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General Safety Issues

HOLIDAY REVIEW: HIGHWAY ACCIDENTS AND BAD WEATHER

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Between highway accidents and bad weather, this Christmas holiday season resulted in many bad reports; final statistics on highway accidents are not available yet, and there’s  New Year’s Eve to deal with.  That is why we want to remind you once again:

NHTSA released 2011 state-by-state drunk driving statistics showing that in 2011, 9,878 people were killed in drunk driving crashes, including 395 during the second half of December alone.  “The holiday season can be an especially dangerous time on our nation’s roadways due to drunk drivers – that’s why law enforcement officers will be out in full force,” said Secretary LaHood. “Our message is simple: drive sober or get pulled over.”

NHTSA’s new 2011 state-by-state drunk driving statistics show declines in 27 states, with four states leading the nation in declines in alcohol impaired driving fatalities. Texas had the greatest reduction with 57 fewer fatalities. New York, South Carolina and Tennessee followed, all with more than 30 fewer fatalities. Conversely, the three states with increases of 30 or more were Colorado, Florida and New Jersey. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have outlawed driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher.

“Thanks to the hard work of safety advocates and law enforcement officers across the country we’re seeing declines in drunk driving deaths in many parts of the country – but there is still more work to do,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “Ultimately, personal responsibility is critical to improving roadway safety and we urge all motorists to be responsible this holiday season and never, ever drive drunk.”

This year’s winter holiday enforcement crackdown is being supported by more than $7 million in national TV and radio advertising featuring NHTSA’s “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. The ads, which first premiered last summer, feature “invisible” law enforcement officers observing alcohol-impaired individuals and then apprehending them when they attempt to drive their vehicles. The ads are designed to raise awareness and support law enforcement activities in every state in an effort to reduce drunk driving deaths.

“High visibility enforcement efforts, like the ‘Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over’ ad campaign, are a critical part of MADD’s Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving,” said MADD National President Jan Withers. “MADD is proud to join with NHTSA and law enforcement in urging everyone to make a sober designated driver a part of their plans this holiday season.”

NHTSA also offers the following safety advice:

  •          Plan ahead. If you will be drinking, do not drive. Designate a sober driver or arrange another safe way home.
  •          If you are impaired, find another way home. Use a taxi, call a sober friend or family member, use public transportation or contact your local sober ride program.
  •          Be responsible. If someone you know is drinking, do not let that person get behind the wheel. If you see an impaired driver on the road, contact law enforcement. Your actions may save someone’s life, and inaction could cost a life.

In addition, Mother Nature unleashed her fury a few days before Christmas, and brought 34 tornadoes,  formed out of severe thunderstorms, proving that tornado season can be “anytime.”  A man died south of Houston, when strong winds downed a tree branch onto him.  Crockett, Texas also experienced a tornado that destroyed and damaged several buildings.  Powerful thunderstorms and tornadoes have left southeastern Texas, and are marching on to eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and the Southeast coast as of yesterday, Wednesday, December 26.  These tornadoes injured at least 14 persons.

For those who still have to travel back home, or plan to travel over the New Year’s Holiday, please pay attention to weather forecasts, and have a travel safety kit and extra blankets in your vehicle, along with extra food.

Keep the cell phone charged, but don’t talk or text while driving; you  need all your concentration focused on the weather and/or other drivers.  If you plan to go to a New Year’s Eve Party, by all means, follow the above suggestions by NHTSA.

Drive Friendly – Sober – Safe!  We can’t control the weather, but we can control the condition we are in when we get behind the wheel.

Source: NHTSA, AccuWeather

 

 

 

 

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Weather Protection

HAS THE MONTH OF APRIL BEEN CONFUSED?

The old saying, “March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb,” really didn’t come true this year!  It went out the same way it came in!  Just because that happened, the month of April didn’t have to carry on the “lion” tradition; however, for some reason, this month didn’t get the message!    The week of April 14th  through 16th  brought the largest single system of tornado outbreaks in United States history – 153 confirmed twisters.  These wind funnels danced through at least 14 states, killing an estimated 43 persons.  St. Louis, Missouri’s Lambert Airport was hit Sunday, April 24th,  by the most powerful tornado that had happened in their area in forty-four years.  Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt or killed, but more than 100 homes were destroyed.  News that tornadoes are continuing this week makes us even more aware that we must be prepared.  

The Weather Channel has reported the confirmation of 292 tornadoes in the United States so far this month, beating the previous April record of 267 in 1974.  Storm survey teams continue to assess the damage from this month’s storms and could change the number of confirmed tornadoes. The average for April is only 116, according to the nation’s Storm Prediction Center, in Norman, Oklahoma.  With a few days left in April, one can only wonder how many more will touch down somewhere.

Last week, my husband and I decided to subscribe to a weather prediction service offered through one of  Dallas’ television stations, as tornado season seems to have hit with a vengence.    On Saturday and Sunday night, we received several phone calls from this service, warning of either severe thunderstorms in our immediate area or tornado warnings for our area.  (I believe we got our money’s worth for a year’s subscription to this service in those two nights.) Local sirens also sounded, adding to the warnings.  We were relying on these  types of warnings, as our television satellite usually fails during storms.  A NOAA battery-operated radio is also very helpful.  By checking the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service website, you can obtain just about any kind of warning, forecast, or information needed for your location.  Images of tornado tracks in the United States look as though a line was drawn down the center of the U.S., making it much more colorful from the center to the eastern border.  Frankly, it would be just as well to live on the less colorful side of the line during storm season! 

Flooding is another very serious threat during this time of the year, too.  We never know when a natural disaster may happen, so we should take the warnings seriously and be prepared.  As previously suggested, disaster kits should be filled with staples and supplies that will last several days.  A first aid kit should be available at all times, both in the home and vehicle.   And keep that cell phone charged up! 

Early warnings, good timing, and common sense are credited with saving many lives.  Don’t ignore those weather watches and warnings – weather professionals are doing a good job by forecasting upcoming changes that pose threats.  Pay attention and be ready!  Taking a CPR class is a good idea, too.  You never know when you may be able to help a neighbor or family member that gets injured during storms.  Let’s hope that  May showers will bring spring flowers, and nothing else!  Both May and June are still months for thunderstorms and tornadoes, but maybe we will get a break this year.  If not, records will be set for 2011.

For those who have been affected by fires, tornadoes, or floods, we wish you a safe recovery and that things can someday soon return to normal.