Distraction: Facts About Distracted Driving

Many people do not subscribe to the idea that distracted driving is dangerous. Most people even think that they can really do things while they are driving. But what these people don’t realize is that a second of inattention can lead to very serious danger. Here are some of the facts that you might want to keep in mind that may change the way you see distracted driving forever.

A study made by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) revealed that cellphone users who are using their cellphone while driving. In cases where injuries have happened

The number of people who send and receive text messages has increased though the years.

Contrary to what others think, cellphones are not the only ones that cause distraction to the driver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has defined the things that constitute distracted driving. More than electronic gadgets, talking to somebody while driving is also one perfect example of it.

California’s Existing State Laws Against Distracted Driving

The state of California implements various laws that help curb distraction driving to help lessen the chances of getting involved in a motor vehicle accident. For one, the use of all hand-held devices are prohibited according to the law. The state also prohibits the use of cellphones while driving for drivers that are younger than 18. However, all drivers, regardless of age group are not allowed to use their vehicles while driving. But these laws mean nothing if they are not implemented well. That is why the authorities of the state are making sure that these laws against distracted driving are observed at all times.

Your Role as Citizens

Time and again, authorities have done their part by coming up with laws to help put a stop to distracted driving. They have also been working hard to help catch offenders of these laws to help prevent accidents from happening because of distracted driving. Ultimately though, the effectiveness of these laws will depend on the compliance of the citizens with such laws.

What Can You Do if You’re a Victim of an Accident Due to Distracted Driving

In personal injury claims, proving that the other party was distracted during the time of the accident is quite hard. But, with the help of an expert car accident attorney in California, you can find ways on how to pin down the other party and prove their guilt of not paying attention to the road while driving. Such can definitely help you with your claims boosting your chances of winning your claims.

Fun Field Trip Ends in Tragedy

Secondary Students from Danwon High School were expecting a fun, relaxing, and educational field trip as climate has been starting to warm up in South Korea. The kids were all excited about their trip to Jeju Island. Little did they know that they were in for one big surprise; a bad one though. One of the biggest and most controversial ship accidents every in South Korea.

Wrong Turn to Death

M/V Sewol, a Korean ferry that regularly sails from Incheon to Jeju Island started sailing towards the kids’ destination. Just 25 kilometers after, the vessel made a sharp turn to the left. While conditions were calm, passengers reported that they felt the vessel has tilted. At that time, the captain was in his private cabin while the crew’s third mate was in control. After attempts to re-balance the ship failed, the crew made contact with the Jeju Vessel Traffic Service to notify the coast guard that the ship was in danger as it was rolling. One passenger’s parent however, reported to the Coast Guard that the ship was about to capsize and asked for rescue. The captain asked the passengers to stay in their cabins. Not long after, the ship has in the later stages of capsizing, making the evacuation of the passengers impossible.

A Fun Trip Turned Tragic

Two and a half hours later, the ship sank. A few days after, around 64 people have died, while 238 others are still missing, presumed dead. The tragedy got the whole country abuzz in anger. This is one of the worst maritime accidents in Korea. While the number of people who died were not too many, the manner of which the accident happened have got the authorities overwhelmed. While rescue came quickly, the captain’s decision has jeopardized the evacuation and was indeed liable for the death of the passengers. Now the authorities have arrested the captain and the ship’s crew members who reportedly fled the ship as it was sinking, leaving the passengers to fight for their lives.

Cheating Death with a Train

Nobody should be messing with trains. These huge, heavy, solid, and powerful people and cargo movers won’t stop for, and cannot be stopped by anything for it can crash through and rip everything that stands in its way. Just like those that you see in the movies. However, unlike in the movies where nobody really gets hurt or killed, in real life, a lot of people get injured and die because of train accidents every year.

There are many types of train accidents that have happened before. There are times when irresponsible motorists try to outrun trains by going through the railroad crossing even if the signals are up. There are also times when trains get derailed due to overloading, bad track conditions or extreme weather conditions, cases where you can file a train accident claim to get compensation for injuries and loss of lives. Finally, there are people who play around with trains without any logical reason at all. Just like this one person in the Bay Area.

Perfect Example of What One Should Not Follow

Weeks ago, a man crossed the railroad tracks of a Bay Area commuter train. This man has crossed the tracks just as when a train went rushing by. Yes, the train didn’t missed him and he is still very much alive. Doesn’t sound too dangerous to you right? Not until you’ve seen the video. Caltrain, a commuter rail serves that serves San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties released a video of pedestrians crossing the tracks at its Sequioa station in Redwood City. Even though warning sirens were off and a flashing crossing gate was alerting these pedestrians of an oncoming train, an unidentified man crossed the tracks, avoiding the train just by a few feet or inches—talking about a near miss!

Fire on Your Golf Clubs

You can normally hear sportscasters say that one athlete is “on fire”. Of course, these sportscasters don’t mean that literally. Such term can be heard if an athlete is playing unbelievably well. However, according to a study from the University of California-Irvine, some golf players can really set themselves on fire, literally with the golf club they are using.

Fire-starting Clubs

The recent spate of devastating fires on golf courses in Irvin and Mission Viejo got fire investigators thinking about what could have possibly started these fire incidents. To get into the bottom of this, they have seek the help of materials scientists to find definitive answers to these questions. The scientists then looked for leads and ended up looking at golfing equipment, particularly, golf clubs to find answers. And so the answers did come.

Based on the published findings by the journal ‘Fire and Materials’, the materials scientists found out that titanium-coated golf clubs can cause an ignition, and possibly, fire if it strikes small pebbles or rocks, igniting dry foliage. In the study, researchers simulated the conditions in the golf courses where fires happened. With the use of high-speed video as well as powerful scanning electron microscope analyses, the scientists tried to find out if they hypothesis was indeed right.