As with an accident on Tuesday morning, the accident on Wednesday morning involved a school bus from the Humble Independent School District. The bus was hit by another vehicle immediately north of Beltway 8 on Lockwood around 7 o’clock. Read more »

The students were from Atascocita High School in the Humble Independent School District. They were riding in a vehicle in the 16400 block of West Lake Houston Parkway in the vicinity of Breakwater Path when it was involved in a crash around 8 a.m. Tuesday. Read more »

On Wednesday the Houston area has a 100 per cent chance of receiving heavy thunderstorms,  according to weather forecasters.

Such forecasters are accustomed to calculating the weather as percentages and “chances,” but when it’s 100 per cent, then technically that’s not a chance but a certainty.

It will rain Wednesday — perhaps hard. Count on it.

Less certain but strong possibilities are gusty winds and thunder, along with some street flooding. There may even be isolated tornados.

Thunderstorms should reach the Gulf Coast by 2 a.m. Wednesday, while others should hover west of Houston later in the morning. Indeed, a “severe weather outlook” for a 23-county area including Harris County has been issued by the National Weather Service.

How much rain is expected? One to three inches are possible in many areas, and as much as five inches in spots where thunderstorms linger.

Obviously, flooding may be a problem. As always, drivers are advised not to venture out unless necessary, and not to drive into high or rising waters in hopes of passing through.

The students’ bus was traveling south on I-45 North when the accident occurred about 9 a.m. The bus and another vehicle collided near the Gulf Bank exit.

Among the students was a child who attended Reece Early Childhood Pre-Kindergarten and four children who attended Bethune and Anderson elementary schools. One student was taken to school, but as a precaution, the other four were taken to Texas Children’s Hospital.

No other details were immediately available.

Statistically, school buses are a relatively safe means of transportation. However, about two dozen students die each year in school bus accidents in the United States, and many more are injured.

They include actress Halle Berry, who won an Oscar as Best Actress for the 2001 film Monster’s Ball. Also suffering from the disease is Randy Jackson, the only original judge on Fox’s American Idol who is still on the program. Read more »

The accident occurred about 9 a.m. on the feeder road of the North Freeway over Cypress Creek. Deputies said the motorcyclist was not familiar with motorcycles and was heading north on the feeder at high rate of speed when he crashed into the rear of another vehicle.

The man on the motorcycle was not wearing protective helmet and was taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

Also injured were two small children who were riding in the back seat of the vehicle that was hit from behind. Reportedly the vehicle’s rear window shattered and the children suffered cuts from the glass.

Under Texas law, motorcycle operators and passengers over 21 years old are not required to wear a protective helmet.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, when Texas abandoned its law requiring helmets on all motorcyclists in 1997, operator fatalities rose by 31 percent in the next year under the new law. That law remains in effect.

But for distracted driving advocates to prevail, new technology is needed. Such technology must take drivers’ decisions to behave recklessly by texting or surfing the Web out of their hands. And that technology is arising, along with ramped up resistance by the public to driving distractions. Read more »

A 79-car pile-up near Beaumont, Texas had authorities scrambling in the early morning hours of Thursday, January 5, 2012.

News reports said that 54 people were taken to Beaumont area hospitals. Officials used the Jaws of Life to cut three victims out of wrecked cars. Victims injured in the accident were said have injuries ranging from broken bones to abrasions and whiplash.

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San Antonio drivers, beware! The Alamo City now has the distinction, if you want to call it that, of being on a list of the “drunkest cities” in the United States.

The list is compiled every year by The Daily Beast, a top-ranked national website for news and political blogs. The Daily Beast added San Antonio to its list on Jan. 2, 2012.

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Take this outrage from Swiss drug maker Novartis. It’s recalling some containers of Bufferin, NoDoz, Excedrin and Gas-X due to worries that they may have broken or chipped tablets or random pills from other medicines. Read more »