Most of us drive every day. We drive our kids, friends and other loved ones around, making it natural that we would make safety a priority in our vehicles. But we share the roads with other vehicles, and it is crucial to traffic safety that we fight to ensure the safety of those other vehicles on the roads, including trucks and buses. If a truck accident were to occur, anyone on the road could get hurt in the wreck, right? Truck and bus safety is a matter that all standard drivers should worry about.
]]> The Associated Press reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is proposing what seems like an obvious safety step regarding bus and truck safety. Most current passenger cars are built with a required safety feature referred to as electronic stability control. It is a sort of sensor system within vehicles that can help correct steering and slow a vehicle down that is seemingly out of control.According to the NHTSA, the addition of the safety system in passenger cars has improved traffic safety by reducing rollover accidents. But the risk of rollover truck and bus accidents is still high due to the lack of the electronic stability control system in those vehicles. This is worrisome. If a truck or bus rolls over, many lives are put in danger, including those of the commercial drivers, passenger vehicle drivers and their passengers and any potential bus passengers.
Requiring electronic stability control systems in buses and trucks could reduce the number of injuries and deaths connected to bus and truck accidents every year. New York has seen its share of tragedy in the shape of bus accidents in particular in recent years. Perhaps if a proposal like this were to become law, such tragedy could become a thing of the past.
Source: The Associated Press, "Gov't proposal aimed at bus, truck rollovers," Joan Lowy, May 16, 2012
]]>CBS News reports that the popularity of small electronics is leading to medical emergencies among kids throughout the U.S. Small devices often depend on button batteries, basically batteries that are the small size of a button. Many products for both children and adults use the batteries. Those can become dangerous products, therefore, because children will ingest the small batteries and end up in the emergency room.
]]> A study found that between 1990 and 2009, there were about 66,000 cases of kids under 18 being taken to the hospital due to battery-related matters. Kids see the small battery and think it looks like the perfect size to pop into their mouths, noses or ears. Batteries are obviously not safe products to ingest, and when they sit in a person's system, they can cause burning, breathing problems, bleeding and other serious, sometimes fatal, injuries.To prevent kids from becoming injured due to a button battery, both parents and product manufacturers have work to do. Manufacturers can work harder to more safely install and hide button batteries into child and adult products so that kids can't get to them. Parents need to look at the products that they and their children bring home to determine if there's a button battery and if products are safe enough for child use. If there is any doubt about a product's safety, parents should either skip buying that product or keep it in a place where a child cannot get to it.
If a child does accidentally or intentionally ingest a battery, a parent or other caregiver shouldn't hesitate to get the child to a hospital. An incident like that should also motivate a parent to reconsider the products they have in the house and press manufacturers for safer products in the future.
Source: CBS News, "Button batteries blamed for uptick in emergency room visits, study finds," Ryan Jaslow, May 14, 2012
]]>The American Journal of Sports Medicine published a study that reveals important details about concussions among young athletes. In recent years, the public's been hearing a lot about brain injuries because of NFL-related lawsuits, but this post focuses on the risks of concussions among youth athletes.
]]> Research shows that between 2001 and 2005, more than 150,000 sports-related concussions were reported among patients who were between the ages of 14 and 19 years old. That already sounds like a high number, but the honest number of concussions within that age group was probably higher. There was less awareness about concussions, and even now, many head injuries go unreported because of lack of knowledge or recognition of the seriousness of a seemingly minor injury.The recent report about youth concussions says that girls generally need more time to recover from the head injuries than boys. Researchers were not able to definitely identify the reason why girls need more time, but they suggest it could have to do with the fact that girls have more blood flow to the brain than boys. The research also showed that college athletes recover more quickly than high school athletes.
Based on the research, parents and coaches of athletes should look at individual concussion injuries and handle the injury victims differently. A girl athlete might need more recovery time. Boy athletes will generally show fewer symptoms of concussions compared to girls. Younger athletes will need more time to recover.
The common factor is that brain injuries among youth athletes need to be taken seriously. Parents and coaches need to understand the dangers of sports, symptoms of concussions and the safety guidelines regarding recovery. Sports are meant to be fun, but fun or even sportsmanship are not more important than safety.
Source: WebMd, "Concussions: Girls Have Longer Recovery Time," Kathleen Doheny, May 11, 2012
]]>Do you remember how exciting it was when you were a teen and got your driver's license? That milestone marks a time in one's life when freedoms expand, and it can be natural for teens to want to enjoy that freedom with their teen buddies right by their side. AAA reports, however, that when teens drive with their friends in the car with them, the risk of a fatal car accident significantly increases.
]]> AAA reports the following statistics regarding teen driving safety based on the passengers they carry:Teen drivers might think that it is extremely harsh that they can't drive with other teen passengers, but these numbers justify why states have specific driving laws for young, inexperienced drivers. If parents don't think that their state's graduated licensing laws are strict enough, they can also use these statistics to create their own house rules regarding their teen's driving.
History shows that summertime is the most dangerous time of year for teen drivers, with the most teens and their teen passengers dying in car accidents compared to other seasons. This is a perfect time, therefore, for states and parents to reevaluate their teen driving safety efforts and take action to protect young lives.
Source: Associated Press, "Study: A teenage driver's risk of dying in a crash goes up sharply with other teens in the car," May 7, 2012
]]>When we discuss brain injuries, those injuries tend to have been caused by some sort of impact such as a crash or fall. But an international catastrophic injury case proves that brain damage can happen as the result of dangerous food.
]]> Can fast food cause people to gain weight? Yes. Can fast food negatively impact a person's cholesterol? Yes. Can fast food lead to a brain injury? Yes. In 2005, a young girl got a meal at a KFC with her family. The chicken in her meal was allegedly bad, and the then 7-year-old fell ill from salmonella poisoning.The bacteria caused the child to go into a coma. Though the child awoke from the coma after multiple months, she didn't wake up the same. She suffered from brain damage that her family claims has significantly affected the quality of the girl's life.
Medical bills can be expensive, and this case is no different. The girl's family filed a personal injury suit against KFC in hopes that a court would hold the restaurant responsible for serving the ill-prepared chicken. The court recently ruled in the family's favor, ordering KFC to pay them several millions of dollars to help cover the costs associated with the preventable tragedy.
Word is, however, that KFC is not going to take the ruling sitting down and that they might appeal the decision. A simple meal in 2005 has really made for a long battle for this international family, particularly their daughter.
Source: Associated Press, "Australian judge orders KFC to pay $8 million over food poisoning that left girl brain damaged," April 27, 2012
]]>Answering whether a specific New York Department of Transportation worker was on the job when he caused a drunk driving accident is part of the civil suit that his fatal accident inspired. When the DOT worker drove drunk on Oct. 7, he crashed into another vehicle, killing the other driver as well as himself in the preventable collision.
]]> If the drunk driver in this case died in the accident, then how can there be a lawsuit filed related to the crash? The family of the other driver who died in the accident obviously isn't suing the deceased drunk driver; rather, he is suing that driver's government employer.The family reportedly believes that the driver's employer knew that he routinely would drink while working. His employer also provided him a state-owned vehicle, the very same vehicle he was driving when he caused the fatal accident. Essentially, the plaintiff believes that negligence on the part of DOT officials contributed to the fact that a drunk driver was out on the roads and behind the wheel of a vehicle.
In their defense, DOT officials argue that they did not know about their employee's supposed habit of drinking while on duty. Further, they highlight how the accident happened after the employee's working day was over.
Parties involved in this case will want to verify where the driver was before he got behind the wheel. Was he driving somewhere straight from work or did he drink after his workday was over? If he did drink at work, is there sufficient reason to believe that his supervisors knew about it and didn't do enough to prevent the behavior?
Source: New Jersey Herald, "Crash lawsuit: NY agency knew worker drank on duty," Chris Carola, May 2, 2012
]]>The battle against cell phone use and texting while driving is so important because of the number of preventable car accidents that occur as a result of the reckless behavior. States have various laws and campaigns against distracted driving, and a special New York campaign is going on through Sunday that aims to increase driver awareness.
]]> Does Operation Hang Up sound familiar? It probably does to many drivers across the state of New York, as the same campaign hit the streets last Thanksgiving season. Within the duration of the last campaign, law enforcement in the state handed out a reported 800 citations to drivers caught using handheld devices behind the wheel.With this being the second time around for the Operation Hang Up campaign, logic would tell us that fewer people would risk using their phones while driving. But experience proves that habits die hard, and, unfortunately, drivers, passengers and pedestrians can die because of that tragic fact.
The traffic safety campaign is a week-long, and it will end on Sunday. Law enforcement will put more focus on finding and citing distracted drivers. Those caught in the act will be fined and earn points on their driver's licenses.
Punishing drivers and collecting money from them, however, is not the primary goal of this campaign or the distracted driving law. Driving in New York is dangerous enough already without drivers losing focus on the roads due to unnecessary calls and texts. These rules are about saving lives.
Source: CBS New York, "New York State Police To Target Distracted Drivers During Operation Hang Up," April 23, 2012
]]>Companies and consumers can help the CPSC by reporting dangerous products. That responsibility, however, really should rest mostly in the hands of product manufacturers not consumers. In the last couple of years, however, more companies have failed to report product defects, causing the CSPC to fine them for their dangerous silence.
]]> In 2010, the CPSC fined two companies because they failed to report defective products. Only one year later, the agency fined 10 companies for the same reason. Hopefully, the increase in negligent reporting isn't going to be a continuing trend. One defective product can mean hundreds of injured consumers.No one wants to live always looking over their shoulder and second guessing the safety of every little thing. The foods we eat, the cars we drive, the lawn products we use and more are all part of our everyday lives. We need those products and deserve to use them without needlessly putting our lives or the lives of our loved ones at risk.
It is one thing to make a mistake and create a dangerous product. Everyone makes mistakes, even big companies. It is another thing, however, to not admit to a mistake, especially when that mistake poses a threat to the health of millions of consumers.
Source: KABC-TV, "Consumer Product Safety Commission: Companies not reporting product problems," April 19, 2012
]]>The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has come up with a proposal that seeks to prevent driver fatigue among commercial truck drivers. Past truck accidents have been the results of driver negligence due to fatigue. One way to prevent fatigue on the roads, according to traffic safety advocates, is to address the health matter of sleep apnea.
]]> Sleep apnea is most common among the overweight. Studies have shown that a significant population of truck drivers suffers from the sleep disorder. This is a troubling fact. Sleep apnea damages the quality of a person's sleep, often leaving him fatigued the next day. When a person's job is to drive a huge tractor trailer, sleep apnea becomes more than just a health concern. It's a traffic safety crisis.The FMCSA proposes the following:
Currently, there are essentially no federal guidelines regarding sleep apnea in the commercial trucking industry. Not only are many truckers overweight and, therefore, at risk of suffering from sleep apnea, but they also work grueling hours. The combination is enough to put fear in any driver who has to share the roads with commercial trucks.
Source: Truckinginfo.com, "FMCSA Proposes Guidance for Sleep Apnea," Oliver B. Patton, April 20, 2012
]]>Coaches need to assure that safer blocking alternatives are fully explored, and penalties for illegal blocking are enforced for all players, no matter what their reputation on the field may be. And some parents might want to reevaluate the value they place on their children playing sports wherein the injury risk is so high.
Source: The Charlotte Observer Newspaper, "High school football brain injuries increasing," Tim Stevens, April 16, 2012
]]>A recent Associated Press report, however, focuses on how to better prepare motorcyclists for the road. Just as inexperience is a threat to traffic safety among traditional motorists, cycling inexperience also leads to traffic accidents and injuries.
]]> According to the Highway Loss Institute, the first month of riding is a dangerous time for motorcyclists (and the motorists around them). Research shows that accidents are more likely to happen in the first 30 days of riding than in the same rider's whole second year of riding. Perhaps new riders should wear a big warning sign on their bikes to warn motorists of their inexperience.It's no surprise that inexperience leads to accidents, but there is really no way to completely combat inexperience. Drivers have to start driving sometime and will obviously learn how to better handle their motorcycles and work with traffic over time.
Studies suggest, oddly, that training courses that lead to licensure are not the complete answer to combating inexperience and the accidents that follow. In New York, a written motorcycle driving test gets drivers a year-long learner's permit. Classes often lead to a quicker receipt of a license, and traffic safety advocates suggest that those drivers don't get enough learning experience to safely hit the roads alone.
Combine motorcyclist inexperience with standard motorists' reckless habit of not seeing motorcycles and it's no surprise that accidents happen. As stated above, inexperience cannot be completely erased from the roads. What is within the realm of drivers' control is their focus on the road and adherence to traffic laws.
Requirements regarding training and motorcyclist licensing can be changed, but when a careless motorist takes an illegal turn because he fails to yield to a motorcycle, the best of training wouldn't save a biker's life.
Source: The Associated Press, "Motorcycle crash risk drops sharply after the first month on the road," Michael Virtanen, April 15, 2012
]]>As it turns out, tax day not only stinks due to the pressure of it, but it is dangerous as a likely result of that very same pressure. According to research, fatal car accidents increase by 6 percent on the day when taxes are due. That day this year is April 17. So mark the day on your calendar as not only the last day to file but as a day to avoid driving if possible.
]]> Data from the National Highway Traffic Administration shows that in the past 30 years in the U.S., more than 6,700 traffic-related deaths have occurred during tax day. Compared to other April days, that comes to about 13 more fatalities on tax days. The reasoning behind the numbers is not clear, though there are some suspicions as to why it's more dangerous to drive on that day.Some suggest that drivers are more distracted, stressed and tired on tax day. They've been working on taxes and stressing out about the many details necessary to file. They might also be worried that they did something wrong or will owe money to the government. Mental distraction can make for reckless driving.
Another suspicion is that more accidents happen because more people are out and in a hurry to get to their local post office to mail in their taxes. For most, the post office is not a regular driving destination. The change in routine as well as the rush to get to the post office in time could potentially cause more car accidents.
We have all heard the cliché that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. Don't let taxes contribute to the number of traffic-related deaths this year. Avoid driving on April 17. And if you must drive, take a deep breath, leave yourself enough time to get where you need to go and focus on the road.
Source: The Huffington Post, "Deadly Car Crashes Spike By 6 Percent On Tax Day: Study," Lindsey Tanner, April 10, 2012
]]>Those who are fans of the HBO series Deadwood might know the teenager who has inspired his father's fight. He acted on the show before he died after undergoing a heart transplant seven years ago in a Brooklyn hospital. The father is suing the hospital for medical malpractice and bringing awareness to the safety issues he believes led to his son's death through a published memoir.
]]> The memoir is about the boy's life, but also details what the father believes contributed to the loss of that young life. While the boy was born with a defective heart and did undergo the serious transplant surgery, those things alone didn't kill him, according to the father. He alleges that the hospital misdiagnosed the teen after the surgery and, therefore, failed to respond to an infection that ultimately killed him.Not all parents or others who lose a loved one to supposed medical negligence can or want to get a book published. Many turn to medical malpractice lawsuits, however, in an attempt to seek compensation for their emotional stress and to try to change the safety standards within a hospital for the better. The father in this New York case is fighting through dual modes and can hopefully aid in the fostering of safer hospital procedures to help other families as well as honor his son's memory.
Source: NY Daily News, "Brooklyn dad turns son's death into crusade for change in new book blasting Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital," Simone Weichselbaum, March 30, 2012
]]>While paying attention to brain injuries within sports, especially youth sports, is important, reports from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm Insurance serve as a reminder that we cannot forget traffic safety among teen drivers in order to prevent fatal and catastrophic accidents.
]]> Research indicates that car accidents remain the leading cause of brain injuries among teens. Among the 55,000 serious injuries sustained by teen drivers between 2009 and 2010, almost one-third of those injuries were head injuries. Head injuries vary in severity, but even an injury that sounds as minor as a concussion can have a lasting impact on a young brain.Sources from State Farm Insurance suggest a few steps that states should take to reduce car accidents involving teens and, therefore, the rate of brain injuries among young drivers and their passengers. Adopting graduated driver licensing laws or stricter teen driving laws can better prepare teens for the roads and reduce teen driving accidents.
Another way to address teen accidents and brain injuries is to adopt and enforce primary seat belt laws. Primary means that a driver could be ticketed simply for not wearing a seat belt or if their passengers were not wearing seat belts. A somewhat less conventional suggestion is for teen drivers and their passengers to not only wear seat belts but to wear helmets as well.
Brain injuries are the result of various types of impact. Not all teens play sports, but most teens will drive. We can't lose sight of the importance of improving traffic safety related to teen drivers or else we are putting teens at risk of sustaining brain injuries that will affect them into adulthood.
Source: Forbes, "Car Crashes Are The Leading Cause Of Fatal Head Trauma Among Teens," Jim Gorzelany, April 2, 2012
]]>But for many former professional athletes, their retirements are filled with medical stress and, therefore, legal battles. In the past, we have discussed concussions among NFL and NHL players. Various former athletes have taken the brave step of speaking out against what they think was an injustice regarding safety and brain injuries during their athletic careers. More plaintiffs continue to step forward.
]]> The Washington Times reports that a former quarterback for the Redskins has joined a group of personal injury plaintiffs in a mass-tort lawsuit. Mark Rypien played for his team for 11 seasons and regrets that the league didn't do more to educate him about the impact of brain injuries and protect him from what numerous concussions would do to his health.Rypien reportedly suffers from a list of neurological conditions as a result of the multiple head injuries he sustained during his NFL years. He is joined by many former members of his same team, and their mass suit is just one of many throughout the country accusing the league of hiding the lasting and serious health consequences of brain injuries.
The NFL claims that safety of its players is and always has been a top priority and that the league has exercised efforts to understand and better protect players from concussions.
Our source does not disclose when any of the various personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits related to the NFL will be heard or whether any settlements are being considered outside of court. With the large quantity of the lawsuits all against the league, if courts decide that the league has been negligent, the price of game tickets might have to go up. That's for the future to tell.
Source: The Washington Times, "Mark Rypien is lead plaintiff in lawsuit against NFL over head injuries," Nathan Fenno, March 27, 2012
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