Perry couldn’t control his excitement. He had just coached his son’s little league team to a city championship, and the adrenaline was pumping through his system. He went to bed but couldn’t sleep. At 11 p.m. he rousted his family from bed to inform them they were leaving on their Florida vacation then and there. The car was packed. Why waste time sleeping? His wife and kids grumbled as they climbed into the car and promptly fell asleep. Around three o’clock Perry came back down to Earth as a mortal man. He dozed off, and the car slipped onto the shoulder. Fortunately, he hit a band of rumble strips and immediately snapped back to alertness. He pulled into a well-lighted rest area and slept soundly until sunrise. It turned out to be a wonderful vacation.
A vacation brings out the little kid in all of us, but that doesn’t mean we have to act irresponsibly. Before charging off on your driving vacation, consider these few suggestions:
Plan Ahead
* Keep your car in tip-top shape. Have your mechanic check the cooling system, tires and wiper blades. Carry a roadside emergency kit.
* Before leaving, explain the importance of good behavior and seat belt use.
* Study new routes carefully.
* Stay five seconds behind the car in front to allow time to react to an emergency.
* Turn your radio off in heavy traffic or unfamiliar locations.
* Try to avoid driving at night.
* Do not drive more than 10 hours in a day.
Asleep At The Wheel
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that sleepiness contributes to 100,000 accidents and 1,500 fatalities each year. Sleepiness slows reaction times, decreases awareness, and impairs judgment.
* To help prevent drowsiness:
-get a good night’s sleep before you travel.
-make planned stops every two hours or 100 miles.
-avoid alcohol or medicines that make you sleepy. The same applies to heavy meals.
-drive with a passenger who will sit in the front seat and stay awake.
-keep the car cool and well ventilated.
-dab your face with a wet cloth, or apply a cold pack to your neck.
-shift your head often to change your focus and line of sight.
-turn on the radio to provocative talk radio or music you dislike; or sing, whistle, or talk aloud.
-wear sunglasses to avoid glare.
* Coffee or soft drinks will not keep you awake. They can help you feel more alert, but the effects last only a short time.
* If you feel drowsy, don’t push yourself. Change drivers, or find a well-lit place with plenty of people around (not the shoulder of the highway) to stop and take a brief nap. Roll down the window enough to allow fresh air in, but not a hand. Lock your doors. Turn off the engine, but keep parking lights lit.
* Before resuming travel, get out of the car, stretch and make sure you are fully awake.
* Night time is not the only dangerous period. Almost everyone’s biological clock is programmed to make them feel sleepy between one and four p.m.
If You Break Down
* In an emergency, turn on your flashers and steer to the right shoulder, even if a flat tire bends your rim.
* Get out of the car carefully. Stay off the road. Don’t stand behind your car or between cars.
* Raise the hood, put on the emergency flasher lights and attach a white cloth to the door handle or radio antenna.
* To fix a flat tire, go to the next exit or a well-lit parking lot. Get away from traffic, even if your tire is ruined.
* If someone stops to help, politely ask him to phone the police.
* If you have a cell phone, call for help immediately. Do not work on your car alone in the dark.
A public liability case has set tails wagging amongst the pooch population, after a golden retriever had to have emergency treatment from being covered in toxic anti-vandal paint on St Annes beach. Alan Grundy was walking his pet dog, Charlie, close to where Brian Newman, a developer, had demolished a sand dune and built a new one further back. In an attempt to stop people climbing on the newly created dune, to reduce public personal injury, Mr Newman had coated the wire surrounding it with anti-vandal paint. But as Charlie, who is also a show dog, walked past the dune, his legs were covered in the paint. Mr Grundy, a retired civial servant, who lives in Layton, said: “Charlie was just doing what dogs do and investigating, but when he came back, he was smeared with black toxic paint. My wife was distraught and didn’t know what to do, we had to go straight to the vets.” The couple were told Charlie would have to have his leg shaved as the paint could be fatal if ingested. Mr Grundy also said: “I had no choice but to have Charlie’s leg shaved. There was also a section of rope at the top of the new dune covered in the paint.” Lack of awareness Commenting on the lack of public awareness concerning the matter, Mr Grundy said: “There is a small sign warning of the vandal paint there, but this cannot be seen by people walking on the beach. We walk there a lot, and it shouldn’t be allowed, and poses a danger for children who play near the dune, on the public beach.” After complaining to Fylde Council about the anti-vandal paint, Mr Grundy has been told there is nothing the authority can do as the land belongs to Mr Newman. A spokesman for the council said: “As the section of the beach opposite Mr Newman’s house is private property there is nothing we can do about it, despite the fact it is in a public area. “However we have advised Mr Newman that it is in a public place, and can be accessed easily by the public. We have also told Mrs Grundy that she could pursue legal proceedings for owner’s liability.” The need for public liability Phil Grace, a liability risk manager stated that risk assessment is the key to ensure public safety, and land owners. He said: “Should conduct a risk assessment in the first instance, which will highlight any potential risks that need to be managed.” He added: “This does not have to be an arduous task. It simply involves looking at what needs to be done and working out the safest way to complete the job.” David Head from the HSE concluded that such cover is vital for any land owners: “The financial cost can be huge while the personal price in pain and inconvenience cannot be under-estimated. We want to raise awareness of how these incidents can happen and how they can be easily avoided by taking common sense actions and precautions at no or little cost.” Beach injuries It is hardly surprising that Mr Newman developed tactics to stop people from injuring themsleves on the newly built sand dune. In 2000, 58 people died on beaches and the majority of accidents linked to spinal injuries due to falling over sand dunes.
In medicine, a burn is a type of injury to the skin caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, or radiation.
Burns are most commonly caused by exposure to flames, hot objects, hot liquids (scalds), or radiation (e.g. sunburn). Electrical burns are less common, but are potentially more serious, as the depth of the burn is usually greater than is apparent, and cardiac arrhythmias may occur.
It is estimated that around 112,000 people visit Accident and Emergency departments each year as a result of burns or scalds and that at least a further 250,000 people visit GP surgeries for burns and scald injuries.
Around 7,800 people each year are admitted to hospital or specialist burns units with burns and scalds. Over 200 people die as a result of these injuries each year.
Children under 5 years old account for nearly 45% of all severe burns and scalds. About 50% of these accidents happen in the kitchen.
Cups of hot drinks are involved in about 1,265 severe burns a year (requiring admission to hospital), of which 1,100 occur with children less than 5 years of age. Most involve the child reaching up and pulling a mug or cup of hot drink on to himself or herself.
Baths are involved in over 570 severe burns a year. Most involve an unsupervised child falling or climbing into a bath of very hot water.
Other common causes of severe burns include kettles, teapots and coffee-pots, jugs of hot water, saucepans, irons, cookers, fires and heaters, and chip pans and deep fat fryers.
If you or someone you know have been injured as a result of a burn injury, consideration should be given as to whether there is a potential claim for compensation and it may be prudent to seek advise from a specialist solicitor on a true no win , no fee* basis. There is very likely to be an insurer responsible to pay such compensation, whether it be an accident at work [employers liability insurance], at some other person or bodies premises [ public liability insurance] or at home [ household insurance].