Tag Archives: technology

General Safety Issues

DANGERS OF DISTRACTED DRIVING (GUEST POST)

 Distracted driving is a very dangerous problem throughout the United States. In 2011 NHTSA reported over 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving crashes. Distracted driving is most prevalent among young adults. It is reported that 16% of all drivers under 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. It is no surprise with all the love for technology and social media this age group is the largest percentage of drivers who are distracted.  In fact teen drivers are more likely than any other age group to be involved in a fatal distracted crash.

There are 3 main types of distracted driving; visual, manual and cognitive. Visual distractions are taking your eyes off the road to look at such things as your phone, watching a video, looking at GPS or reading a map. Manual distractions are taking your hands off the wheel to text, eat/drink or adjust the radio. Cognitive is taking your mind off of what you are doing, by talking to other passengers or on your phone, sleepiness or any other mental distraction.

Out of all the three different forms of distractions and activities text messaging is the most dangerous as it requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the driver. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off of the road for an average of 4.6 seconds. This is equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field blind, if you were driving at 55mph as most people do on a highway. Drivers are three times more likely to get into a crash by engaging in such visual-manual tasks.  In fact of all American teens 40% say they have been in a car where the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger.

At any given moment there are over 800,000 vehicles driving in the U.S while using a cell phone in some capacity. This results in a 23% increase of potential accidents on all roads. State laws throughout the country are helping to enforce a no cell phone/texting driving policy. These have helped in the effort but there are still many accidents occurring. How else can we help to solve this problem? The best way to end distracted driving is through education and learning the dangers. The United States Department of Transportation have held two summits on the topic, along with programs such as ATT’s texting and driving campaign “It Can Wait”,  which is now working with ABC Family and a variety of their show’s stars to help educate teen drivers. There was also a texting and driving episode famously mentioned on “Glee”. The continued effort through media is helping to bring awareness to not only teens but across all ages.

By sharing these facts we can help to save lives. For more information, or if you were in an accident due to a Distracted Driver contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in your local area. Tiano O’Dell PLLC (http://www.westvirginiapersonalinjurylawyer.net/) offers information and resources to individuals who are in need of legal representation in the West Virginia area for those who have been hurt by drunk drivers. 

(All facts brought to you thanks to NHTSA’s www.distraction.gov)

General Safety Issues

LEVERAGING CLOUD TECHNOLOGY TO SAFEGUARD AGAINST NATURAL DISASTERS (GUEST POST)

There is a close relation between disaster preparedness and cloud technology. Many small and medium sized enterprises are adopting cloud technology with the aim of improving their preparation for disaster. This move is paying off for businesses that invest in cloud technology.

Today’s small and medium enterprises are in a unique position to adopt the cloud, which does not just provide a competitive advantage but it also improves the ability of businesses to recover from disasters while protecting company information.

Many small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) cannot afford lengthy downtimes. Such companies should have the ability to recover quickly from a disaster. Cloud technology offers sound solutions and comprehensive data security measures that enable businesses to be better prepared for disasters. The technology also enables companies to recover quickly from natural disasters such as floods and fires as well as man-made problems like theft and destruction to property.

Businesses that adopt the technology early, especially in the area of server virtualization, enjoy even greater disaster preparedness. It is very important for companies to embrace innovation so that they respond better to challenges. In order for business owners to take advantage of the opportunity to improve disaster preparedness, they should take the following actions:

Start planning now

Business owners should device a disaster preparedness plan now. The plan should have an evaluation of how strategic technology such as cloud computing can help in such efforts.

Implement strategic technologies

For better disaster preparedness, small and medium sized businesses should adopt integrated cloud backup which offers offsite storage and disaster recovery. Cloud computing also offers automated physical to virtual backup conversion which allows businesses to easily recover data from applications like accounting programs and customer relations software.

Protect company information

Business owners can exploit cloud technology’s comprehensive security and backup solutions to protect their physical and mobile systems. Many business owners opt to backup in the cloud.

Review

Conduct a quarterly review of the company’s disaster preparedness.

The cloud environment is quite stable. Clients are allowed to perform technical due diligence to estimate the level of risk in a cloud solution. When choosing a cloud service provider, find out how the cloud is structured. Many cloud service providers have their data centers in stable countries that are not prone to political instabilities or any other natural disaster such as earthquakes or volcanic activities. This minimizes data loss due to natural or artificial factors.

Many cloud service providers allow business owners to undertake site visits and audits to find out the providers’ recovery time and point and to calculate the impact on the business in case of a failure.

About the author

Zoe Maldonado is a freelance writer and blogger for TechBreach who enjoys writing about all things mobile and electronic and spending time with her very active twin boys.

 

General Safety Issues

FIVE EASY WAYS TO GET SAFE NOW (GUEST POST)

These days, “home security” is a rather holistic term. Not only do we want to keep an eye on our house while we’re gone, we also want to set the lights, turn up the thermostat, and make sure the sprinklers are firing properly. The amount of technology involved in securing one’s home can seem daunting at times.

While home security companies offer a variety of packages suited for any individual, there are certain basic security measures that can be taken and should be kept in mind regardless of the level of protection provided by one’s home security provider.
The following tips may seem like common sense, but they should act more like a jumping-off point to provide yourself and your family the perfect level of protection.

Tip #1
Just because you have a wooden fence or security fence surrounding your property doesn’t necessarily make you safer.  Fences not only block intruders trying to get in, fences can also hide an intruder who has already jumped over and breached the property. So if you have a security fence on your property, install a few motion-activated lights that shine along and inside the fence’s perimeter.  

Tip #2
Even though 81 percent of burglars enter a house on the ground level (34 percent walk right in the front door!), windows on both floors can still pose a threat. Common sense tells us we should always keep our windows locked, but you can take this advice one step further and have your windows glazed. This is one of the most effective ways to save your windows from break-ins.

Tip#3
Install deadbolt locks on every door that leads from the inside of the house out.  In fact, step it up a notch when choosing your lock and make sure the deadbolt is a vertical (surface-mounted) deadbolt instead of the less effective horizontal deadbolt. Locks that require keys and even sliding chain locks are no match for a determined thief.

Tip #4
Always be aware of your surroundings, whether at home or on the go. Make it a little easier to check out your property by installing proper lighting outside every entryway. The goal is to prevent an intruder from being able to hide in the shadows, so make sure that at least every doorway to your house is well lit.

Tip #5
Don’t have the means to install a home security system yet? You don’t have to let a low or non-existent budget stop you. By purchasing a home security sign and stickers for your yard and windows, you can make it look like you have a fancy security system and scare off possible burglars for a little less than twenty dollars.

Now that you know how and where to start with your home security system, don’t be a victim! Getting a safer and more secure home really is a lot easier than you thought.   

Jennifer Harrinson is a freelance writer and independent researcher for www.securitychoice.com. Her fortes include personal security and mobile technologies and she shares her insights on various mobile technology and home security blogs.

General Safety Issues

TAKE ADVICE FROM A FIRE SAFETY CONSULTANT FOR A SAFE WORKPLACE (GUEST POST)

By George Stephen
 
Organizations where large numbers of workers work on a regular basis should maintain fire safety measures. There are certain safety measures that are being declared by the government. Maintaining these measures is not only essential to avoid facing legal penalties but also to provide safety to the workers working out there. Being an owner of a company if you are seriously thinking about this factor, it is high time that you get in touch with a fire safety consultant.
 
Why should you appoint a fire safety consultant? 
 
Fire safety consultants are those organizations that provide safety measures to their client. They have special equipments as well as trained employees. These employees know about the methods which can help to bring the critical situation like a fire accident under control. Moreover, they make it a moment to provide fast services as much as possible whenever they receive emergency calls from their client.
 
If you are an owner of a company and is worried about the security service of your workers, consult with a reputed fire safety expert for help. The experts will train your workers in taking immediate safety measures if fire broke out due to some reason. Hence, taking these measures can actually save you from a huge loss.
 
Thus, hiring such fire safety experts will actually help you to earn the reputation of being sensible and responsible towards your employees.

 
How will you get in touch with such consultants? 
 
In order to get in touch with the reputed fire safety consultant, you need to do the search work. How you are going to do so?
 
  • Locate the fire safety consultant situated within your locality. Hiring nearby safety consultants will be an added advantage. This is because it will be easier for you get the services in a much faster way.
  • Check the type of services that the consultant will provide you. This is because, some of the consultant provides special privileges to their clients. For instance, the consultant may provide special training sessions to their employees.
  • These consultants do maintain special services to protect the evidences related to the fire accident. Check these special services and the technologies that the consultant uses to protect the accident related evidences.
  • Service charge does matter when you are planning to hire such consultant. Otherwise, you might make extra expenses. 
Considering these factors will be enough to provide sufficient security services to your company. Otherwise, your company will be exposed to higher risk of fire accident.

 
Author Bio:

George Steven is associated with forensic science and investigaion, and writes online blogs and articles regarding his research techniques. In this article he discusses about the role of fire safety expert in order to secure the lives of the workers in an workplace. To know more follow his online write ups.

General Safety Issues

SAFE CARS FOR EVERYONE!

There are so many technological advances being made by automakers, that someday, everyone will be able to drive safer cars.  After seeing a car that parks itself, it seems that they can almost run on automatic pilot!  Until these safety features become standard in all vehicles, however, we will still have to do the driving.  Consider the following innovations that have been made, such as: 

  • Blind Spot Monitoring.  This is always something that bugs me, because there just seems to be too many ways of not seeing someone in the lane you are trying to enter.  This type of monitoring uses sonar to keep tabs on the blind spots on both sides of the car.  Versions of this technology are already available on some makes of cars.
  • Lane Departure Warning.  It’s too bad all cars don’t already have this technology, as this can be very helpful when a driver becomes drowsy or otherwise distracted.  When the car reaches a certain speed, and wanders across lanes, the certified speed system activates an audible alert.
  • Bird’s Eye View Camera.  There are many backup and parking assist cameras available, but this particular type of system allows you to park safely by allowing you to have a view that virtually lets you seem to look down on the car from above the roof.
  • Smart Keys.  My car has smart keys, and they let me lock or unlock the car from pretty far away, without having to fumble around to find them.  There’s a new “smart” ignition key that allows a parent to program the key for their child.  Parents can set the maximum vehicle speed, activate a persistent seat belt reminder, and set the level for radio volume.  (By the way, this is an American-made car.) It would also be wonderful if it had a Breathalyzer, so the car couldn’t start if Junior had been drinking.  One German automaker has developed the Alco key, requiring the driver to blow into the key before driving the car.  If a Red LED light comes on, the engine will not start.
  • Another feature the same automaker has created is the Collision Warning System, which contains radar technology that performs a wide-angle search to detect objects in front and around your car, such as pedestrians or cyclists.  A red warning light displays on the windscreen.  If there is an increased risk, a panic brake is activated.  If the driver fails to brake and a collision is imminent, the brakes are activated automatically. 

The one thing I would love to see is a system that warns a person if they leave a little passenger in a car seat.  We have had too many innocent children that have lost their lives by being left in a locked car.  If cars can ding when you leave the keys in them, or you don’t have your seat belt fastened, why can’t there be some type of alarm connected to the back seatbelts that secure a car seat, or small child?  Hopefully, car manufacturers are already ahead of me on this, but please, consider this safety feature as a priority.  We have GPS systems, hands-free phone systems, stability control, air bags, and fuel efficient systems that have been developed for our safety, however, many of the new safety features that are now being built into vehicles are available only on the expensive models.  It is hoped that one day, all these sophisticated features are on every car when it leaves the manufacturer. 

And remember, even if you have all the fancy stuff, you still have to be alert behind the wheel.  Please don’t text and drive, don’t drink and drive, and wait on those phone calls until you get safely to your destination. 

 

Source: Cars.com