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Take the Time During National Fire Prevention Week to Protect Your Family Against Fires

Residents of Pennsylvania are urged to take the time this week to participate in National Fire Prevention Week.  Fire Prevention Week, celebrated Oct. 7-13, has been set aside through a Presidential Proclamation as a time “to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities from fires, and we honor the courageous first responders who put their lives at risk to keep us safe.”

According to the National Safety Council, in 2010, there were 3,100 unintentional deaths related to fire, smoke and flames.  Many of these fires resulted in death, serious injuries and destroyed homes.

The National Safety Council offers the following steps for families to take to prevent fires:

• Have properly working smoke alarms
• Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors monthly and change the batteries at least once a year
• Place smoke alarms on each floor of your home and in each bedroom
• Plan a family escape route and practice it once a month
• Install a home sprinkler system
• Place fire extinguishers throughout your home and make sure everyone in the house knows how to use them

One key theme of the week is to “Have 2 Ways Out!”  According to Firehouse.org, […]

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Pennsylvania Celebrates International Walk to School Month

PennDOT is joining forces with other organizations across the United States, and the world, in supporting International Walk to School Month throughout October.  Using the motto “Get up, Get out, and Get Moving!” the organizers are focusing on demonstrating the role walking and bicycling to school can play in improving health, safety and community life.

According to iWalk, the official website of International Walk to School Month:

“International Walk to School Month gives children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event as they celebrate the many benefits of walking. Walkers from around the world walk to school together for various reasons — all hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk.”

“Every child should have the opportunity to walk to school safely,” said Transportation Deputy Secretary John Porcari. “Walk to School Day [held Oct. […]

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CDC Statistics Show One Million Teens Drink and Drive

One million teens drink and drive, down 54 percent in 20 years

Just last week our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys reported that teens tend to mimic the unsafe driving behaviors of their parents.  Now, in a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers confirmed this behavior, specifically with drinking.  According to the report, “teen alcohol consumption and drinking and driving patterns are correlated with those of adults living in the same state.”

The CDC released its latest study on teen drinking, Vital Signs: Drinking and Driving Among High School Students Aged ≥16 Years — United States, 1991–2011. The report was compiled after analyzing data from the 1991–2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) to describe the trend in prevalence of drinking and driving (defined as driving one or more times when they had been drinking alcohol during the 30 days before the survey) among U.S. […]

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Pennsylvania Car Accident Lawyer Joins Call to Ban Use of Hand-Held Cell Phones While Driving

Scranton, PA, September 27, 2012 — Pennsylvania car accident attorney Caroline Munley said today that she supports efforts to broaden the state’s distracted driving laws to include a ban on using hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel.

A law prohibiting texting while driving in Pennsylvania became effective earlier this year. However, because it is still legal to talk on a cell phone or search for contacts on a phone while behind the wheel, police say it is difficult to detect drivers engaged in text messaging and enforce the ban, according to a recent Scranton Times-Tribune report.

“If the goal of the law is to deter drivers from engaging in conduct that is dangerous and puts others at risk of distracted driving accidents, injury and death, then a full ban on the use of hand-held cell phones while driving a motor vehicle is an entirely appropriate, […]

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Teens Learn Poor Driving Habits from Their Parents

Our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys previously reported that over the past five years in Pennsylvania, distracted driving led to nearly 4,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers and resulted in 18 deaths.  We often ask parents to impress upon their teen drivers the importance of staying focused while driving and not using their cellphones.  However, according to a new study, parents may actually be the cause of their childrens’ poor driving behaviors.

In the survey from Liberty Mutual and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), researchers found that an overwhelming number of the young drivers reported they get their poor driving habits from their parents.  Of the 1,700 teens surveyed, over 90 percent of them report their parents talk on the cell while driving, 88 percent of their parents speed, and 59 percent reported their parents have sent a text while driving.  Still worse, 20 percent of them said their parents have driven while under the influence of alcohol. […]