United States

Despite years of anti-smoking campaigns aimed at America’s youth to heighten awareness of the dangers of tobacco, a recently released report from the U.S. surgeon general’s office has revealed that smoking among young people in this country has reached epidemic proportions. According to the report, one in four high school seniors are regular smokers and 80 percent will remain smokers into adulthood. The report [...]

Side curtain airbags are standard on many new vehicles sold in the United States and come as a safety option on many others. However, after several manufacturers have recalled vehicles for trouble with these airbags, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is taking a closer look at side airbag safety and says a more comprehensive recall may be necessary. The NHTSA began its investigation af [...]

Canadian researchers who reviewed nine different studies that tracked more than 49,000 people involved in traffic accidents concluded that marijuana users were twice as likely to cause an accident than sober drivers. The risk was particularly elevated when people used cannabis a few hours before driving. According to the analysis, which was published in the BMJ Journal, cannabis use is on the rise, with between .3% [...]

A Grover Hill truck driver has received a national award for trucking safety after successfully driving his tractor-trailer for four years without a single accident, according to a recent article in the Times-Bulletin. The driver received the award from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), an organization for truck drivers who own and drive their own tractors instead of working for a trucking [...]

Toyo Tire Holdings of Americas Inc. is recalling about 68,763 tires due to defective tire beads that may crack under some circumstances. This flaw could consequently cause a crack to go unnoticed in which case the tire may fail, leading to loss of vehicle control and an injury or fatality accident.

Tires included in the recall are certain Toyo Extensa A/S Tires, size P225/60R16 97T, manufactured from September 20, 2009 to November 6, 2010.

Did you know that in the United States, one person is killed every 50 minutes as a result of motor vehicle crashes involving alcohol-impaired drivers (Mothers Against Drunk Driving 2011)? That means every day, 32 people lose their lives of alcohol impaired driving accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that alcohol-related crashes in 2009 reac [...]

Tweet According to a 2011 study, one out of every three people in the United States will experience some form of medical mistake during a hospital stay. The study tracked errors using previously unused measurement for hospital error developed by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Massachusetts in three different hospitals and discovered rates that were 10 times higher [...]

Tweet Despite mandatory rules introduced in 2004 by the Joint Commission (the Chicago-based group that accredits the hospitals in the United States) to help prevent wrong-site or wrong-patient surgeries, these types of surgical errors are continuing to adversely affect the lives of patients. According to a Washington Post article, the Joint Commission estimates that wrong-site [...]

Tweet There are tens of thousands who choose to drive under the influence of alcohol every year in the United States. While drunk driving can occur at any time of the year, incidents typically increase when certain holidays or major sporting events occur. In anticipation of Super Bowl Sunday, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) has begun the Sup [...]

Tweet Although Rhode Island is geographically the smallest state in the United States, it unfortunately still experiences high levels of vehicle accidents and fatalities, especially when compared with its population size, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In 2009, the state was subject to 83 car accident fatalities. Of these accidents, 77 [...]