The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a plea to the FDA to tighten its monitoring of promised studies by drug companies. According to a Wall St. Journal story, “The Food and Drug Administration doesn’t know the status of many postapproval studies promised by drug makers and doesn’t make tracking them a top priority, a report released Friday said.The inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services said the FDA should improve its monitoring of the studies by upgrading its tracking systems and asking manufacturers to provide better information.”
Effectiveness of Ford Firestone Tire Recall Questioned
A research group has called into question the 2000-01 Firestone tire recall. Safety Research & Strategies has noted instances in which some defective tires may still be in circulation. The group has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to investigate the effectiveness of the recall in the wake of four serious auto accidents caused by defective tires. Thus far, the NHTSA has not commented whether or not it will conduct such an investigation.
Orlando Ranks High in Motorcycle Accidents
While Orlando ranks 30th nationally in metro population, it has climbed into the top ten list in serious motorcycle crashes, according to Progressive Corp. The dense population and heavy tourism are leading factors in the ranking.
Boating Accidents in Florida on Rise
This year has seen a 19% spike in boating accidents from last year which had been the highest in a decade. This has state officials worried and searching for answers to stem the tide. During the first six months this year, 38 people died in Florida boating accidents, compared to 32 through the first six months of 2005. In all, 80 people died in Florida boating mishaps last year.
The increase in boating mishaps is partly blamed on the fact that there are more than 1million vessels registered in the state of Florida.
Summertime and Auto Accidents
Summertime is usually a period when families go on vacation, kids are out of school, and adults re-charge their worn batteries. Yet, it can also be a time when accidents happen. As more people take to the streets and highways, be careful for kids playing in nearby yards and parks. As the rains fall in the afternoon, be wary of slippery roads while operating your vehicle. Keep the summer a safe one by remembering the safety tips you’ve heard repeated so often.
42,636 Auto Fatalities in 2004
When you think about it, that’s a staggering number of deaths related to auto accidents. During the entire Vietnam War 58,000 Americans died. Auto deaths in 2004 come close to that tragic number! Age, gender, and alcohol use play a significant role in these statistics. Approximately 2 out of every three teen auto fatalities involved males. Teen auto fatality rates in the USA are higher than most other countries because of the lack of restrictions on these drivers coupled with their inexperience and immaturity.
ESC Key to Avoiding Auto Accident Fatalities
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 1/3 of all fatal car crashes could be avoided and rollovers could be reduced by 80% if more cars were equipped with electric stability control. ESC brakes individual wheels automatically to keep the vehicle under control.
When a driver makes a sudden emergency maneuver or, for example, enters a curve too fast, the vehicle may spin out of control. Then ESC’s automatic braking is applied and in some cases throttle reduced to help keep the vehicle under control. ESC is relatively new. Only in the last few years have researchers had sufficient data to analyze its effects on real-world crashes. The new Institute study is based on data from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System and police reports of crashes in 10 states during 2001-04. Researchers compared crash rates for cars and SUVs without ESC and the same models in subsequent years when ESC was standard (note: some vehicles with optional ESC were included in the no-ESC group because so few buyers choose this option).
If You Want to Go Without a Helmet, Pay More Insurance
Today’s St. Petersburg Times featured a provocative editorial concerning the repeal of the motorcycle helmet law by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2000. Since that repeal, motorcycle deaths in Florida have soared. The paper’s editorial points out that if people choose to act foolishly, they should pay more in insurance so that the average taxpayer isn’t saddled with the consequences of such foolishness. Not a bad idea.
Reinstatement of Florida Helmet Law a No-Brainer
Since the repeal of Florida’s mandatory helmet law, motorcycle deaths have skyrocketed. A report by the Florida Today newspaper analyzing federal motorcycle crash statistics found “unhelmeted” deaths in Florida rose from 22 in 1998 and 1999, the years before the helmet law repeal to 250 in 2004, the most recent year of available data. Total motorcycle deaths in the state have increased 67 percent, from 259 in 2000 to 432 in 2004, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics. It seems like an easy decision for lawmakers to re-instate the helmet law.
Don’t Rely on Your Insurance Company to Protect You in the Event of an Auto Accident
If you’ve been involved in an auto accident, you know the sad truth. Your auto insurance company doesn’t always act “like a good neighbor”. The truth is that the auto insurance company is often too busy trying to deny your claim or minimize the amount of money they pay you to actually assist you with your claim. Just this past legislative session, the insurance lobby spent countless millions of dollars trying to minimize their risk after auto accidents. That’s not a good neighbor.