Let me see if I have this straight: the Highway Loss Data Institute, which sounds like a legitimate institution, but is actually another sham insurance organization posing as an “Institute,” looked at accident rates before and after cell phone bans took effect in New York, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, and California.
Before I go any further, I should disclose that I have a long-standing problem with this “Institute.” Some of you may remember that in 2007 this same “Institute” manipulated accident data in order to push its agenda against “supersports motorcycles” by claiming that those motorcycle accidents “have the…
Last month I wrote about bike helmets for kids and how important they are to bicycle safety. You may recall that studies show 75% of bicycle related deaths are due to head injuries.
Because of the seriousness of a head injury while bicycling, most parents are beginning to insist that their children wear a helmet. What most people still haven’t considered is the dangers posed by skiing without a helmet. This is now being addressed by California State Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco). Senator Yee has proposed a new ski helmet law for anyone under 18 on the slopes…
I need to alert you today about a bicycle recall. The bike in question is the 2010 Redline Conquest Pro Bicycles and Framesets. There were about 350 of these bikes sold, and they were distributed by Seattle Bike Supply, of Kent, Washington.
The bikes are hazardous because the bicycle’s fork legs can separate from the fork crown and cause the bike rider to lose control, posing a risk of serious injury if the rider falls and there is a bike crash.
This recall involves all units of this popular cyclocross bike, which was sold in pearl white/blue; they…
One of the reasons bicycling so often leads to injuries is that parents treat their child’s bicycle as a toy. They’re not toys, they’re vehicles. Ray Hall, cycling and road safety instructor says, “You wouldn’t give your child a mini-bike and say go out and play, and bikes should be treated like a mini-bike because they have the same power as a mini-bike or mini-motorcycle. So if you think of it as a small motorcycle, then it’s more obvious how you should deal with the machines,” and be alert for the possibility of bicycle accidents leading to injuries in children.…
In addition to making sure your children are wearing bike helmets, the second major area of concern with cycling is road safety. Most experts agree that children shouldn’t be riding in traffic until, developmentally, they can handle such a complex task. Until a child hits about 12 years old, they’re not mentally capable of judging speed and distance to be able to be let out in traffic by themselves. But don’t let the warning against traffic lead you to assume that the sidewalk is completely safe. Serious collisions with motor vehicles can occur even on sidewalks.
Here are some…
