The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is seeking approval for a new method by which patients can report medical mistakes. Federal officials explained that unreported medical errors are a lost opportunity to make health care safer. Unless hospitals choose to report their own errors, information that could be used to reduce infections, improve surgical practices and […]
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Traffic Fatalities Increase In First Half Of 2012
For many years, traffic fatalities have gone down as safety technology has improved. In the first six months of 2012, fatal motor vehicle accidents increased 9 percent when compared to the first half of 2011, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That increase represents the largest such jump since the NHTSA began gathering the data […]
Self-Driving Cars Move Closer To Reality
Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill making self-driving cars legal on the roads of California. Self-driving cars, such as the “Google car” have received increased attention as the tech company has poured significant resources into making the technology viable. According to a Google co-founder, the company believes that the technology could be able to […]
Federal Accident Investigators Release Pilot Testimony
The National Transportation Safety Board recently released the testimony of the pilots involved in two separate near mid-air collisions out of O’Hare earlier this year. The pilots referred to the potential collisions as “near misses” and testified that the air traffic controllers involved did not issue warnings until after the pilots identified the danger and took evasive […]
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop, P.C., Lawyer Volunteers for New Juvenile Initiative Program
Rapoport Sims Perry & VanOverloop attorney Octavio Duran became a volunteer mentor for the “Juvenile Initiative Program,” in which 20 lawyers volunteer to meet with 20 young men on probation for nonviolent crimes at least twice each month for a year. The program was recently created by the Chicago Bar Association, the Cook County Bar […]
A Link Between Antidepressants And Car Accidents
It is common knowledge that alcohol causes drivers to suffer an elevated risk of accidents. Many studies have likewise connected things like illegal drug abuse and cell phones to dangerous driving. A new study has shown a link between legal antidepressants, including Prozac and Seroxat, and motor vehicle accidents. According to research from the University of […]
Transparency Key To Health Care Quality Improvements
According to the Institute of Medicine, medical mistakes cost the U.S. health care system between $17 and $29 billion a year. It estimates that medical errors kill nearly 2,000 people per week. New technology and, potentially, new attitudes among rising doctors could greatly reduce medical malpractice and make the health care system safer for everyone, according to […]
Chronic Illness In Children Increases Chance Of Medical Error
A new study has analyzed medical errors affecting children who have been hospitalized. The medical error rate for children who suffer a chronic health condition was significantly higher than that for children who do not. The result of the study was expected, as chronic health conditions are likely to force a child to remain hospitalized for longer […]
Distracted Driving In Fatal Crashes And Injury Accidents
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a study of all the motor vehicle crashes that occurred in 2010. According to that study, distracted driving was a contributing factor in 10 percent of fatal crashes. In addition, distracted driving was cited as a factor in 18 percent of the total crashes where someone suffered […]
Federal Aviation Administration Asks For Extra Checks On Boeing 737s
A federal agency is asking U.S. air carriers to enhance and increase inspections of Boeing 737 aircraft in their fleets. The Federal Aviation Administration is concerned about undetected cracks in the fuselage or bulkhead that could cause dangerous decompressions. The problem first drew the attention of the FAA in 2009, after a Boeing 737 operated by […]
Illinois May Have Toughest Older-Driver Laws
Older age requirements for driver’s licenses are now in place in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The fatal auto accident rate begins to rise for drivers when they hit their 70s, jumps when they hit 80, and surpasses the crash rate for teen drivers after age 85. Illinois responds to the issue of aging drivers […]
Turbulence A Hazard For Passengers And Crew
An associate professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University referred to turbulence as “the last of the unanticipated threats,” regarding air travel. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 63 people have been seriously injured by turbulence in flights over the United States since 2007. Many of those injured are flight attendants and other crew members who were unbuckled […]
Driver In Fatal Construction Accident Charged
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Illinois ranks among the top five states total number of roadway work zone fatal occupational injuries. Road construction accidents where motorists strike construction workers are not rare. They accounted for 7.9 percent of all construction deaths from 2003 to 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On […]
School Bus Safety And Safe Driving Practices
September is a time for new drivers to learn to interact with school buses and for all drivers to familiarize themselves with the law concerning school buses and safe driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 19 school-age children die in school transportation-related traffic accidents every year. Most of the victims are between the ages […]
Pickup Collides With School Bus In La Salle County
Thirty-nine students were taken to area hospitals after a pickup truck disobeyed a stop sign and struck a school bus in Marseilles, Illinois. The bus accident happened just after 8 a.m. Monday morning, approximately two miles from Milton Pope School where the children attend. The accident is currently under investigation by La Salle County officials. A Dodge […]
Magnets In Toys Pose Serious Risk To Children
Magnets on toys, clothes and other household items pose a serious risk to children who might swallow them. Products with magnets have been the subject of numerous recalls largely based on the possibility that children will ingest the magnets. The Consumer Products Safety Commission reports roughly 200 such cases since 2008. Once swallowed, the magnets clump together […]
New Safety Recommendations Concerning Large Plane Taxiing
The National Transportation Safety Board has recommended the installation of anti-ground collision aids on large airplanes. Three ground collision accidents involving large planes hitting other aircraft during taxiing are currently under investigation by the NTSB. The recommendations, which were made to the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Aviation Safety Agency, involved on-board external-mounted cameras which would […]
Construction Work And America’s Deadliest Jobs
The safety education company eTrain Today used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics to compile a list of the most deadly jobs in the nation. The findings were significant for workers in several industries, including the construction industry. The data showed four major causes of construction worker deaths, as well as commonly violated […]
New Tools For Understanding Truck Driver Safety
After a truck accident, trucking companies may choose to take action against a truck driver who failed to perform his or her duties in a safe manner. New technology may allow fleet operators predict future driver behavior and take steps before a truck accident even occurs. Predictive analytics software can use information regarding a driver’s past behavior, […]
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Technology Gets Safety Test
Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication devices are two methods by which cars may be made safer in the future. The U.S. Transportation Department has begun a new test of so-called “smart car” technology. Some 3,000 cars, trucks and buses equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle crash avoidance technology and vehicle-to-roadway devices will be evaluated to determine the efficacy and […]
