Message to older bicyclists: you’re not 25 anymore
Everyone has an ego. And although that can be a good thing, it is likely to be a downside if you’re 45 or older and peddling your bicycle down the street like crazy. […]
Nursing homes, malpractice and forced arbitration: a discussion
Among the biggest fears that many patients across California and the rest of the country have regarding hospital admittance is that they might become the victim of medical malpractice. Although some people might view such a concern as being unfounded and even alarmist, the underlying facts that justify that fear speak loudly and clearly in support of it. […]
Teen big-rig truckers crossing state lines: good or bad idea?
It “is a terrible idea, and it will result in more crashes, more deaths and more injuries,” says Jackie Gillan, the president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a national alliance of groups promoting positive roadway outcomes. Not true, counters a leading lobbyist for the American Trucking Associations (ATA), who says that it is actually a sensible proposition and hardly akin to “just opening the barn doors to these young horses to run.” […]
Yes, that was a robot that just prepped your hospital room
You pay a premium — no doubt about that — for the hospital in-patient “experience,” so you certainly want things done in a timely and conscientious manner. In a medical facility, doing things right centrally encompasses hospital administrators and staff members ensuring a safe and hygienic environment. Although many people might reasonably believe that this is not much of a problem and a readily achieved goal in all instances (after all, hospitals are places where people go to rid themselves of ailments and to get better), hospital environments are actually quite problematic when it comes to germs and other nasty things. […]
What is the Office of Defects, and what does it do?
It seems to be the case that a federal office tasked with broad oversight of vehicle safety issues relating to both passenger and commercial vehicles and equipment could use a bit more oversight itself. Put another way: In response to the question of what it is precisely that the so-called Office of Defects Investigation does, the answer might reasonably seem to be that the ODI does very little, and that much of what it does focus upon is not done particularly well. […]
Fatal bus accident case revived after lower-court ruling vacated
A wrongful death personal injury case that Greyhound Lines Inc. thought it had won in a California superior court was given new life and a green light to proceed late last month when a state appellate court reversed the lower court’s ruling that had favored the national bus company. Some of our readers might well recall the tragic bus accident that killed 11 passengers and injured 21 others in October 2008, when an apparently exhausted bus driver lost control of his vehicle, which crashed in a drainage ditch. The crash occurred in northern California. […]
NHTSA slams automaker for defects, wrongdoing
Automakers sometimes receive the proverbial slap on the wrist from national safety regulators, with government agencies alleging acts of negligence or wrongdoing that result in admonitory warnings, threats of safety recalls and fines and additional responses that don’t exactly inspire fear or quick industry compliance. Fiat Chrysler could do with a bit of that right now, as the recently combined motor vehicle manufacturer is contemplating a just-inked settlement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that actually bites as well as barks. […]
Many recommendations issued in wake of fatal bus crash
It was a truly tragic bus accident, marked by a sheer dichotomy in which both nothing was learned and much was learned, respectively. Many of our readers might well remember the sad day in April of last year when a heavy commercial truck and a motorcoach carrying scores of passengers collided on an interstate in northern California. […]
Motorcycle lane-splitting: back to the drawing board
How quickly things can change. Just a few short weeks ago, the future of motorcycle lane-splitting in California seemed to be well charted and eminently clear. Myriad media sources across the state reported the success of legislation explicitly authorizing the practice, noting the passage of a motorcycle lane-splitting Assembly bill through that body. […]
On distracted driving, and what it means in California
You probably don’t think about the total number of text messages that are sent in the United States and its territories every month, but the figure is staggering. According to a study based on data as of Dec. 2013, roughly 153.3 billion texts are sent per month. That’s an incredible number. How many of those texts are sent while someone is behind the wheel of a motor vehicle? No one knows for sure, but its a significant number, given some other figures. The crazy thing is, distracted driving isn’t just limited to texting while driving. Cellphone use, in general, is a form of distracted driving. Using [...]
