You are a conscientious driver. You maintain your car. It goes to the mechanic at any sign of trouble or for routine checkups when it’s time. You buy new tires when the tread is worn. You don’t speed, talk on the cell phone or text when you are behind the wheel.  You’ve done everything you can to protect yourself and your family.

But you’ve been fooled. Your “new” tires may not be new at all. And that nasty little secret could kill you.

There’s no expiration date on tires. They can stay in warehouses for years, allowing the rubber to dry out.  Yes, they look new and store owners will tell you they’ve never been used. But that’s not the point. Dried out rubber tread can easily peel off tires at highway speeds, causing drivers to lose control suddenly with fatal results.  Don’t let it happen to you. Watch this in-depth news report. It could very well save your life:

Automakers will be soon putting computers in car dashboards, making Twitter, Facebook, Internet Radio and the web accessible as drivers move down the road. The announcement came during this month’s annual Las Vegas electronics show. Manufacturers of the devices, including Google and Intel, call them “infotainment systems.”

Critics say they will add to the number of distracted driving deaths on American roads, a toll they say is rising fast. But auto industry spokesmen and others say the devices will make cars safer. They say that they are creating helpful systems that display crucial information, including sensors that try to predict dangerous driving situations. Who is right?

The stakes are high. Ford’s CEO says that “in-car-connectivity” is the key to Ford’s corporate turnaround. Statistics from the Consumer Electronics Association support his claim. Demand for these “in-vehicle” gadgets was “expected to top $9.3 billion in 2009.”

Critics argue that cell phones are killing Americans at record rates as drivers talk and text while driving. Making more electronic devices available behind the wheel, they say, will only increase the number of auto accidents.  They call distracted driving America’s chief health menace.

On average, more than 41,000 people a year died in accidents in the United States over the last decade, according to a January 2010 Scripps Howard News Service story. It also cited statistics from The Institute for Transportation Engineers showing that as many as 120 people a day die from “vehicle-related crashes” in the U.S.

Those who support computers in cars say that heart disease is the biggest killer of Americans, not auto accidents.  It kills more than 600,000 a year according to The Center for Disease Control.

Since texting drivers are six times more likely to have an accident, safety conscious drivers are left to wonder if their actions may one day eclipse heart disease as the leading cause of fatalities in America. You could call it a deadly dilemma.

Yes, they’re vital for protecting kids when they’ve outgrown car seats and aren’t big enough for seat belts.  But, says Safe Kids USA,  if the booster seat you have shows up on the “not recommended list,” it’s not an automatic cause for alarm.

Safe Kids says every booster seat fits differently. What’s right for a crash dummy may not be right for your child since kids come in all shapes and sizes and crash dummies don’t.  The best way to check what’s best for your child is to visit one of Safe Kids’ free car seat /booster seat clinics. You’ll find them in every major city in the U.S.

Most states now have booster seat laws. Texas is the most recent state to adopt one. Beginning in June, Texas parents whose children aren’t in booster seats, when they should be, will be fined. Who should be in a booster seat?  Under Texas Law, any child who is under eight years old and not yet 4’9” tall must be in a booster seat. Most states have similar laws. Seat belts can kill small children who have outgrown car seats. They lie across small throats and stomachs and can strangle children or inflict fatal injuries on  internal organs.

Its generic name is metoclopromide. It’s also called Reglan. It comes in pill, syrups and is sometimes injected.  But it has a disastrous side effect that doctors can’t cure. Those who take the drug too long or at too high a dose can develop symptoms like Parkinson’s Disease. They can’t stop grimacing, smacking their lips, blinking or moving their fingers or other parts of their bodies. Once a patient develops this condition – called Tardive Dyskenesia – it cannot be reversed.

How long is too long to take this drug? The Food and Drug Administration says it should not be taken  longer than three months. Who is most at risk? Elderly women although anyone could develop tardive dyskenesia. Why is this drug prescribed? It is used to treat heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and diabetic gastroparesis. Anyone with these symptoms or who has been diagnosed with Tardive Dyskenesia should contact a personal injury lawyer.