A study of car accidents involving teenage drivers reveals that the more young passengers they carry in their vehicles, the greater the chance that the young driver will be involved in a fatal crash. Focusing on traffic accident statistics from the years 2007 through 2010 and involving 16 and 17-year-old motorists, researchers concluded that each time an additional young passenger was added to a teen driver's car, their chances of getting into a deadly accident increased substantially.
]]> The researchers hope that their study heightens scrutiny of the need for laws which limit the number of passengers that teen drivers may transport. Such graduated driver's licensing laws also depend on parental involvement for their enforcement. There are many states whose laws limit teen drivers to a maximum of one passenger for six months after a new driver gets a license.For every mile that a teen motorist drives, their prospects of getting into a deadly crash went up 44 percent with a single passenger below the age of 21 in their car. The addition of two young passengers in the car makes the death risk mushroom by 200 percent, while three or more young passengers in the car can increase the risk of death by a factor of 400 percent.
Each of these scenarios assumes that there is no adult present. The presence of an adult 35 years-old or older can reduce the chances of a fatal accident by 62 percent.
Traffic safety advocates believe that parents can help reduce the number of teen accidents by limiting the number of young passengers such novice drivers carry, even in states which do not currently impose such restrictions by law.
Source: WMBF, "Teen passengers spell danger for novice drivers," Joan Lowy, May 8, 2012
]]>Doing so can prevent horrific car accidents. One Philadelphia mother wishes she had talked more about the dangers of driving with her teenage daughter. The 18-year-old died in a single-vehicle crash after her prom several years ago. Six teens were in the car and five were ejected, but she was the only one killed.
]]> Distracted driving is a huge problem, sometimes even more than drunk driving. Recent research has shown the teenage drivers are much more likely to get into fatal accidents when there are other teens riding in the car.We're also approaching summertime, which is a particularly deadly time for teen drivers. It's so dangerous, in fact, that AAA and Volvo have dubbed the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day "The 100 Deadliest Days" for teen motorists.
That's one reason that now may be a good time for parents to talk to their teenagers who are learning to drive. Just sitting down with them and explaining the dangers of speeding, reckless driving and drunk driving can keep them mindful of avoiding such practices.
It's always better to say something than assume a teenager already knows about these things.
Source: USA Today, "Parents urged to talk, make contact with their teen drivers," Larry Copeland, May 13, 2012
]]>Some parents take a tough approach, strictly enforcing accountability of their teenager's whereabouts and behavior, and telling their sons and daughters "no" without hesitation in response to requests which could lead to trouble.
]]> This approach, a survey of more than 1,000 teenagers reveals, can reduce risky behavior such as drinking and driving by 400 percent. If teenagers are aware that their parents will follow through with sanctions without hesitation for violating the rules, they may exercise more caution.It can be helpful to request that a teen driver sign a pledge or contact promising never to drink and drive. After signing such a document, some teens will be more hesitant about violating the rules. Parents can enforce this by restricting a teenager's driving privileges if they violate the pledge, including if they are caught riding as a passenger with another teenager who is driving after drinking.
Parents in different families can work together to monitor teen parties, outings, and other social gatherings to make sure alcohol or drugs are not consumed. 28 percent of teenagers surveyed indicate that they have attended adult supervised parties at which they were able to consume alcohol. This does not correspond to adult responses in which 99 percent of parents say that they would never tolerate the presence of alcohol at their own child's party.
In general, it's better to be overly cautious than not cautious enough.
Source: MSNBC, "8 critical tips on teen drinking and driving," Michele Borba, April 22, 2012
]]>The accident happened on the Delaware River in Philadelphia in July 2010. A tourist group was riding in the sightseeing boat when it was hit by a sludge barge. Their boat then capsized and sank.
]]> The duck boat had been sitting idle in the active shipping lane when the tug pushed the huge barge into it. 35 passengers, including the foreign exchange student program of which the two students were a part, were thrown into the river, along with two crew members. They were aided by passing bystanders, people aboard a nearby ferry and rescue crews.The victims' families have filed wrongful death lawsuits against the operator of the barge and the operator of the tour boat. Before those proceed, however, a judge must determine if a cap to the companies' financial liability should be in place. The companies are saying their liability should be capped at $1.65 million for the tugboat and $150,000 for the duck boat, citing an 1851 maritime law.
Naturally, the families believe that there should be no such cap. The victims' parents are in Philadelphia for the trial, which has been particularly tough since it was recently Mother's Day in Hungary. According to the Press News, one of the victims' mothers says of her daughter, "I don't think that my place is here today. It should be with [her] back home."
Source: Press News, "Fatal duck boat crash civil trial begins in Philly," Joann Loviglio, May 6, 2012
]]>More than three years ago, for example, a 4-year old child was struck by a branch from a fallen tree. This accident caused the boy to be knocked into a pile of rocks, which resulted in a skull fractures and a brain injury.
]]> After the accident, the boy was enrolled in BrainSTEPS, a school re-entry program for children with brain injuries in Pennsylvania. The acronym "STEPS" stands for Brain Strategies Teaching Educators, Parents and Students. The program serves as the "go to" between students and school districts, according to NECN. Its goal is to help schools come up with better ways to accommodate children with brain injuries, such as the 4-year-old boy, who had behavioral issues and trouble learning in school in the years after his accident.The free program is funded by the state departments of health and education. Currently in its second year, the Berks BrainSTEPS team has had almost two dozen cases referred to it. The team has nine members made up of educational and medical professionals.
The BrainSTEPS team customizes each child's learning experience to fit their needs. According to a woman whose child suffered a traumatic brain injury and benefited from the program, she now contacts families and shares ideas of how the program has worked for others. She also listens to parents' complaints about schools, doctors and insurance companies. Sometimes just knowing that you're not alone and there is help out there can be a comfort when a loved one has suffered such an injury.
Source: NECN, "Pa. program helps kids with brain injuries learn," April 28, 2012
]]>Sadly, a bricklayer in Philadelphia died on Monday after he was electrocuted and then fell from scaffolding. He was apparently attempting to hoist a bucket with a large hook on it up onto scaffolding when it encountered a power line.
]]> The man came into contact with the line as well, and then fell to the ground. A co-worker says he tried to grab the man to keep him from falling, but wasn't able to do so. He was pronounced dead at the scene. At this point, it's not clear if he died from injuries relating to the fall or from being electrocuted.His co-worker says that he looked the other way when he knew the 32-year-old man was going to fall. He couldn't bear to watch.
The victim's sister-in-law says that since he was working three stories high, he should have been wearing a belt or safety harness. The tragic incident is being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, as well as the City's Department of Licenses and Inspections and PECO, according to NBC Philadelphia.
The victim was originally from Mexico and apparently worked construction jobs so he could send money to his family. He had been in the industry for less than a year.
Source: NBC Philadelphia, "Worker electrocuted after his bucket hits live wires," Dan Stamm, Karen Araiza, Claudia Rivero and David Chang, April 30, 2012
]]>Last week the governor and the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau teamed up to promote rural safety. While many assume driving on rural roads is a safe way to travel, 57 percent of car accident deaths in the U.S. take place on roads that are considered rural. A lot of those accidents involve agricultural equipment, according to the Southwest Farm Press.
]]> A recent survey shows that many Americans don't necessarily understand that danger of driving on rural roads. The survey showed that 69 percent of people reported feeling safe while driving in the city. But 79 percent said they felt safe while driving in rural areas. Clearly, it's all a little backwards.An employee of the National Education Center for Agricultural Safety says that motorists have a false sense of security while driving in rural areas. They might think it's okay to drive faster because there are less vehicles around. But in the springtime planting season, there are lots of farmers and machinery out and about.
Another problem is that nearby farmers may wrongly assume that warning signs or lights on their vehicles or equipment means that drivers will notice them. Sometimes the farmers aren't wearing seatbelts, leading to more severe injuries when accidents do occur.
Remember to keep your guard up and drive safely, whether you are driving in the city or out in the country.
Source: Southwest Farm Press, "Rural road safety urged during spring planting season," Logan Hawkes, April 12, 2012
]]>Drivers who are convicted of drunk driving in some states are already required to use interlock devices in their vehicles. Typically, breath tests are used to determine whether a driver is safe to drive. If they blow over the legal limit of .08 percent, their vehicle automatically won't start.
]]> New technology is being researched that would have a similar affect, but for all vehicles. According to the LA Times, the government has invested tens of millions of dollars into the project. There are two main forms of devices being contemplated.One, called distant spectrometry, would use sensors in a car's cabin to essentially "smell" a driver's breath for alcohol. Another, known as tissue spectrometry, would use lasers and touchpads to detect alcohol in a person's tissue.
It's not known how accurate the tests would be. Some argue that there is plenty of room for error. As the Times notes, even if the devices worked 99.99966 percent of the time, 4,000 drivers a day would be stranded because their cars would not start if the technology failed.
Those in the restaurant industry are also against the idea because they think it would steer drivers away from ordering drinks at dinner. But proponents of the devices say that shouldn't even be a factor if the devices save lives.
It will be a while until any of this becomes mainstream, but when or if it does, there is sure to be some interesting conversation.
Source: LA Times, "Should future cars curb drunk drivers?" Dan Turner, March 28, 2012
]]>According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the incident began with the sudden entry of a masked man armed with a gun on the premises. The robber was later identified by law enforcement officers as a 26-year-old resident of Tioga.
]]> A shootout commenced between him and the 35-year-old store owner, with rounds fired back and forth. Both men suffered non-fatal injuries. The robber then fled the store.A bystander then took the store owner's firearm, running down Fifth Street to attempt to capture the man. The robber apparently had dropped his gun, and another man, the 18-year-old, picked that up and ran after the bystander.
He allegedly shot the bystander in the back a number of times. Police also say that he subsequently stood over the man's body in the middle of the street, deliberately shooting him in the head, killing him. In addition to the murder charge, he is being prosecuted for robbery and criminal conspiracy.
The robber himself was later arrested when he appeared that same evening a local hospital to seek emergency room treatment of a bullet wound suffered in the incident. He faces charges of robbery, aggravated assault, and attempted murder.
The store, known as La Familia Latina Mini Market, is located at Glenwood Avenue and Fifth Street.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer, "Suspect arrested in slaying of man who intervened in holdup," Morgan Zalot, April 11, 2012
]]>The fall on the premises caused the worker to sustain extreme injuries, and literally has rendered him three and a half inches shorter than he was before because of a back injury. The accident occurred in 2007 in Lehigh County, and apparently caused him to suffer permanent disability.
]]> The tower was 90 feet tall, and the injured worker had claimed that PPL was negligent in having him climb to the top without needed safety equipment. Instead, he says, he was provided with only unevenly spaced climbing pegs which were "wobbly" and a simple lanyard.According to the Morning Call, he fell 40 feet to the ground. He argued that PPL should have both required and provided safety equipment designed to ensure that those assigned to mount the tower would not fall.
In addition to his back injuries, the painter sustained two broken legs, a head injury which results in anxiety and short-term memory losses, and numerous painful bone fractures. Defendants in the lawsuit included PPL, as well as a company which made and sold the climbing equipment used to climb the tower. The climbing equipment provider was found not liable by the jury, which divided blame solely between PPL and the painter.
The verdict might serve as a reminder that safety equipment is vital in situations that place workers at high elevations.
Source: The Morning Call, "Jury awards $2.3M to painter injured in fall from PPL pole," Peter Hall, March 21, 2012
]]>A man in Northwest Pennsylvania was killed last week at an accident at a drilling site. The 24-year-old man, who is from Harrisburg, was apparently working at a natural gas well with his co-workers when a large piece of pipe slipped. According to the Star Gazette, he was crushed between the pipe and a large beam. The county coroner says he was killed instantly.
]]> The workers had been attaching that piece of pipe with a different piece when the accident happened. A spokesperson for Seneca Resources, which is heading the project, says the company is looking into what happened so that nothing of the sort will ever happen again, according to a spokesperson.The man who was killed worked for Pattison-UTI Drilling, which was hired as a subcontractor by Seneca on the project. The drilling site is reportedly still being prepared, and the actually drilling still has not begun, the Star Gazette reports.
It's still not clear what caused the tragic accident at the site, which is located in a rural part of the state about 80 miles north-northeast of Pittsburgh. One thing is clear, however: More safety precautions need to be taken to ensure that no more injuries occur and no more lives are taken in accidents of this sort.
Source: Star Gazette, "Harrisburg-area man killed in NW Pa. drilling accident," April 6, 2012
]]>The ballet student was reportedly crossing the street at a marked crosswalk on a recent evening. The car accident occurred at the corner of the 1100 block of South Broad Street, relatively close to the school. A green Audi driven by a 19-year-old male driver hit the student, according to police. The force of the impact was strong enough to throw her 50 feet away, causing her to suffer serious injuries. The motorist then also smashed into three parked vehicles.
]]> Police also stated that the driver, as well as a passenger in his car, both ran away from the scene of the crash on foot. The driver and passenger later returned to the scene to retrieve some items from the car, and the driver was then placed under arrest and charged with aggravated assault, according to ABC Action News. Following the ballerina's death, there were reports that homicide charges may be asserted, including a charge of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence of alcohol.The woman came to Philadelphia from her native Bulgaria three years ago on a scholarship, and was believed to have a promising future as a dancer. Her body was to be flown to Bulgaria, where her parents live, for burial.
Source: ABC Action News, "School: Ballerina dies after hit-and-run accident," Katherine Scott and Sarah Bloomquist, March 20, 2012
]]>The car accident happened in the 200 block of Tomlinson Road in Northeast Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia. A 15-year-old boy was riding his bicycle, while a friend, who is also 15, was riding nearby on his skateboard on Friday evening.
]]> Police say the driver of the minivan was westbound when he or she hit the bicyclist. The driver then veered into the other lane and struck the boy on the skateboard. The teen was thrown several feet into a parked car.Luckily, he was wearing his helmet. His father thinks the helmet probably saved his life. The teen suffered swelling on the brain, road rash and several broken bones. His shoulder was dislocated, and his leg below the knee apparently snapped in half. He also broke his wrist.
He was set to undergo surgery at Children's Hospital. The other teen suffered minor injuries.
Friends of the boys say the minivan was speeding at the time of the crash and took off. Police are searching for the driver, and the injured boy's family is offering a $10,000 reward.
Police believe the vehicle involved may be a silver Honda Odyssey, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Source: NBC Philadelphia, "Teen skateboarder struck in hit-and-run: cops," Sam Chamberlain and David Chang, April 2, 2012
]]>That's still far too many, but it is an improvement and is about on par with how the number looked in the 1950s. But data also shows that aggressive driving and speeding are still big problems. That's certainly true in Pennsylvania and all across the country.
]]> According to data provided by the Governors Highway Safety Association, about 10,530 of those fatal accidents in 2010 could be attributed to speeding. That's roughly a third of the fatalities.Clearly, drivers are still indifferent to speeding. The proportion of crashes related to speeding has stayed roughly the same for the last 30 years. Better safety features and technology can be credited for lowering the number of fatalities.
According to the Car Connection, several states in the last seven years have raised speed limits on highways, some to as high as 85 mph. At the same time, only two states have increased fines for drivers caught speeding. In one of those states, the fines only apply to drivers in commercial vehicles.
Officials with the GHSA are recommending that states adopt more laws that go after aggressive drivers. Only 11 states currently have such laws. Perhaps more enforcement could lower the number of fatalities even further. The data begs the question, "What else can be done?"
Source: The Car Connection, "Speeding, aggressive driving still cause 1/3 of fatal accidents," Richard Read, March 9, 2012
]]>This caused her to suffer massive injuries to her body, including brain injuries so severe that she needed constant care. The former boyfriend was later arrested and ultimately convicted of various assault charges and sent to prison for a term of five to 20 years. He was also assessed $2.2 million to pay the woman's medical care costs.
]]> When she died on March 18, the county coroner determined after an autopsy that her traumatic brain injury was the cause. Prosecutors are determining whether to now proceed with third-degree murder charges against the imprisoned former boyfriend, now 24, in light of the coroner's opinion that everything appears to indicate that the death can be traced to the December 2008 incident.The deceased woman was a graduate of Bucks County Community College. At the time of her tragic injury, she was in the process of earning a bachelor's degree at Kutztown University, focusing her studies in the field of graphic design. Her family noted that she loved playing soccer, and eulogized her as brave, caring, big-hearted, and vivacious.
Source: The Republic, "DA says new charge possible following death of Pa. woman dragged by pickup truck in 2008," March 20, 2012
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