life forever.
A dark and empty feeling comes over me whenever I try to think of what happened.
It was a Sunday, and I was sleeping in when I heard the phone ring, and when I answered, I received the WORST news in my life!!
You had died in a car wreck!
Even when reality set in, I still couldn't believe it!!
I had to call the other cadets that knew you, and I suffered through the calls and the tears that were shed over the phone. Telling them you were dead just killed another part of me, and I don't EVER want to forget you in any way!
My friend, it hurts so much to talk about what happened. You were the one I could always trust with anything I told you.
You always believed in me and I was grateful but now I'm all alone and I need to see your face and hear you laugh just one more time.
You had the neatest way of expressing yourself in different ways. You meant so much to the other cadets and myself.
Standing at your grave with the wind slightly blowing in my face, I think of the summer camp at Camp Williams and the "Conficence Course" when you were laughing so much.
Tears fill up my eyes every time I think of you walking in on me when I was doing laundry at Camp Williams and you asked what was taking me so long.
Then I realized the dryer was broken.
Our integrated company took FIRST in everything. You showed me how to shine boots and I will never forget it.
I miss you very much! Without you my friend I'm afraid of what will happen next in my life.
Sitting down I continue to talk because I regret not spending any time with you.
Now you are gone and I am totally lost in this nightmare called life!
I wish I were dead instead of you.
Please, I need to know why you had to die
As I stand and get ready to leave, I say a good bye, and see you next week.
Your Friend
Mike Ferderber
(AKA "Lolita" to your "Purple Pansy", from a skit we did at a JROTC camp, we dressed up like "girls", there is only one photo, Mom has it.")
Ronnie Lynn ThompsonRONNIE LYNN THOMPSON 1/13/1982 ~ 8/22/1998 HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY!!! LOVE, MOM, ART, CANDACE & YOUR FAMILY
RONNIE'S PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE ....
BE HONEST ~ DO YOUR BEST ~ LOVE YOUR FAMILY ~ HAVE DOGS ~ PRACTICE ~ READ ~ WATCH FUNNY MOVIES.
PUBLISHED IN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE ON 1/13/2007.
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