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The most frightening part of a hurricane may be when it makes landfall and passes through a populated area but, as stressed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), serious dangers linger in a storm’s wake even after it’s gone. Following Hurricane Irene, which wreaked havoc and destruction on the Northeast, the two agencies released the following tips to stay sa [...]

Because of the risk of wildfires during this unusually dry season, all fireworks displays in St. Augustine, Brevard, Volusia, Marion, and Flagler counties have been cancelled, however around Florida, those who love the Fourth of July’s giant displays in the sky are being urged to celebrate safely by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Looking at numbers from last year’s celebrations, about 1,900 peop [...]

In 2000, Florida repealed its law that required motorcyclists to wear safety helmets. As a result, helmet use dropped by half to about 52 percent of riders in 2002, reports the Sun Sentinel. Now, more than 10 years after the law’s repeal, state traffic officials say they have seen a slight uptick in the number of riders wearing their helmets. A Department of Transportation (DOT) survey found that helmet use in 2 [...]

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) on April 19 released the results of a new study that show motorcycle deaths declined in 2010, but not by much. From 2009 to 2010, motorcycle fatalities declined from 4,465 to 4,376 nationwide, nowhere close to the 16 percent drop between 2008 and 2009. The drop in 2009 was the first time in 11 years that motorcycle fatalities had dropped. The preliminary data covers [...]

As the cooler weather starts to set in over these coming weeks, we’ll be warming up our homes with our fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, and, in some cases, space heaters. With space heaters, we need to try and keep some important safety tips in mind when we use them. 1. Don’t use space heaters as your only source of heat. They are meant to add heat to the room that you’re in and nothing more b [...]

With the number of trucking accidents increasing due to truck driver errors, as well as positive testing for drugs and alcohol, one trucking company has decided to screen all new applicants for drugs via hair samples in an attempt to reduce new truck driver accidents within the first crucial months of employment. Many truck drivers are randomly screened with urinalysis and are schooled to understand that there are [...]

According to a story published on July 13, 2011, recent research conducted by an independent company in the United States uncovered a number of car owners who claim that their sports cars were being used for farm use in order to save money for car insurance. Investigators revealed that owners of sports cars such as Ferrari, Porsche, and Audi registered their vehicles as farm vehicles and were benefiting from discou [...]

Recently, a woman died in a car crash in Burrell Township, Indiana County in Pennsylvania, reports The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. According to the article, the woman was a front seat passenger in a minivan that was traveling on Route 22. Around 2 p.m., for unknown reasons, the van crossed the roadway’s median and then went down a steep embankment, rolling until it came to a stop at the bottom of the ravine. The w [...]

The Delaware County Times reports that Senator Andrew E. Dinniman (Chester and Montgomery counties) plans to introduce a bill on March 4 in the Senate to address distracted driving. According to the article, the bill would ban hand-held cell phones and texting while driving, and would only allow hands-free cell phone use only for adult drivers age 18 and older. The U.S. Department of Transportation describes dis [...]

According to Pennsylvania State Police, 10 people were killed and 361 were injured in 712 crashes investigated by troopers across PA over the four-day Fourth of July travel period. The Patriot-News, reported that 72 of the crashes were alcohol-related, including three of the fatal crashes. Over the four days, troopers arrested 339 persons for driving under the influence. In 2009, 9 people died over the three-day F [...]