Texas Personal Injury Lawyers – Jim Adler & Associates – Blog

September 22, 2009

Video teaches kids safety with fantasy chicken

Filed under: Safe Kids — Jodie Sinclair @ 7:59 pm
Call your kids. Have a good laugh together around the computer watching a new Safe Kids USA video that will help them avoid accidents. Or email them the link to the video so they can watch it with their friends and email the link to others:  http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/nickelodeon_safe_kids_usa_chicken.
The video features a “stunt chicken” and a teen rock star.  You won’t forget it. Neither will your kids or their friends. And that’s the important part. Preventable accidents kill more kids in the United States than disease. Find out more about keeping your youngsters safe at Safe Kids USA. It targets four main risk areas for kids and teaches you how to avoid them. Some may surprise you.

Video teaches kids safety with fantasy chicken

Video teaches kids safety with fantasy chicken

Call your kids. Have a good laugh together around the computer watching a new Safe Kids USA video that will help them avoid accidents. Or email them the link to the video so they can watch it with their friends and email the link to others:  CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

The video features a “stunt chicken” and a teen rock star.  You won’t forget it. Neither will your kids or their friends. And that’s the important part. Preventable accidents kill more kids in the United States than disease. Find out more about keeping your youngsters safe at Safe Kids USA. It targets four main risk areas for kids and teaches you how to avoid them. Some may surprise you.

New Texas laws tighten up on teen drivers, others

Filed under: Automobile Injury — Jodie Sinclair @ 7:52 pm
New laws went into effect this month for Texas drivers. Many target teens. But all drivers should take note.  There are significant changes in laws affecting teen drivers. Those under the age of 18 must take a driving test with a certified official in the car to get a driver’s license. That law requires 32 hours of in-car instruction. Licensed teen drivers under the age of 18 can’t be on the road between midnight and 5 a.m. for one year after they receive their license. Safety experts say that’s the most dangerous, high-risk time for new drivers. Licensed teens under the age of 18 can’t have more than one person under 21 in the car with them unless it’s a family member. And they cannot use a cell phone to talk or text while driving. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, a 16-year-old is five times more likely to be in a fatal crash than someone in any other age group.
Anyone talking on a cell phone in a school zone is breaking the law. And that’s statewide. Anyone with a drunken driving record will have to take a blood test if arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. That new law raises fines for driving with a suspended license or without insurance up to 180 days behind bars and up to a $2,000 fine. Anyone without a license or insurance who causes an injury or death in an accident can spend up to a year in jail and be fined up to $4,000. No passenger younger than 5 can ride a motorcycle. Motorcycle riders have to complete a certified training course to get a license.
Of the 3,382 Texans killed in traffic accidents in 2008, 951 weren’t wearing seat belts. Seat belts are now mandatory for everyone in a car. That includes kids who are too big for infant seats. The new law says that kids younger than 8, or shorter than 4 feet, 9 inches have to be in a booster seat. Call the Texas Safe Riders program at 1-800-252-8255 for financial help with child safety seats if you need assistance.

New Texas laws tighten up on teen drivers, others

New Texas laws tighten up on teen drivers, others

New laws went into effect this month for Texas drivers. Many target teens. But all drivers should take note.  There are significant changes in laws affecting teen drivers. Those under the age of 18 must take a driving test with a certified official in the car to get a driver’s license. That law requires 32 hours of in-car instruction. Licensed teen drivers under the age of 18 can’t be on the road between midnight and 5 a.m. for one year after they receive their license. Safety experts say that’s the most dangerous, high-risk time for new drivers. Licensed teens under the age of 18 can’t have more than one person under 21 in the car with them unless it’s a family member. And they cannot use a cell phone to talk or text while driving. According to the Texas Transportation Institute, a 16-year-old is five times more likely to be in a fatal crash than someone in any other age group.

Anyone talking on a cell phone in a school zone is breaking the law. And that’s statewide. Anyone with a drunken driving record will have to take a blood test if arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. That new law raises fines for driving with a suspended license or without insurance up to 180 days behind bars and up to a $2,000 fine. Anyone without a license or insurance who causes an injury or death in an accident can spend up to a year in jail and be fined up to $4,000. No passenger younger than 5 can ride a motorcycle. Motorcycle riders have to complete a certified training course to get a license.

Of the 3,382 Texans killed in traffic accidents in 2008, 951 weren’t wearing seat belts. Seat belts are now mandatory for everyone in a car. That includes kids who are too big for infant seats. The new law says that kids younger than 8, or shorter than 4 feet, 9 inches have to be in a booster seat. Call the Texas Safe Riders program at 1-800-252-8255 for financial help with child safety seats if you need assistance.

AARP urges training for older drivers

Filed under: Automobile Injury, SUV Rollover Accident — Jodie Sinclair @ 7:50 pm
Older drivers need to retool their driving skills, says the AARP, to protect themselves and others. The agency is recommending that seniors take a driving course to teach them how to compensate for slower reaction times and changes in eyesight, hearing and physical strength.  Senior drivers may not be aware those changes are affecting them, but all have a bearing on handling a car safely.  AARP’s senior driving course is available online. There’s yet another program that helps seniors adjust their cars to help prevent injuries if they are in an accident. It’s called CarFit. It’s the first of its kind and it takes just 15 minutes.
CarFit checks for proper seating, line of sight over the steering wheel and distance from air bags, mirrors, gas and brake pedals and other items to make sure that seniors are safe in an impact.  Bodies become more fragile as they age. They are less likely to withstand crashes as well as younger drivers. In fact, aging Americans have the highest crash death rates per mile driven. And they are on the increase. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, estimates there will be 40 million drivers over the age of 65 behind the wheel by 2020. While seniors are often the safest drivers because they don’t engage in risky behavior, bodies change over time in relation to a car’s interior so adjustments to compensate make good sense.

Older drivers need to retool their driving skills, says the AARP, to protect themselves and others. The agency is recommending that seniors take a driving course to teach them how to compensate for slower reaction times and changes in eyesight, hearing and physical strength.  Senior drivers may not be aware those changes are affecting them, but all have a bearing on handling a car safely.  AARP’s senior driving course is available online. There’s yet another program that helps seniors adjust their cars to help prevent injuries if they are in an accident. It’s called CarFit. It’s the first of its kind and it takes just 15 minutes.

CarFit checks for proper seating, line of sight over the steering wheel and distance from air bags, mirrors, gas and brake pedals and other items to make sure that seniors are safe in an impact.  Bodies become more fragile as they age. They are less likely to withstand crashes as well as younger drivers. In fact, aging Americans have the highest crash death rates per mile driven. And they are on the increase. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, estimates there will be 40 million drivers over the age of 65 behind the wheel by 2020. While seniors are often the safest drivers because they don’t engage in risky behavior, bodies change over time in relation to a car’s interior so adjustments to compensate make good sense.

This drug is a potential jawbreaker

Filed under: Defective Drugs, Diseases — Jodie Sinclair @ 7:31 pm

It’s called Fosamax (alendronate sodium) and its maker Merck & Co. is now the target of hundreds of lawsuits across the country brought by patients who say they developed osteonecrosis of the jaw after taking the drug. Osteonecrosis is a rare disease that breaks down the jawbone. Ironically, Fosamax is taken to combat osteoporosis, a condition that thins and weakens bones especially after menopause.  Osteonecrosis can develop without causing symptoms for weeks and sometimes months. Symptoms include loose teeth, exposed bone, pain in the jaw or gums, infections in the gums, loss of sensation and significant gum loss.  The Mayo Clinic considers Fosamax safe for most patients. But it notes that reports of osteonecrosis associated with oral doses of Fosamax began surfacing in 2003. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved generic versions of Fosamax in early 2008. Individuals who most often develop osteonecrosis are patients with cancer or dental problems.

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