Washington Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Regan Zambri & Long Law Firm : DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog

According to the Washington Post, many Maryland students still lack immunization shots necessary to attend class.   At least 3,851 students were barred from schools in Prince George's County.
Ensuring that your child has up-to-date immunizations is one of the ways parents can help students achieve their best.  Immunizations benefit students because they prevent the spread of harmful infections such as chicken pox, whooping cough and measles.  Many childhood diseases, can be prevented with the following immunizations:

• MMR - protects against measles, mumps and rubella
• IPV - protects against polio
• DTP - protects against diphtheria, lockjaw and whooping cough
• Hib vaccine- protects against hemophilus influenza type b ( causes spinal meningitis)
• HBV- protects against hepatitis B
• Varicella - protects against chicken pox
  

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According to a report by Bloomberg news, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) wants federal regulators to restrict the use of systems that automakers are building into their vehicles so motorists are unable to make phone calls or fiddle with other interactive gear while driving.

CAS filed a petition for rulemaking on January 22, 2007 with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requesting that the agency develop rules prohibiting the use of such built-in systems while a vehicle is in motion. CAS said traffic accidents will increase if drivers pay more attention to their personal affairs than to the road.

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For years now, proponents of medical malpractice "reform" have alleged that physicians, particularly ob-gyns, have been fleeing jurisdictions leaving more and more counties throughout the country without access to doctors.  In fact, in his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush told the nation that there are "nearly 1,500 American counties without a single ob-gyn."  This statement, however, is simply wrong.

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Colder winter temperatures bring a risk of frozen water pipes.  Along with frozen water pipes come creative and dangerous attempts for thawing them.  Every winter, homes are damaged or destroyed and lives are lost because people use propane torches or other flame sources for thawing water pipes.  Homeowners located in areas of the country with generally mild winters are often the least prepared for freezing temperatures and frozen water pipes.  As reported by Washington Post, a local handyman attempted to thaw his frozen water pipes with a propane torch.  If he had to do it over again, he said he'd call a plumber.

The American Red Cross and fire departments around the country warn consumers of the dangers of using flames to thaw pipes.   Both the American Red Cross website and the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue website provide general guidelines for prevention of frozen water pipes and how to safely thaw them, when necessary. 

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As the population ages, so does the number of aging drivers.   Although traffic statistics do not show that 75-year-old drivers present a menace to highway safety, older drivers are more likely to be involved in an automobile crash.  By age 85, older drivers are more likely to crash than all drivers except 16-year-olds, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).  If these older drivers are so likely to crash, why don't the statistics show that?  Self selection limits when older drivers are on the road:  they drive less, they avoid rush hour, they wear seat belts, their crashes tend to be fender benders. 

In spite of what the statistics may reveal, older drivers are dangerous, both to themselves and to other drivers and pedestrians.  The best time to deal with the issue is before it becomes a problem. Although a sense of independence accompanies a driver's license, safety issues outweigh that independence. 

Friends and family should be alert to warning signs that someone's age has affected their driving abilities.  According to AARP, some of the warning signs include:

• Stops in traffic for no reason
• Confuses gas and brake pedals
• Fails to stop at a stop sign or red light
• Gets lost in familiar territory
• Becomes confused at exits
• Has trouble staying in lane
• Slow response in unexpected situations
• Trouble with turns
• Fails to notice traffic signs
• Scrapes on the car or mailbox, or in the garage
• Hits the curb
• Can no longer park well
• Doesn't use correct signal
• Has medical conditions or takes medications that may affect driving.

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While small cars may be back in vogue, according to the latest crash test results they do not provide you with the same protection as sport utility vehicles (SUVs) or pick up trucks. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), only one of the eight models tested, the Nissan Versa, received high marks in both side and rear crash tests. Three of the other models, the Toyota Yaris, the Honda Fit and the BMW Mini Cooper, scored well in side tests but received low ratings in rear tests.

Experts caution that even the safest subcompact car cannot overcome its inherent size and weight disadvantage. On average, subcompacts weigh 4,000 pounds less than midsize SUVs like the Ford Explorer.   "People traveling in small, light cars are at a disadvantage, especially when they collide with bigger, heavier vehicles. The laws of physics dictate this," says Institute president Adrian Lund.

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According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), many parents continue to improperly use the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) technology designed to better secure child safety seats to vehicles due to a lack of education about the system.  “LATCH was supposed to simplify child safety seat installation for parents and this study shows that isn’t happening,” said NHTSA Administrator Nicole R. Nason.  LATCH is an installation system that was created to standardize the manner in which child safety seats are attached to vehicles without using a seat belt.  LATCH consists of two lower attachments and an upper tether on a child safety seat that connect with lower anchors and a top tether built into a vehicle’s back seat.

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For decades, "tort reform" groups have been desperately trying to strip American citizens of their ability and right to access the courts and obtain fair justice.  In pushing their agenda, they have relied on data-starved rhetoric and biased opinions in order to influence the public to serve their special interests.  Thankfully, unbiased consumer advocacy groups have challenged the rhetoric and, through comprehensive studies, have elicited the truth regarding the civil justice system.

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As reported by Forbes.com, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shocked the automotive world in October 2005 by announcing that side airbags that protect people's heads are reducing driver deaths in cars struck on the driver's side by an estimated 37%. Currently, side airbags are not always standard, and as the safety bar ratchets ever higher, cars without them are lagging in safety ratings. This is evident in the Forbes Magazine list of the least-safe cars for 2007. In crash tests, a car with side airbags can be among the best performers. Without them, its ratings can fall dramatically.

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