For Donna Uzzi, the tragic death of her son, Anthony, in a car accident that flipped the vehicle into a canal, was a wake-up call to the threat of getting trapped in a car. Car entrapment in a submerged vehicle is a serious threat, however, it doesn’t get much attention. Whether it’s due to flood or car accident, seconds count when it comes to escaping your vehicle. As the anniversary of Anthony Almonte’s memorial approaches, we’d like to touch on the importance of sharing awareness about car entrapment and driver safety. Share this article with someone you love and get the word out.

Anthony Almonte

In the fall of 2009, Anthony, 17, was in the car with friends. While on the main road, the boys were involved in a car accident and hit a guard rail causing the posts to collapse and act as a ramp, which in turn, helped flip the car into the water of the canal. The car wound up upside down in the water. Only one of the boys was able to get out. The other three, including Anthony, were not saved in time.

“Before this accident, it never occurred to me that it would be so difficult to get out of your car when it’s under water,” Donna Uzzi said. “I am amazed how little people think of the possibility when it happens so often. Now I notice so many canals that are not properly protected by guard rails.”

Wanting to honor her son and prevent another parent from ever experiencing her same pain, Uzzi started Think First For Safety Corp. In this video, she shares with the audience the experience of what it is like to be trapped in a car and how difficult it is to maneuver in the dark.

Uzzi believes the resqme tool can help with her cause of not only spreading the world about submerged vehicle entrapment, but saving people’s lives if they find their selves in similar situations. “[The emergency response team ] ended up having to break the windows,” she said. “I know they ended up having to call for knives to cut the seatbelts.”

Despite the pain, Uzzi believes there is something valuable the public can learn from her son’s death. She continues to educate the community about teen driver safety awareness and safety on the road, in general.

“We all need to THINK, Together we can Help Inspire Necessary Knowledge,” said Uzzi. “Educate ourselves and save our loved ones. It is now my personal mission to make sure everyone has a resqme and knows what to do if they should ever find themselves trapped in a car.”

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Finally, share this article with someone and let’s get the word out about submerged vehicle entrapment and make safety your priority.

It’s widely known that speeding, drink-driving and failing to wear a seatbelt are all highly dangerous when behind the wheel, but just as potentially lethal is the failure of drivers to give their full attention to the road. Drivers who become distracted pose a danger not just to themselves, but to pedestrians and other road users, and with the rise of smartphones, people are becoming further inclined to take their focus away from where it should be.

Every year, more than 1.2 million people around the world are killed in car crashes or road traffic incidents. Did you know that driver behavior is responsible for nearly 90 percent of such crashes? Or that road traffic fatalities are projected to become a more common cause of death than HIV/AIDS, violence or all forms of cancer?

3 Main Categories of Distracted Driving

This infographic by Southside Motor Factors identifies the main categories of distracted driving, while pinpointing 8 common reasons as to why drivers dangerously divert their attention from the road – reasons such as 1) eating or drinking 2) changing the song on their iPod 3)taking a phone call 4) texting 5) applying cosmetics 6) sleeping 7) checking their social media profiles 8) and even slowing down to check out another accident.

The infographic is intended to call our attention to the factors that affect our attention while driving. If you are guilty of any of these distractions, or if you continue to engage in some of them, hopefully it will make you realize just how dangerous it can be. It’s better to lose one second of your life than to lose your life in one second.

Source: Southside Motor Factors

by: Matthew Young

A number of mishaps can occur on the road at any given time. When driving, as little as one second can mean the difference between serious damage or even injury to yourself and another motorist. Learn what it means to react in the space of a second. Know what to do, not just immediately but instinctively. Here are a few safety-minded tips and driving guidelines to help you prepare for the five most common driving emergencies.

1. Running off the Road

This usually happens at the worst possible instant. A large pothole or a degraded section of asphalt can contribute to your car’s veering off the pavement. When this happens, do not try to turn the steering wheel back towards the pavement. Instead:

•    Firmly grip the steering wheel and keep it stationary while taking your foot off the gas pedal.
•    Push down on the brake pedal gradually and not too swiftly — any attempt to pump them quickly or lock them may send the car into a skid.
•    When the car has slowed or stopped, turn the wheel in the direction of the shoulder and put on your signal.
•    When there’s a clearing in cross traffic, drive slowly back onto the pavement.

Avoid skidding out of control

2. Skids

A skid is the loss of contact between the tires and the road. Contrary to popular belief, the rear wheels are what cause the skidding, while the front wheels are unwilling accomplices. To recapture traction, steer in the direction you were already headed, or in the direction the rear wheels are skidding. Here’s a checklist:

•    Let up on the gas immediately.
•    Steer in the general direction of the skid pattern.
•    If the car has ABS — an antilock braking system — don’t pump the brakes. Instead, push the brake pedal firmly to the floor and keep it there. This motion activates the ABS and essentially pumps the brakes for you. When you hear a rhythmic click and sense an opposing force — as if the pedal wants to push its way upward — you’ll know the ABS is active. Both signs are normal.

3. Tire Blowout

A tire blowout happens either of two ways: gradually or instantaneously. The difference in the level of the car will change. You may even hear the tire go out. The main way to avoid blowout — which happens because the integrity of the wall of the tire has been compromised — is to keep the tires properly inflated. Inadequate inflation stresses the wall of the tire. An overinflated tire negotiates a pothole by overcompensating with a big bounce. If a tire blows out or goes flat, do the following:

•    Keep control of your car with a firm grip on the wheel.
•    Let up on the gas pedal and coast onto the shoulder or a part of the road — don’t forget to signal — free of traffic.
•    Brake smoothly because you don’t know how damaged the tire already is.
•    Stop once you’ve straightened out — stay parallel with the road.
•    Call roadside assistance or if you have the tools and know-how, change the tire. Only change the tire on level ground, not an incline. Make sure the parking brake is set and use wheel stops if you have them — stones work, too.

4. Brake Failure

Brake failure is perhaps one of the scariest things that can happen on the road. Sometimes it means a faulty or broken brake line. Or it could mean you neglected to get your brakes serviced. Either way, remain calm, keep a clear head and follow these steps:

•    If your auto has disc brakes, pump them to force fluid through the lines and build up sufficient pressure.
•    If you auto has antilock brakes (ABS), push the brake pedal to the floor and firmly keep your foot on it — don’t pump!
•    If you don’t begin to slow, try shifting to the next lowest gear.
•    Slowly push in the parking brake. If you do it too quickly, you’ll make your tires lock up.
•    After you come to a complete stop, activate your emergency flashers and turn your tires in towards the curb or rail. Turn the ignition off last. Call the tow truck.

5. Engine Failure

Sometimes your car’s engine will have difficulty running or simply stop working. If your car stalls or your engine dies while driving, do the following safely and quickly to remove yourself and other drivers from harm’s way:

•    If you have enough momentum and the lanes are clear, signal and begin steering towards the shoulder. If visibility is an issue, activate the emergency flashers.
•    If momentum is reduced or the car was stationary, set the gear in neutral, activate the flashers and begin pushing the car over. Another driver will almost always jump in to assist.
•    If this occurs at night, keep the headlights on.
•    Call roadside assistance and wait inside with the doors locked, especially in a remote area.
•    If you need to get out to speak to the tow truck driver or a CHP officer, exit via the passenger side in order to avoid oncoming traffic.

Safety Tools for the Road

resqme – The Original Keychain Car Escape Tool in Action

Since the overall theme of this entry is roadside preparedness, we would be remiss to not mention a couple important tools. A roadside kit should be in every car — one with flares, a small socket battery wrench, bandages, batteries, and so on — but two things must be addressed. If the car door doesn’t open, you need to break the window. If the seatbelt clip won’t unlatch, you need to cut the belt. Any good-sized hammer can perform the latter, but a product like the resqme® does both. About the size of a key remote and just 2.93 inches long, this lightweight escape tool sports a powerful steel spike that breaks glass with minimal effort. The opposite end features a razor edge enclosed with a curve to cut seatbelts. With both the knowledge and the tools to deal with any kind of roadside emergency, driving will be a much safer experience.

Matthew Young is an automotive reporter from Boston. As a freelance journalist with a passion for vehicles Matthew writes about everything on 4 wheels, be it race cars, SUVs, vintage cars, you name it. When he is not at his desk writing he can be usually found helping his dad in the garage. You can reach Matthew @mattbeardyoung.

The statistics don’t lie. Teenage drivers are responsible for an inordinately high proportion of motor vehicle accidents in the United States. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) suggests that 15-24 year old drivers are responsible for about 30 percent of accidents, even though they represent only 14 percent of the overall population. That means they are almost twice as likely to be involved in an accident than other age groups.

It seems obvious that the most inexperienced group of drivers would account for the highest number of car crashes. While underestimating dangerous situations, following too closely and failing to account for inclement weather are some of the most common causes for accidents amongst teens, a lack of driving experience doesn’t tell the whole story.

Teenage drivers also make poor decisions before even starting the car. Here are three easily avoidable choices that every new driver needs to be aware of.

Failure to Inspect The Vehicle

Most young drivers share a car with parents or other siblings, which makes inspecting your vehicle before you drive even more important. Walk around the car and visually check the tire pressure lights. Driving-tests.org has acomplete checklist of external features that should be inspected before you drive. Once inside, pay special attention to side and rearview mirror adjustment. Every driver has a preference when it comes to mirror placement, and you should always assume that someone has repositioned the mirrors since the last time you drove the car. Pick a fixed object in your blindspot–like a telephone pole or a parked car–and adjust the mirror until this object comes into view. Failure to account for other cars in a blind spot is one of the most common causes of accidents among new drivers. Your mirrors are the first line of defense.

Too Many Passengers

For teenagers, the ability to drive is synonymous with freedom, and that freedom typically includes picking up and transporting a carload of friends to school or the mall. However, the chance of an accident increases with each additional teenage passenger, according to the CDC. Every passenger is an opportunity for distraction and young passengers are far less likely to respect a driver’s need to focus on the road. During the first six months of driving, parents should limit the number of passengers to one. It’s the perfect number for getting your teen acclimated to driving with a controlled amount of distraction without them being overwhelmed by a car full of immature teens.

No Seat Belt

Teen drivers may not have a lot of experience driving, but they do have a lot of experience riding in a motor vehicle and wearing a seat belt. That’s why it’s so strange that teenagers have the lowest rate of seatbelt use. The CDC reports that in 2013, only 55 percent of high school students reported that they always put on a seatbelt when riding in car. In general, teenagers are more likely to take short trips, which can give them a false sense of security about their own safety. Make sure your new driver knows that a seat belt is for every trip, not just high-speed interstate travel. You are just as likely to get in an accident driving down the street as you are driving across the country. They should also have a zero tolerance policy for passengers who won’t wear a seat belt. In reality, no one is too cool for a little safety.

Driver behaviour Impaired driving

• Each year the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” impaired driving campaign is conducted in September and December with the involvement of thousands of law-enforcement agencies across the country. These enforcement crackdown periods are supported by national “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” advertisement campaigns that run for about two weeks. The ads are designed to raise awareness and draw public attention to law-enforcement activities in every state. The advertisements convey the message that law-enforcement officers are vigilant in deterring drunk drivers. This law enforcement campaign is coupled with state programmes that address the underlying alcohol dependency problems. Special drunk driving courts that provide intensive interventions, as well as the use of ignition interlocks on the vehicles of offenders, are two examples. NHTSA provides a variety of technical resources to help States develop and expand the use of these special courts and ignition interlock programmes.

• Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety (DADSS). This technology could prevent a vehicle from being driven by a drunk driver. NHTSA and the automotive industry have partnered to advance the long-term research in this advanced technology and will now begin working on the legal, public policy and consumer acceptance issues to ensure that when the technology is ready for commercialisation, manufacturers that choose to offer the system as an option will find a marketplace with few or no impediments to consumer adoption. The goal is to develop a system that can accurately and reliably detect when a driver is above the legal alcohol limit. The automatic system would be enabled every time the car is started, but unobtrusive so it would not pose an inconvenience to the non-intoxicated driver.

Older driver

• NHTSA released a new strategic plan that will serve as a roadmap to ensure the safety of the nation’s growing population of older drivers and passengers. Data show a 3 percent increase in the number of people age 65 and older who died in motor vehicle crashes and a 16 percent increase in the number of people age 65 and older injured from the previous year. The data also show that older adults are at greater risk of dying or sustaining serious injuries, even in low-severity crashes. To address these concerns, NHTSA is focusing on vehicle safety, improved data collection and driver behaviour.

Pedestrian

• The Department of Transportation released a set of tools to help communities combat the rising number of pedestrian deaths that have occurred over the last two years. As part of the campaign, NHTSA is making USD 2 million in pedestrian safety grants available to cities with the highest rate of pedestrian deaths and, along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is launching a one-stop shop website www.nhtsa.gov/everyoneisapedestrian with safety tips and resources for local leaders, city planners, parents and others involved in improving pedestrian safety.

Distracted driving

• The Department and NHTSA continue to focus on distracted driving and its deadly consequences. There are several resources available to the public, communities, States and safety organisations, including a redesigned www.distraction.gov. In April 2014, the DOT announced the Department’s first-ever, national advertising campaign and law enforcement crackdown to combat distracted driving. The effort includes television, radio and digital advertisements using the phrase U Drive. U Text. U Pay. and coincides with a nationwide law enforcement crackdown in states with distracted driving bans. In addition, a social norming component, One Text or Call Could Wreck It All, was launched in late 2011 with a television ad and other supporting materials. All of the PSAs direct audiences to StopTextsStopWrecks.org, a new campaign website where teens and young adults can find facts about the impact of texting while driving, and tips for how to curb the behaviour. The website also has an area where individuals can post on Facebook and share their solutions to stop texting and driving.

Vehicles Passenger cars

• NHTSA announced the Significant and Seamless Initiative in November 2013 which included a top priority of forward collision avoidance and mitigation. The agency is reviewing dynamic brake systems and crash-imminent brake systems that coexist with forward collision warning systems. Forward collision systems utilise vehicle technologies to detect a crash threat and warn the driver to take action. These braking systems add automatic braking, dependent upon the driver’s reaction to the warning, and either apply additional braking or full braking as necessary to avoid or lessen the severity of a crash. NHTSA is developing objective test procedures and surrogate test vehicles for this effort, as well as analysing the effectiveness of the systems and the impact on crashes.

• NHTSA has been conducting research through cooperative agreements with automotive manufacturers in order to assess the feasibility of developing effective crash avoidance systems that utilise V2V communications. This research is funded by the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) programme, which is administered by the Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA). FHWA, FTA and FMCSA also participate in the programme. A key aspect of the V2V programme is the Safety Pilot model Deployment, designed to support estimation of the effectiveness of V2V safety applications at reducing crashes and to show how real-world drivers will respond to these safety applications in their vehicles.

• NHTSA issued a final rule in April 2014, requiring rear visibility technology in all new vehicles under 10 000 pounds by May 2018. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries caused by backover accidents.

Coaches

• NHTSA issued a final rule requiring lap and shoulder seatbelts for each passenger and driver seat on new motor coaches and other large buses. This new rule enhances the safety of these vehicles by significantly reducing the risk of fatalities and serious injuries in frontal crashes and the risk of occupant ejection in rollovers.

Collision avoidance

• Pedestrians – As part of NHTSA’s Significant and Seamless Initiative, one of the agency’s top priorities is forward collision avoidance and mitigation. This effort includes research into pedestrian collision avoidance and mitigation (PCAM) to include identification of pedestrian crash scenarios, assessment of technologies and development of objective test procedures for avoidance technologies. Additionally, NHTSA proposed that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound standards in order to help make all pedestrians more aware of the approaching vehicles.

Infrastructure

• In January 2012, FHWA issued a “Guidance Memorandum on Promoting the Implementation of Proven Safety Countermeasures”. This guidance takes into consideration the latest safety research to advance a group of countermeasures that have shown great effectiveness in improving safety. Safety practitioners are encouraged to consider this set of countermeasures that are research-proven, but not widely applied on a national basis. Countermeasures are discussed in detail and fact sheets are provided for each to furnish detailed descriptions, related research studies, and evaluations of each countermeasure. Countermeasures include: roundabouts, corridor access management, backplates with retroreflective borders, longitudinal rumble strips and stripes on two-lane roads, enhanced delineation and friction for horizontal curves, safety edges, medians and pedestrian crossing islands in urban and suburban areas, pedestrian hybrid beacons, and road diet.

• The Highway Safety Improvement Plan (HSIP) includes a data-driven, strategic approach to improving highway safety and encourages the States to establish or improve their roadway safety data programme. Another major programme feature is a state-wide, coordinated strategic highway safety plan in each State that provides a comprehensive framework for establishing state-wide goals, objectives, and performance targets; and that integrates the four “E’s” – engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services. The States will be guided by the plan and their data systems in using the HSIP and other funds to produce a program of projects and strategies to solve relevant safety challenges.

• The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) is a funding and authorisation bill to govern United States federal surface transportation spending. MAP-21 doubled the funds for FHWA safety programmes, provided a concentrated effort to maintain a data-driven decision making process to target available resources on the most pressing concerns, and improved collaboration and integration on multiple fronts – engineering, education, enforcement, and emergency medical services – to reduce highway fatalities and serious injuries. MAP-21 indicates a multi-billion dollar funding level for HSIP to strengthen the programme and provide states with better opportunity to focus and ultimately improve the highway safety programmes in their states.

Recent and on-going research

• Through the Significant and Seamless Initiative, NHTSA is actively involved in the development of safety systems for forward collision avoidance monitoring and mitigation, the improvement of seatbelt use through interlock systems, and ways to stop drunk driving through alcohol interlock systems.

• Additional vehicle research efforts are focusing on vehicle communications technologies to address a number of common crash scenarios. Current testing and pilot programs are currently underway.

• NHTSA continues to conduct research activities to understand driver behaviour through surveys, observation studies, simulation work in order to affect driver behaviour through vehicle changes and human behaviour changes. Such activities include but are not limited to distracted driving, speeding, belt usage, child safety seat usage, and helmet usage. The agency also conducts evaluations of campaigns and high visibility law enforcement activities to determine the effectiveness of such efforts.

Source: Road Safety Annual Report 2014

Here is a story we just received from our friends of United Hatzalah:

“Your partner Yossi just sent me this photo of a road accident. He responded to on your ambucycle #353 and we wanted to share the story with you.

A young driver confused the gas and brake pedals. She completely lost control of the vehicle; it skidded violently and overturned. Thankfully, Yossi was actually on your ambucycle nearby, saw the accident and immediately swerved over to help. The woman was trapped in the car and your resourceful partner used a specialized resqme tool designed specifically for shattering windshields and slitting seatbelts to extricate the woman. Your caring partner reassured her as he gently checked her for injuries and took her vital signs – thankfully, she had escaped with only minor injuries. The traffic had built up behind the crash and it took over 15 minutes for an ambulance to get to the scene to transport her to the hospital.

Thanks for the United Hatzalah’s support , this woman received the care she needed in the minutes she needed it!”

By The Update Team

Version french: http://www.resqme.com/FR/blog/?p=711

You’ve just been in a car accident, and you suspect you have whiplash. Now what? While the law may be on your side if you’re the victim, it doesn’t help you pay your medical bills, at least not immediately. You will need to be able to prove that you’re injured. Here’s how you do it.

Common Symptoms

Common symptoms of whiplash include pain and stiffness in the neck. You may also get headaches that originate in this area. In about half of all cases, the pain develops the day after the accident, after the muscles tighten up and the endorphins have been cleared from your body.

Turning or bending your neck may be difficult or impossible. You may feel pain or stiffness in your shoulders or down your arms, and you may feel pain in the upper and lower part of your back. Dizziness and blurred vision, a pain in the jaw or when swallowing is also typical. If these symptoms persist for more than a day or so, see your doctor immediately.

These symptoms are also symptoms of a concussion or contusion, both of which are serious. Contusions are especially serious, since they may lead to a hematoma – bleeding in and around the brain.

How To Be Diagnosed

To be diagnosed with whiplash, you must see a medical professional. Your doctor will usually be able to diagnose this from your symptoms alone, and by examining the area. If you have no signs of damage to the vertebrae or spinal nerves in your neck, however, other testing may be required to confirm.

The Vancouver car accident lawyers at the Watson Goepel law firm all too often deal with clients who did not seek a medical report after an accident. It is always best to see a doctor to confirm any injuries, as this is the primary way that lawsuits are either settled before court, or won if it does go to court. Often, however, the strength of a doctor’s testimony is enough for the other party to settle out of court, saving you time and frustration and getting you the money you desperately need for medical bills.

Exercises, Chiropractic, and Heat Therapy

Certain exercises can be done if the whiplash is mild enough. These include chin retraction and chin tucks, and even rotation exercises. Sometimes, however, this is too much, and the neck will not tolerate this.

In these cases, more conservative therapy, including heat therapy and chiropractic adjustments may be appropriate.

Heat therapy consists of using an infrared heat lamp, aimed at the neck where the injury occurred. Heat lamps emit near, middle, and some far infrared heat, which penetrates deep into muscle tissue to help it relax. It also stimulates blood flow and healing.

Finally, a good chiropractic doctor may be able to help with some Active Release Technique and chiropractic adjustments. Treatment should focus on getting you well, with treatments lasting anywhere from 4 weeks to possibly 3 months. However, treatments should not be indefinite or require “maintenance” adjustments, as this is a sign that the neck is not healing properly.

Pain Medications

When all else fails, meds like paracetamol, NSAIDs, codeine, and diazepam (a muscle relaxant) may be prescribed. The benefit of these medications is that they will quickly eliminate pain in many individuals. The downside is that painkillers only mask the problem. Some of them can also be addicting, and detoxing from them causes its own set of problems.

Arlene Heyer has experienced whiplash personally. A retired paralegal, she enjoys sharing her insights by posting online. You can enjoy her interesting articles on a variety of websites and blogs.

Writting by Arlene Heyer

This graphic speaks for it self!

Thank you very much Katherine Taylor, for sharing this picture.

Source credits back to Lipsig

For information: http://lipsig.com/state-of-car-accidents-new-york/

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.The Mini Essentials (75 accessories of treatments, including new tools resqme)

.The Toolbox Deluxe (74 accessories of medical treatments, including noveltiesresqme)

.The Mini Toolbox (57 accessories of medical care)

We received a moving message this yesterday morning from United Hatzalah.

“Last Sunday, one of United Hatzalah’s EMT volunteers was at work when he received a dispatch that a road accident had occurred near his location. He leapt on his ambucycle to race to the rescue, arriving on scene in less than 60 seconds! A car had flipped several times as it rolled down the grassy slope at the side of the road before coming to a stop upside-down in a ditch. Your partner ran to the car, looked through the window and realized the driver’s life was in danger. The unfortunate driver was upside-down with the seat-belt wrapped tightly around his neck, and he was beginning to turn blue as oxygen was being cut off to his brain! Whipping out his ResQme tool, the volunteer shattered the windshield and cut through the belt. The man gasped as he began to breathe again and the medic started treatment before finally the ambulance arrived to transport him to hospital.

Thankfully, the man only suffered from a few broken bones and he will soon recover. But he would have died had he waited for rescue and extrication to receive medical care. Thanks to you that this man is alive today.