Lundy Law Blog

Personal Injury Lawyers

Archive for August, 2010

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29
Aug

Dogs a Distraction, AAA Says

It’s a common sight. Fido’s head hanging out of the window, or pacing the back seat of your car.  However, a new study by AAA indicates that your pup may be as big a danger as many other distractions like texting while driving.

It’s called DWA (driving with animals). It only takes looking away for two seconds to double your risk of being in a crash and pets are the third-worst distraction. The study also  found that 80 percent of drivers admit to bringing their pets along for car rides, but less than a quarter keep them restrained.

It’s not only dangerous for the driver, but your pet as well. Think about it, an 80 pound dog thrown through the air at 30 miles per hour exerts 2,400 pounds of force. Not good.

So, if you must drive with your dog, here are a few tips from DMVanswers.com. Keep these in mind, especially if you are driving back and forth from the shore this Labor Day.

– Never allow your cat to roam freely. They like to sit on your lap or repose on the dashboard — making them as distracting as cell phones. Always transport felines in a travel crate designed specifically for cats.

– Use a pet-designed harness or seat belt to tether your dog. If not, a sudden stop could send it hurtling forward, placing itself and other passengers in danger. Plus, a harness will prevent your dog from distracting driving-attention with licks to the ear, or, depending on size, curling around your feet near the brake and gas pedals.

– Never leave your pet in a parked car during the summer.

– Don’t let your dog hang its head out a side window. Although amusing, it becomes a driver distraction, and depending on which window, a hindrance to seeing the traffic around you. Plus, it’s not safe for the dog.

– Never attach a restraining device to your pet’s collar while inside a vehicle.

Popularity: 12% [?]

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28
Aug

Labor Day

With Summer having it’s final hurrah and Labor Day fast approaching, you’ll be finding many more people on the roads. That means it’s even more important to watch out for speeding and other aggressive driving behaviors. And it’s not just the other guy. You may be the one driving badly. Yes, I know, it’s not possible, but still…

Here are few questions to determine if you are driving aggressively, courtesy of Drive Safe PA:

  • Do you speed excessively?
  • Do you tailgate slower vehicles?
  • Do you race to beat red lights or run stop signs?
  • Do you weave in and out of traffic?
  • Do you pass illegally on the right?
  • Do you fail to yield the right of way to oncoming vehicles?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be an aggressive driver and are putting yourself, your passengers and other people on the road with you at increased risk of a crash.

To deter aggressive drivers and make Pennsylvania´s highways safer for all who use them, PennDOT partners with Pennsylvania State and local police departments to conduct aggressive driving enforcement. Since the project was launched in 2006, more than 400 roadways have been targeted with additional enforcement and education.

If you encounter an aggressive driver, PennDOT offers these tips for what to do.

  • Get out of their way and don´t challenge them. You can avoid an accident or a road rage incident.
  • Stay relaxed, avoid eye contact and ignore rude gestures.
  • Don´t block the passing lane if you are driving slower than most of the traffic.

Popularity: 10% [?]

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28
Aug

Teenage Drinking Increases Chance of Breast Disease

Parents, you may never get your kids to listen to this, but please try.
A study in the journal Pediatrics (Story in USA Today), found that frequent alcohol consumption by teenage girls may increase the chances that they will develop non-cancerous breast disease in their 20s and possibly breast cancer later in life. Girls who drank the most alcohol during their teen years — daily or nearly every day — were five times more likely to develop benign breast disease as young adults than were their peers who never drank or drank less than once a week. Here’s the kick. Study co-author Catherine Berkey, a biostatistician at Harvard Medical School in Boston, said that benign breast disease is known to boost the risk for breast cancer.

Popularity: 9% [?]

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28
Aug

Toyota Recalls Another 1.13 Vehicles

An article in the Washington Post (Fri., Aug. 27) says that Toyota will recall 1.13 million Corolla and Matrix cars for a flaw that U.S. regulators said may cause stalling “at any speed without warning.” The recall affects vehicles from the 2005-2008 model years in the United States and Canada and follows at least three reported accidents linked to the defect.

Popularity: 11% [?]

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27
Aug

One in Five Americans Drives Drunk

According to the Washington Post one in five Americans admit to climbing behind the wheel after drinking. The piece cites a survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that also found that eight percent of all drivers, as many as 17 million people, have driven drunk at least once during the past year. Not surprisingly, 16 to 20 year-olds drank almost six alcohol beverages at one sitting. Eight percent of those 16 and older said in the past year they have been the passenger of a driver they thought may have consumed too much alcohol to drive safely.

Personally, I’ll take the train…

Popularity: 10% [?]

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