So, your'e thinking of using fireworks to celebrate the upcoming Independence Day. Please be aware that even the most mundane consumer fireworks contribute to the greatest number of injuries every year in the United States.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) tells us, "“Sparklers and novelties alone accounted for 32% of the emergency room fireworks injuries in 2009.” They also say, “84% of the fireworks injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms involved fireworks that Federal regulations permit consumers to use.”
Did you know that a simple sparkler can reach 1200° Fahrenheit? I've always wondered why we tell our children to stay away from hot things in the house, yet we seem to be willing to hand a sparkler to children as young as three and say, "wave it around!" We all contribute to their confusion and misunderstanding of dangers when we send such mixed messages.
Drivers who use hand-held devices while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
The proportion of drivers reportedly distracted at the time of the fatal crashes has increased from 8 percent in 2004 to 11 percent in 2008.
One of the most commonly recognized distractions is cell phone use. Cell phone subscriptions have grown exponentially from 1988 through 2009.
About 89 percent, or approximately 277 million of all Americans, have a cell phone, according to CTIA – The Wireless Association. For many, it is the only kind of telephone they possess. In a recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey, most individuals (77 percent) reported that they talk on the phone while driving at least some of the time.
With more portable technology now than ever, driver distractions have risen to unprecedented numbers. We live in a world where people expect instant, real- time information 24 hours-a-day and those desires do not stop just because people get behind the wheel. Drivers simply do not realize the dangers that are posed when they take their eyes and minds off the road and their hands off the wheel and focus on activities other than driving.Common sense and personal responsibility are a major part of the solution. We simply can't legislate our way out of this problem. It's up to each and every person to make sure they "Put It Down" and pay attention to road. The risks are simply too high!
Young Drivers Are Especially At Risk
Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. Their lack of driving experience can contribute to critical misjudgments if they become distracted. Not surprisingly, they text more than any other age group and the numbers of young drivers who text is only increasing.
It's a trend that poses a growing danger, so it's important to address this issue now. Parents need to set good example for their children and show them from an early age that it is just not safe to text and/or talk on their phone while driving.
Everyone Is Part of the Solution
"Put It Down" is a broad, public-private partnership of community and health groups, safety advocates, businesses, law enforcement, legislators, public officials, concerned citizens and those who have lost loved ones because of a distracted driver. These partners realize that eliminating distractions while driving will save lives and reduce costs associated with crashes caused by distracted drivers. And because everyone is potentially affected when drivers are distracted, everyone must be part of the solution.
For more information and specific tools for the groups below, please visit the Get Involved section of www.distraction.gov:
Updated: Monday, 05 Jul 2010, 8:21 AM EDT Published : Monday, 05 Jul 2010, 8:21 AM EDT
Jordan Burgess
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A fire forced families from an apartment building early Monday morning and residents say a firecracker thrown through a window is what sparked it.
A husband and wife suffered minor burns but didn't want to go to the hospital.
The two were able to grab their two kids and make it out just before flames engulfed their apartment in the 3600 block of Otterbein Avenue. Their dog, Gidget, was killed by the blaze.
The fire spread to the attic of the 4-unit building and then to a neighboring apartment where a family of three had to make a mad dash to safety.
Firefighters are still investigating the cause, but those who live in the apartment building say they heard the firecracker get tossed into a bedroom window. They fear that whoever did it had sinister motives because the family is white in a predominantly black neighborhood.
"I think it's racially motivated, " neighbor Haylee Stroud says. Stroud's family was also forced out by the fire.
The Red Cross helped the two families whose apartments were damaged by the fire. Two other families lost power when the fire burned through the lines, but officials say those can be repaired.
Just another example of why I dislike consumer launched fireworks. The events surrounding the use of fireworks sparked a controversy here, even if the firework itself was not the cause of the fire.
A few years ago I was approached by Cameron Barrett of "That's Crispy" about a video that she and her husband were producing. They were working with theLos Angeles Fire Department to produce a video for kids called "Kids Love Fire Engines!" Cameron asked if they could use a few of my children's safety songs for the show. I gladly agreed to let them do so.
They finished the video some time later and copies have been available for some time at FirefightingVideos.org. I stopped by the site recently and discovered that it may be offline. I found that a few other sites are offering it, though. It can be found at CreateSpace.com (which is where I found the included video preview that I added to this post), and at Amazon.com. It's a fun production, check it out if you have the opportunity.
The use of pyrotechnics during a nightclub anniversary celebration in Perm has resulted in many injuries and deaths. RT.com has provided several reports and video in this compilation clip. It runs approximately eight minutes.
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - Many people think they have skills behind the wheel, but when it comes to texting and driving...no one wins. Teens like Katie Glander say texting and driving is quickly becoming a way of life.
"Um, I have seen people texting while driving."
Teen driver Kasidy Muncy admits she's guilty of it.
"I acutally have done it myself now that I have a touchscreen phone I can't do it as much."
According to to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drivers younger than 20 had the highest distracted-driving fatality rate among all age groups last year. The NHTSA said nearly six-thousand people died last year as a result of distracted driving.
How dangerous is it? I found a virtual driving course on line that forces the user to go through gates by pushing a number on the keypad. Once you add the texting part, it all goes awry. I'm hitting gates and can't keep myself in the lane.
You might ask yourself, how realistic is that? When you're in a car you're not trying to use a keyboard or a mouse while you're trying to text and drive at the same time. Instead, I used my blackberry to send a text message to somebody. I thought the familiarity of my own phone would help me out. Unfortunately, I still hit the barriers and could not text successfully.
"Texting and driving is as bad as driving drunk," Jeff Caldwell, a driving instructor at PDS driving school said.
"I mean you just see pictures all the time on the news where people are running into other people because they're paying attention to that phone and not up where they should be."
Muncy says she will not text and drive because she's afraid of the consequences.
"I'm not paying attention and then if I would hit somebody like that would just be, I wouldn't be able to live with it."
And Glander figures her family will keep her doing the right thing while on the road.
"my grandpa would freak out about it, he's really nervous about it. He'll tell me not to text all the time."
I found this to be absolutely nerve-wracking. I took a long time to complete because I purposely tried to focus on the gates and not the cell phone in the beginning of the game. As I tried to figure out what to do to respond I found that I would easily be distracted from the gate numbers.
I don't know if it would have been easier with a regular cell phone than the on screen version, but I can guarantee that I was fully distracted at times.
. It's a fun production, check it out if you have the opportunity.
