Looking for your child’s first car is often  tough for a parent. Your children want a really nice car — like some of their friends have, they say — and as much as you would like to provide that, you just can’t afford it.

If you are fortunate enough to get your kid the car of their dreams, what is the right thing to do? Are you sending the right message by buying your child something brand-new?  There is no real right or wrong answer here, but bear this in mind: odds are, whatever you give your kid is going to get wrecked. As a parent, you hope and pray it is minor and there are no injuries, but you must face the facts.

I talk all the time about driver distraction when it comes to kids. Talking and texting are real dangers with kids. They really have no conception of how fast things can happen when they take their eyes off the road. I recommend printing one of a number of contracts you can find online to make an agreement with your child to keep them from texting while driving.

Another big distraction is too many people in a car. This is especially true of guys and the way they tend to horse around.  Also with the guys more than the girls, speed is a factor.

Luckily, in this day and age, technology can monitor your child’s driving habits when you are not in the car. You can have devices installed in the car that will alert you by email or phone if your kid gets over a pre-set speed. You can set parameters for the areas they are allowed to drive so that you will be alerted if your child ventures beyond that area.

Ford has a product called SmartKey, which allows you to set a maximum level for the volume on the radio. It also gives the driver a loud alert when the car is low on gas and will drive the driver crazy if everyone in the car is not wearing a seatbelt. There are even iPhone apps that cost virtually nothing to monitor your child’s driving behavior. Even OnStar will now let you monitor driving behavior.

One last warning is with SUVs. Some are fine, but others have a really high center of gravity, which can become dangerous because young drivers tend to over-steer in emergencies. Make sure to find out the rollover propensity of whatever you are considering to purchase.

When considering a classic or vintage car, while it would probably be cool, the newer the car, the more safety features it will have. As always, the more airbags the better in the event of an accident.

We can’t be with our kids when they leave the nest but we can sure try our best to protect them. We are lucky to be in an age of technology that might keep them just a little safer.

Selecting a Child’s First Car is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) along with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced new guidelines back in March with recommendations that children no longer rear face and also changed the details for kids in boosters.

New Rear-facing Recommendation: Parents are to keep children rear-facing until 2 years old, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for the seat as noted in the manual.

Two years is a goal easily met, considering even some of the lowest cost seats now rear-face until 40 pounds. When your baby outgrows their infant carrier, that is when you buy a convertible seat that rear-faces longer, not a forward-facing seat, which you can put upright up to 30 degrees when kids are bigger with better head control, often making them take up less space than infant seats.

New Boostering Recommendation: Children should ride in a belt-positioning booster (that means a high-back!) until they are at least 4 foot, 9 inches, AND 8-12 years old.

It’s best to keep children in their harnessed seat until they outgrow it, which is into elementary years with the height and weight of most convertible seats and even harness-to-booster seats these days. But they will outgrow it and go into a booster, and eventually they need to meet all points in a 5-point test before they’re ready to sit in a car’s seat without a booster of any kind. Remember that these belts are designed to fit an average adult. Best practice is also waiting until children are 80-100 pounds as well.

Beyond that, all kids need to stay out of the front until they’re at least 13 years old.

While 2 years or 8 years may now be the minimums, we don’t parent by minimums, do we? Buying a high quality (not necessarily high cost!) seat to start, after you do all your research to choose the best seat for your child, can easily help you meet these recommendations.

Make sure you’re using the car seats correctly, too. There’s a lot of intricacies for both harnessed seats and boosters.

New Car Seat Guidelines is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Running a red light is never smart.  Never a good idea.

But when a cyclist runs a red light, it’s just plain stupid.  Recently, a cyclist was killed on Capital of Texas Highway when a vehicle left its lane and struck the cyclist.  So the cycling community in Austin is pushing to make the road safer for cyclists and to make people more aware of cyclists.  They don’t want to stop riding on Capital of Texas Highway.

So there I am this morning, front car at a red light waiting to cross 360 to go up the steep hill of Spicewood Springs Road.  Light turns green.  A fraction of a second later, a cyclist passes in front of me going full speed from my left side to the right.  All the other traffic had stopped for the light which was red for them.  Since Capital of Texas Highway has a pretty high speed limit and since I doubt the cyclist (a male on a road bike) was going as fast as the cars, why wasn’t he able to stop for the red light when the heavier, faster vehicles could?

Obviously, he could have stopped in time and chose to run the red light.  He risked his life.  I know the light sequence there pretty well and if I’d anticipated the light change on my end, I could have been a lot closer to him when he crossed in front of me.

And that’s not the first time I’ve seen a bicycle rider run a red light.  A month or so ago I was driving down Oak Knoll and was stopped at Jollyville.  My daughter was in the back seat.  A cyclist ran the red light in front of us and this time it wasn’t a fraction of a second after the light turned green for us, it was a few seconds.  Fortunately, I’d been looking out, but I shouted some exclamations which my daughter rebuked me for.  It was a teaching moment for my daughter – that is, I said never to cross the road on your bike when the light is red.  She said something to the effect of “duh.”

So if my 11-year old child knows this, why have I seen cyclists running red lights multiple times.  I imagine if it’s happened to me, it’s happened to others too.

Let’s keep Austin safe for cars and cyclists – don’t run the red light whether you’re on two wheels or four.

Cyclists Need to Obey Rules of the Road Too is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Here’s an idea that’s so good, we wish we’d come up with it ourselves. Not only is it creative and effective, but it also helps save the lives of children.

Did you know approximately 70% of all children killed or injured by motor vehicles are struck within blocks from their own homes?

Did you know an average of 4 children age 14 and younger were killed and 500 were injured every day in the United States in motor vehicle crashes during 2009?

Well, now there’s something small you can do to raise awareness and save lives. Enter the “Drive Like Your Kids Live Here” project. Designed to help end distracted driving, raise awareness of children in our neighborhoods, and reduce the number of senseless pedestrian deaths, this program encourages you to post signs which simply state “DRIVE LIKE YOUR KIDS LIVE HERE.”

It’s a simple, powerful message, and one we think deserves some recognition. To learn more about Drive Like Your Kids Live Here, check out their website:

http://www.drivelikeyourkidslivehere.com/

You can buy the signs themselves, learn how to help, organize fundraisers, and learn more neighborhood safety.

Community Safety: Drive Like Your Kids Live Here is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Under new federal regulations proposed recently, new cars and light trucks would have to have override systems to prevent unintended acceleration in instances when the driver steps on the gas pedal and brake at the same time or when accelerator control systems disconnect.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed changing accelerator standards for most new cars and many trucks and buses. The override systems, which automatically activate if accelerator and brake are touched simultaneously, would be required in passenger cars, trucks and buses weighing less than 10,000 pounds. Most large trucks and buses weigh more than that, however.

Many new vehicles already come equipped with such brake-throttle override systems.

The proposal came about after investigations two years ago into claims that electronic defects were causing unintended acceleration in some Toyota models. An investigation by the agency and a separate study by NASA concluded that there were no electronic defects, but that in some cases drivers had inadvertently pressed the brake and gas pedal at the same time or that gas pedals had become trapped.

In February 2011, Toyota Motor Corp. recalled 2.17 million vehicles in the United States to address accelerator pedals that could become entrapped in floor mats or jammed in driver’s-side carpeting. The highway safety agency fined Toyota $50 million for not recalling millions of vehicles in a more timely fashion.

Override Systems Proposed by Government is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Even as overall vehicle death rates drop, auto-pedestrian deaths are on the rise.

In just the first 10 weeks of 2012, three people died and one was severely injured after being struck by a car.

Last year marked an 83 percent increase in auto-pedestrian deaths in Austin with 21 total deaths plus a single auto-bike fatality (that compares to 12 deaths in 2010).

Of eight people who have already died in collisions with motor vehicles, seven were after dark or at dusk and one-third were hit and runs.

None of the pedestrian deaths in 2011 occurred in downtown Austin, where the city wants to encourage a vibrant walking and biking scene.  But statistics show that the likelihood of being hit by a car is higher there than in any other neighborhood, and the “potential for life-threatening injuries is always there,” said Lt. Ely Reyes with the Police Department’s traffic enforcement division.

The most dangerous street, with 19 crash-prone locations in the last three years along its eight mile length is also the city’s most prominent – Congress Avenue.  But Congress Avenue is not the most deadly thoroughfare.  That distinction, according to the Austin-American Statesman, belongs to Interstate 35 which was the site of more than one-third of auto-pedestrian fatalities in 2011 (along I-35 and its frontage roads).

Meanwhile, fatalities from other vehicle collisions are falling – from 43 in 2005 to 32 in 2011, a 25 percent reduction.  That mirrors a decade old national trend.

In Austin, the statistical  result is that pedestrians now account for an increasingly larger proportion of all traffic deaths.  According to police records, about 25 percent of total traffic fatalities in 2009 and 2010 were pedestrians while that figure was 40 percent in 2011.  During the first 10 weeks of 2012, 50 percent were.

Why are auto-pedestrian fatalities rising in Austin?  For starters, we have a reputation as one of the heaviest drinking cities in the country.  But police also believe driver and pedestrian attitudes play a part – driver’s think pedestrians don’t have the right to cross the street and pedestrians think they can jump out at the last second.

Transportation for America ranks the Austin-Round Rock area the 18th most dangerous in the country for pedestrians – safer than Dallas-Fort With and Houston but more dangerous than San Antonio.  By contrast, the Alliance for Biking and Walking ranks Austin 15th best city in the country for biking to work – Houston, the next closest Texas city, is ranked 38th.

Alarmingly, the rate of hit-and-runs in Austin which accounts for more than one-third of auto pedestrian deaths this year, is about 50 percent above the national average.

In Texas, the criminal charge is “failure to stop and render aid,” a third degree felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.  Sentences are often probated, and drivers typically keep their licenses.  This is one area that really needs to be addressed by the legislature.

According to police, in most cases the pedestrians are at fault – running across the highway or crossing against the light which account for about “90 percent” of the collisions.

An Austin city ordinance passed in 2009 requires vehicles to keep at least 3 feet away when passing a “vulnerable user” – a bicyclist, motorcyclist, pedestrian, or runner.  On four-lane roads, motorists are supposed to yield the lane entirely.  Only four citations are issued per year for violating this law.

Auto-Pedestrian Deaths on Rise is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

If you’re in need of an ambulance, Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services’ goal is to send you one in less than 10 minutes. But if you’re in Pflugerville, Webberville or the northwest, part of the county, you might not be so lucky.

EMS officials are working on ways to fix what they say is an ambulance shortage in some parts of their 1,024 square-mile coverage area, including some of the fastest-growing parts of Travis County.

As the population of the Austin area continues to increase — especially in suburban areas outside the city — government officials have struggled to keep infrastructure on par with that growth.

In some area, ambulances can take as long as 16 minutes to reach patients.

Under the current agreement between EMS and Travis County, the county reimburses the City of Austin to provide ambulance service throughout the region. There are 35 ambulances serving Austin and Travis County and most are staffed 24 hours a day, but a few are staffed only 12 hours a day. Eight full-time ambulances and two part-time ones are in the county.

There are four areas falling short of adequate ambulance staffing, according to EMS. They are the area on FM 969 near Webberville, the area on U.S. 183 near Crystal Falls Parkway, the Pflugerville area, and the Bee Cave corridor between RM 2222 and Texas 71.

EMS officials are drafting a plan that calls for three more ambulances to be added around the county, which could cost about $3 million.

They are asking the county to turn the two 12-hour ambulances into ones staffed all day, and to add an ambulance on FM 969 to handle anticipated growth in that area.

Travis County, which grew 26 percent in population between 2000 and 2010, according to census reports, and the call volume, or the number of phone requests for an ambulance, has been proportional to the increase in population.

On the plus side, EMS doesn’t think the ambulance shortages necessarily threaten lives. Typically, firefighters from the emergency services districts around the county or the Austin Fire Department within the city are the first to arrive at critical incidents and are trained to provide CPR and other basic lifesaving measures.

He said that despite the shortages, EMS still has excellent patient outcomes and survival rates.

According to one fire department, 86 percent of what they do is respond to medical emergencies. Because they are typically the first to arrive at an incident, and because of the ambulance shortages, they have taken extra steps in terms of medical care. Firefighters are required to be trained in the intermediary level between basic emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

Central Texas Ambulances Slowed by Growth is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Experts at the world’s biggest artificial joint registry said doctors should stop using metal-on-metal hip replacements, citing an analysis showing they have to be fixed or replaced more often than other implants.

All metal hip joints were already under scrutiny over questions about how long they last, and one major manufacturer recalled its product over a year ago. Last year, regulators in the U.S. asked makers to conduct safety studies on them. Most artificial hip joints are plastic or ceramic.

Earlier this month, the British agency that regulates medical devices warned that patients with these joints should have yearly blood tests to make sure no dangerous metals are seeping into their bodies. It also advised patients with symptoms such as pain, swelling or reduced movement to get MRI scans to check for muscle damage in case the joints need to be removed.

In the new study in the journal Lancet, experts analyzed data for more than 400,000 hip replacements from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales from 2003 to 2011. More than 31,000 of those were metal-on-metal devices.

After five years, about 6 percent of people with the metal-on-metal variety needed surgery to fix or replace them. That compares with just 1.7 percent to 2.3 percent of people who had ceramic or plastic joints.

Doctors usually expect hip joints to last at least a decade.

Doctors advised against metal hip replacements is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

What States Don’t Require Motorcycle Helmets?

There is nothing a true motorcycle enthusiast knows more than how good it feels to ride with the wind in your hair. It is exhilarating and freeing, there is no arguing that. There is the problem of safety, however. Because of the dangers involved when riding a motorcycle without a helmet, most states have helmet laws in place.

Illinois
Illinois was the first state to repeal its helmet use laws, doing so in 1970. Feel free to whip off your helmet and ride free bird style in Illinois.

New Hampshire
New Hampshire was a little later than Illinois in repealing its helmet use laws, but it is also now a helmet free state! It is also home to the annual Bike Week in Laconia, which draws thousands of bikers every year.

Iowa
Iowa repealed its motorcycle helmet law in 1976 and hasn’t looked back since.

Colorado
These outdoorsy folks like their riding like they like the rest of their lives: lived to the fullest while breathing in the fresh mountain air.

All the other states have some sort of helmet law in effect at the moment. As good as it feels to ride sans helmet, you cannot argue the safety hazards that come along with it. A fall off a motorcycle while not wearing a helmet can be devastating, or even deadly. That does not stop people from riding without helmets. However, I must say I cannot blame them. It truly brings a whole new perspective and thrill to the experience.

Whether you ride with a helmet or without, make sure you check out MotorcycleInsurance.com for the best deals on motorcycle insurance and also up to date news regarding all there is to do with motorcycles. From information on bike basics all the way to the Sons of Anarchy television show, there truly is something for every motorcycle enthusiast. It is much much more than just insurance information!

What States Don’t Require Motorcycle Helmets is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas

Federal health officials added new safety alerts Tuesday to the prescribing information of statins, cholesterol-reducing medications that are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, citing rare risks of memory loss, diabetes and muscle pain.

It is the first time that the Food and Drug Administration has officially linked statin use with cognitive problems such as forgetfulness and confusion; although some patients have reported such problems for years. Among the drugs affected are such huge sellers as Lipitor, Zocor, Crestor and Vytorin.

But federal officials and some medical experts said the new alerts shouldn’t scare people away from statins.

“The value of statins in preventing heart disease has been clearly established,” said Dr. Amy Egan, deputy director for safety in the FDA’s division of metabolism and endocrinology products. “Their benefit is indisputable, but they need to be taken with care and knowledge of their side effects.”

Diabetics and even those who develop diabetes while taking statins should continue taking the medicines, said Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of ardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. Nissen has studied the medicines extensively.

“These are not major issues, and they really do not alter the decision-making process with regard to statins,” Nissen said.
Last year, nearly 21 million U.S. patients were prescribed statins, making the drugs among the most widely used.
The FDA also said that routine monitoring of liver enzymes in the blood, once considered standard procedure for statin users, is no longer needed because the liver injury associated with statin therapy is so rare.

Reports about memory loss, forgetfulness and confusion cover all statin drugs and all age groups of patients, the FDA said. There have been dozens of well-controlled trials of statins, but they have offered few hints that the drugs cause any kind of cognitive impairment, Egan said. Still, the FDA has received many reports that some patients felt unfocused or “fuzzy” in their thinking after taking the medicines.

Officials within the FDA debated whether such reports were truly worrisome, Egan said. But in recent years, the FDA – criticized for waiting too long to issue some safety alerts — has become much more willing to be public about its uncertainty.

“We are trying to be as transparent as possible with our alerts and labeling,” Egan said, even though the alert on the possibility of fuzzy thinking “is not overly helpful.”

FDA warns of cognitive problems linked to anti-cholesterol drugs is a post from: Accident & Injury Law in Texas