Charlottesville Personal Injury Lawyer - safety

Toyota Recalling 110,000 Tundra's in 20 States

Greg Webb — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:04:02 GMT

Toyota, in yet another in what seems to be a stream of recent recalls, is recalling 110,000 Tundra pick-up trucks from the model years 2000-2003. The recall is attempting to address excessive rust on the trucks' frames, and the government (NHTSA) is urging owners to remove the spare tire from the vehicle because it is concerned the tire could drop into the roadway, which could cause hazards for motorists.

The corrosion can also cause problems with the rear brake lines, leading to brake system failures, according to NHTSA. This is, of course, a potential safety issue for motorists as well.

The recall is for 20 "cold weather" states, including Virginia and the District of Columbia. Other states include: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Owners are asked to take their trucks to a local dealer who will repair the damaged portion of the frame, or apply a rust resistant compound to the affected area, depending upon the severity of the corrosion.

This is the second major recall by Toyota in the past several months, with the other affecting Toyota and Lexus models because of safety issues concerning floor mats.

I am afraid Toyota is slipping some. I own a Toyota that has 70,000 miles on it, and I have had to have more work done to it than other Toyotas I have owned. I also think Toyota got caught up in the big truck, SUV, craze that overcame many other manufacturers, and got away some from what it did best: building high quality, high value, economical cars. I suspect, however, that Toyota will right the ship and get back on track at some point in the near future.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Studies Show E. coli In Ground Beef Not Ceasing

Greg Webb — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:00 GMT

Studies show that more than 70,000 Americans become sick each year due to E. coli bacterial infections. Most of these infections come from contaminated beef made into the most “American” of foods, the hamburger. Of the 70,000 infected, about 2,000 are sick enough to be hospitalized and in some extreme cases, victims become paralyzed or die; death happens in about 60 patients annually. Although the government does post regulations in order to keep the contamination at a minimum, many feel this is not enough; even the best precautions can only do so much. In a recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, for example, the E. coli bacteria contaminated one of every 200 samples of ground beef.

While companies and government inspectors backstop safety procedures by testing sample meat products for E. coli contamination, a procedure that usually takes at least a couple of days to show results, there are still problems. The first is that companies do not want testing conducted unless they do it themselves. According to a recent article published in the New York Times, many meat producers will not sell to processing companies who test the meat upon the delivery’s arrival, before it is mixed with meat from other companies. Producers are worried a positive E. coli test would force them to recall their entire product, including the meat they sold to other processors. Instead, meat companies require the processors only test the finished hamburger so if there is a contamination, it is impossible to trace it back to a single slaughterhouse. The second problem is that it is physically unfeasible and economically unrealistic to test every ounce of meat; it takes only a little E. coli bacteria to make someone sick. Only irradiation, in which meat is treated with a low dose of radiation, kills all of the bacteria. Though this process is deemed safe and effective, public speculation has helped prevent its spread. Many believe the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) should help to change people’s minds about irradiation in order to ensure the process is more widely used.

Because the producers, processors and government cannot guarantee the safety of meat, they ask consumers to cook it to 160 degrees to kill most of the bacteria.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Obama Appointment for Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is Stunning

Greg Webb — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:26:05 GMT

President Obama made a strange appointment regarding who would become leader of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ("FMCSA"). Although Obama has passed an order stating he would limit lobbyists’ power to enter the government as high officials to influence policy from within, he appointed Anne Ferro, a major trucking industry lobbyist in Maryland, to lead this agency that oversees truck safety. The order prohibits hiring anyone who lobbied an executive-branch agency within the past two years; this technically means federally registered lobbyists. It is unclear how Obama feels hiring Ferro is consistent with the order.

Members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee meet Wednesday to decide whether Ms. Ferro should be confirmed. Many committee members feel that during his term, President Bush was wrong to install people from the trucking industry to regulate their own industry and do not feel President Obama should do this either. While Ferro has promoted such positive programs as a graduated licensing system for new drivers and an ignition interlock program for drunk drivers, she also has spoken in support of the Bush administration’s loosening of restrictions on drivers’ schedules and driver fatigue; this decision is in defiance of considerable evidence of danger from fatigued drivers.

This record of Ferro’s, some believe (including this writer), should disqualify Ferro from the appointment. The reason for the latter is that there are many people in this country who die each year because of truck drivers operating 18-wheelers, weighing upwards of 80,000 pounds, and the drivers, and/or their employers, are violating federal and state safety regulations (which are or were in place for a reason). Unfortunately, I represent a family currently, and have many times in the past, where the driver was fatigued and should not have been behind the wheel of his rig rolling down the highway. Loosening restrictions on the trucking industry is similar, in some respects, to loosening restrictions on the banking industry (look what happened there).

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Supplements - More Dangerous Than They Appear (Or Advertised)?

Greg Webb — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:00:00 GMT

In its September 7^th article “What’s Really in Supplements?” The Wall Street Journal (WSJ)discusses the harmful side effects of a growing trend in the American dietary and strength conditioning communities: the taking of over-the-counter supplements.

Many supplements purport to aid in the building of muscle mass or in weight loss, claiming to do what prescription or illegal drugs do via an herbal means. However, the truth is that a great deal of these supplements contain at least trace amounts of the very drugs they claim to emulate.

Recent reports from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) address the discovery of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in “allegedly natural supplements.” The WSJ article states that “[n]early two-thirds of American adults take dietary supplements, a broad category that includes vitamins, minerals and herbal products.” Supplement manufacturers are able to get their products quickly to market because they don’t require the extensive testing that new drugs do, and thus don’t require approval by the FDA. Furthermore, the WSJ says that “supplements that are made from products that were on the U.S. market before 1994 – as most commonplace ones are – can be sold without being reviewed by the FDA beforehand. Companies that include newer substances are supposed to inform the agency before they go on the market, but they don’t have to wait for approval.”

The recent attention stirred by the reports will be discussed during a hearing this month by a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. The focus of the hearing will be on dietary-supplement safety.

While officials at the Council for Responsible Nutrition are arguing that “no new laws are needed, citing new FDA manufacturing standards for supplements…as well as a requirement for supplement makers to tell the FDA when they get reports of serious side effects, which took effect at the end of 2007,” consumer advocates continue to call for closer monitoring.

A 2007 survey conducted by the British lab HFL Sport Science regarding supplements “found the undisclosed presence of steroids in at least trace amounts in 25% of the 52 samples analyzed,” and a 2008 article published in the journal Gastroenterology claimed that “9% of the 300 cases then recorded” could potentially be linked to supplement-taking. Since December 2008, “the FDA has issued warnings about more than 70 weight-loss supplements that included potentially dangerous ingredients.” The side effects of such ingredients could include seizure, heart attack and stroke. Liver and kidney failure have also been common in cases where a supplement taken regularly contained anabolic steroids. “Ed Wyszumiala, general manager of dietary supplement programs for NSF International, a nonprofit organization in Ann Arbor, MI that certifies supplements’ safety, says the drugs and steroids likely get into the products through a combination of deliberate spiking and inadvertent contamination.”

Vice President Andrew Shao of the Council for Responsible Nutrition “says safety problems are a ‘rare occurrence.’” He considers the HFL survey a “‘marketing tactic’” and says that consumers need to know what they’re taking as well. This is true. Consumers who take dietary supplements should be aware their ingredients and what those ingredients do. Research has been conducted on numerous herbs, most of which can be found online. In addition, Travis Tygart, chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, says that people who are interested in take supplements should speak with a physician. This would also help prevent dangerous interactions between prescription drugs and the supplements.

Preventative measures could include researching evidence, side effects and interactions at the National Library of Medicine (www.medlineplus.gov) under “Drugs and Supplements,” searching for specific supplements at www.fda.gov, as well as reading closely into what a supplement’s packaging discloses in subtext. “Certain suffixes in chemical names are common for steroids or tweaked versions of them. Among them are –one, -ene, -iol and –bol, though these can also appear in the names of legitimate ingredients. Some products also use versions of steroid names in their brands, like ‘tren’ to connote trenbolone.”

People using supplements should be aware of warning symptoms that could be indicative of an escalating problem. These include nausea, weakness or fatigue, fever, abdominal pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, yellow corneas and skin, and discolored urine, as cited by the FDA as warning signs of potential steroid use.

The Wall Street Journal article contains a complete list of resources for researching supplements.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Four Out of Five Ain’t Bad? – Research Finds 1 out of 5 Trucks Unfit

Greg Webb — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:54:11 GMT

Recently, a new batch of statistics has emerged from research done by the American Association for Justice (AAJ) regarding motor carrier safety violations. Violations found include such unsafe practices as "overloading trucks, allowing unqualified or untrained drivers behind the wheel, failing to maintain tires and brakes, and salary systems that encourage truck drivers to exceed speed limits and maximum driving hours."

AAJ reports that 9 million trucks occupy U.S. roadways each year. And, although they represent less than 4% of all passenger vehicles, they make up 12% of vehicles involved in motor vehicle fatalities, with 4,000 people dying every year from accidents involving collisions with trucks. The most distressing part about these figures is that most of these violations result from companies trying to cut corners and maximize profits; most of these accidents are preventable, if not largely resulting from judgment errors.

In April 2009, the AAJ found that there were more than 28,000 trucking companies, with over 200,000 trucks (collectively) driving on U.S. roads, incurring thousands of violations – "defective brakes, bald tires, loads that dangerously exceed weight limits, and drivers with little or no training or drug and alcohol dependence." The real issue at hand is that, to other motorists, these problems are impossible to detect. One simply cannot tell that the truck riding in front of it, the one doing 75 in the left hand lane, has defective brakes and bald tires until it’s too late. This is exactly what happened to young, "newly-commissioned Army officer" Matthew Giuliano.

Matthew drove directly into the back of a truck that, earlier, was having air brake issues due to a small eroded hole caused by a dragging hose. The drivers – a husband and wife duo – repaired the malfunction with a toothpick and electrical tape.

A toothpick. And electrical tape.

It was only a matter of time before such a jury-rigged repair gave way, and, somewhat predictably, it did. Sadly, there was no way for Mr. Giuliano to avoid the accident that took his life. However, it could have been easily avoided if the drivers of that truck stopped at any of the repair shops they passed in the two hours between their makeshift solution and the time of the accident.

Reportedly, it would have cost them $12.

Even more disheartening is the fact that the dispatcher for the trucking company commended them for their thriftiness and quick-thinking. For some reason, one would like to think that a driver – a professional driver – would know better than to employ such unproven Boy Scout heroics on the forty-ton metal missile he’s driving. More so, one would like to think that the checks-and-balances in place would tell him he was off base.

Now, while this may have been a case leaning on the extreme shoulders of the "miserable judgment" scale, it doesn’t change the fact that the method of thinking apparently used by the two drivers in Mr. Giuliano’s case appears to be part of a greater collective consciousness that envelops a large part of the trucking industry: time over safety.

What’s worse is that smaller trucking companies will rarely spring for more than the minimum required insurance coverage – $750,000 – a number that hasn’t change in almost 30 years. The AAJ’s research indicates that 87% of the companies in violation are operating fleets of 10 trucks or less. This number, relative to the number of accidents each year involving trucks, seems to call for a change in that minimum, considering the number of victims that are forced to rely on Medicare/Medicaid to pick up the slack.

Similarly, the AAJ cites Florida trucking company Benton’s Express, who had a driver come to it and complain about his regularly overloaded truck and its difficulty to control. That was until he blew out a tire in 2004, leading to an investigation that found several companies in the Florida area who routinely faked paperwork in order to get away with illegally overloading their trucks.

It all ties back to this theme of time over safety. It is easier (unsafe) to load a truck with product beyond its maximum, so that it takes fewer trips to move said product, than it is to safely (not as easily) transport the maximum number of product until the product is fully delivered.

Furthermore, the AJJ states that its research concluded that "A 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that ‘nearly one-third of commercial motor vehicle crashes that states are required to report to the federal government were not reported, and those that were reported were not always accurate, timely, or consistent.’" In addition, companies that incur a large number of violations or particularly severe violations often change their names, coming back as "reincarnations." Such is the case with Iguala BusMex Inc., which was a new company waiting for approval for a federal license when one of its busses crashed after it blew a tire and ran into a guard rail, killing 17 passengers. A later investigation revealed that Iguala BusMex was incorporated and owned by the same individual as Angel Tours Inc., a company that was shut down after accruing a large number of violations.

The research done by the AAJ was compiled and can be found at: www.justice.org/trucksafetyviolations. It includes all 28,274 trucking companies with violations and is broken down by state. The AAJ states that "All of the listed companies have either conditional or unsatisfactory safety ratings. A conditional rating means that the truck company’s records indicate the truck was out of compliance with one or more safety requirements. An unsatisfactory rating means that the truck company’s records indicated evidence of substantial noncompliance with safety requirements."

In addition to these figures, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance conducted its own set of comprehensive roadside inspections in June 2009. It announced the inspection dates four months ahead of time, giving plenty of warning for companies to address problems. These dates were publicly aware within the bounds of the trucking industry. Regardless, 22.2% of the trucks inspected failed and were taken out of service.

"Even still, Bill Graves, President and CEO of the American Trucking Association (ATA), said the results ‘illustrate the trucking industry’s deep commitment to the safety of all motorists.’"

This writer has represented many victims (and families) of tractor-trailer crashes. Some of the driver "training" (or lack thereof), maintenance (or lack thereof), and supervision (or lack thereof) I have seen is astounding. Suffice it to say that, whenever I am on a highway and happen to be in the vicinity of a tractor trailer, I try to get out of the vicinity as safely and quickly as possible.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Toys ‘R’ Us to Keep Things Safe with "The Great Trade-In Program"

Greg Webb — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:25:10 GMT

In the August 26, 2009 Charlottesville section of Craigslist.com, there were 71 new posts in the "Baby+Kids" subsection of "For Sale." Going solely off of the post titles (admittedly, I disregarded a thorough analysis of each post’s contents for the sake of search-brevity), out of those 71 posts, 3 were for strollers (4%), 2 were for car seats (3%), 2 were for highchairs (3%), 8 were for swing sets/play sets (12%), 5 were for cribs/beds/bassinets (7%), 12 were for clothes (17%), 2 were for food (3%), 5 were for bikes/scooters/walkers (7%), 10 were for miscellaneous toys (14%), and 2 were for child backpacks/harnesses (for carrying children) (3%). That comes to 73%. In addition, there were three posts for "Want to Buy" items, including a "Kelty Convertible Backpack/stroller," a "dresser and booster seat" and an "infant car seat" (4%). The remaining posts were for nondescript items or general mass toy/baby item sales.

Now this is not intended to pass judgment on those posters, nor is it to discredit the helpfulness of the Craigslist service; but those figures demonstrate the fact that, beyond the traditional familial "passing down of the crib," people – strangers, rather – are selling and buying used children’s items to and from one another daily. And that is just in Charlottesville, a small city. Compared to New York City, which had a whopping 769 listings on Wednesday the 26^th, Charlottesville’s 71 posts are, relatively speaking, small potatoes.

From this limited yet telling research, it is safe to surmise that between the 71 posts in Charlottesville and the 769 posts in New York City, there is at least some risk involved in these exchanges based on the volume and frequency in which they are made. This goes said under the full understanding that in any Craigslist transaction there is an implied "risk" involved.

However, the point remains that the acquisition or requesting of used children’s items is a less than surefire way to ensure the safety of one’s child. In an attempt to prevent such exchanges, Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us will be offering a trade-in program for parents looking to unload old or used children’s items in exchange for a 20% discount toward the purchase of new items in the same categories.

Jerry Storch, chairman and chief executive of the Wayne, N.J. company, was quoted in The Wall Street Journal, saying, "We feel it's critical to get these older products out of the chain of commerce."

This exchange program is at least partially influenced by the constant updating of the quality control standards imposed on the industry. Requirements and regulations are always being changed, and older products that may not have been held to the same standards as products currently on the market are not only potentially more dangerous, but they’re also more susceptible to being traded and/or resold by previous owners who don’t need them anymore. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and safety advocacy groups seem to agree, urging people to be aware of the potential dangers in buying and selling old and used items. Their concerns are only reinforced by the dramatic increase in recalls over the years, with 563 product recalls having been issued in 2008, an increase of 162 from 2005.

The event, called "The Great Trade-In," will run from August 28 until September 20. Products eligible will include strollers, bassinets, travel systems, play yards and high chairs – 29% of August 26^’s Craigslist listings in Charlottesville.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Texting Drivers Significantly Raise Crash Risk

Greg Webb — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:00:00 GMT

The first study of drivers texting while operating their vehicles shows that the crash risk of doing so is much higher than previous estimates from laboratory research and significantly surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions. The study, which involved outfitting the cabs of long-haul trucks with video cameras over a year-and-a-half, showed that a texting driver’s collision risk is 23 times greater than when not texting.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute also measured the time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive a text, finding that it was nearly five seconds in instances that resulted in a crash or near crash. Although tractor-trailers are less maneuverable than cars, the findings generally apply to all drivers. The researchers said that car drivers tend to exhibit the same behaviors and that the study did not show that truckers texted more or less than typical drivers.

Rich Hanowski, who oversaw the study at the institute, said that the analysis was partially financed by $300,000 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which is responsible for improving safety in trucks and buses. The research was a significant undertaking, requiring $6 million to equip trucks with cameras and track them for three million miles.

Tom Dingus, director of the institute, says the study clearly shows that you should not text while driving. The final analysis of the data is undergoing peer review before formal publication.

Only fourteen states ban texting while driving, and legislators in some states have rejected such bans, saying they need more data. One difficulty in measuring crashes caused by texting drivers is that police agencies do not collect this data or compile long-term studies. Several recent crashes have drawn attention to the issue, including a May crash involving a Boston trolley car driver who was texting his girlfriend.

Texting overall has seen a sharp increase, with U.S. phone users sending 110 billion texts in December according to the cell phone industry’s trade group, CTIA.

The results of the Virginia Tech study are bolstered by a University of Utah study that showed that college students using a driving simulator were eight times more likely to crash when texting. That study, undergoing peer review and submitted for publication in the Journal for Human Factors, also found that drivers removed their eyes from the road for approximately five seconds when texting.

David Strayer, a professor who co-wrote the University of Utah report, offered two potential reasons for his study showing lower risks than the Virginia Tech study. The first is the decreased maneuverability of tractor-trailers, and the second is that the college students in his study might be more capable of multitasking.

The Virginia Tech research focused on texting among truck drivers because it was relatively new and better reflected the explosive growth of texting. Another study from the organization will focus on texting among light-vehicle drivers, especially teenagers. Early results from that study show comparable levels of risk between light-vehicle drivers and truckers.

Researchers disagree on whether to place greater value on naturalistic or laboratory studies, but all agree that the scientific results show that texting poses a much greater risk to drivers than other distractions.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to publish polling that shows that 87 percent of people consider drivers texting or emailing to post a significant hazard. However, 21 percent of drivers confirm that they have recently texted or emailed while driving. About half of drivers age 16 to 24 report texting while driving, compared with 22 percent of drivers 35 to 44.

Those readers of this blog who reside in Virginia (this writer's home state) should know that Virginia passed a law effective on July 1, 2009, making texting while driving illegal. This seems like common sense, but we all, at times, think we can do more than we actually can.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Federal Agency Withheld Data On The Risks Of Distracted Driving

Greg Webb — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:32:27 GMT

In 2003, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a long-term study that would determine the danger posed by cell phone use behind the wheel; they began the study after evidence showed multitasking was a serious and growing threat on the roadways. This study’s research and warnings regarding the use of phones were not released until recently, however, because the agency was scared the findings would anger Congress, thus jeopardizing billions of dollars in funding. The information was only released after two advocacy groups filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for the documents.

The documents in question revealed that highway safety experts estimated that in 2002, cell phone use by drivers caused around 955 fatalities and 240,000 accidents. The researchers based the fatality and accident estimates on studies that quantified the risks of distracted driving and the assumption that at any given time, six percent of drivers were talking on the phone; the agency now estimates this number has risen to about twelve percent. Researchers also shelved a draft letter prepared for the Transportation Secretary. The letter was to be sent to states in an attempt to warn officials that hands-free laws were not enough to solve the problem because it’s the conversation itself that keeps drivers from paying full attention to the road, not just holding the cellphone itself. Due to their conclusions, the researchers asked that drivers not use wireless communication devices while driving unless it was an emergency. Because researchers did not want to anger the appropriations committee, however, this report was swept under the rug.

The former head of the agency claims he was asked not to make the research public to avoid antagonizing members of Congress who warned the agency to stick to its policy of gathering safety data and not lobbying states. Critics say this rationale has led to many unnecessary lives being lost and the innovation of a culture of behind-the-wheel multitasking. Many claim this problem is as bad as drunk driving and the government is attempting to cover it up. Supporters of the agency argue Congress had nothing to do with the decision to not publicize the information; they claim no public health agency would allow its research to be suppressed for political reasons. This research mirrors many that describe the dangers of multitasking while driving. Research shows, for example, that drivers talking on the phone are four times as likely to get in an accident as those who are not, and are as likely to cause an accident as someone with a .08 blood alcohol level.

Not all of the research went unpublished. The safety agency did put over 150 scientific articles on its website describing how talking on the cell phone while driving impairs the brain’s reaction time; these articles, however, did not contain the summaries written by researchers. This, one researcher claims, took the teeth out of the findings.

To view the documents that were released, please click here: documents.nytimes.com/documents-from-the-u-s-department-of-transportation-s-national-highway-traffic-safety-administration

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Tractor-Trailers Make Interstate 81 A Dangerous Ride

Greg Webb — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 22:08:58 GMT

Interstate 81 runs from central Tennessee to the Canadian border, offering picturesque views of the Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains as it winds through Virginia. Drivers, however, report nerves and fear because of the incredible number of tractor-trailers on I-81.

The Virginia Department of Transportation reports that trucks account for one of every four vehicles on I-81, in some stretches making up nearly half of the vehicles on the highway. That’s the highest ratio on any major Virginia highway and well above what I-81 was designed to carry.

In Virginia, the more heavily traveled I-95 bears more crashes – almost twice as many as I-81 between 2003 and 2007 – but the fatality rate for crashes on I-81 is nearly double that of I-95. Lon Anderson, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, noted that a car surrounded by tractor-trailers is likely going to be the “jelly in the sandwich” if something goes wrong.

Last week, on a 15-mile stretch of I-81 near I-66, four crashes occurred in less than ten hours between Thursday evening and Friday morning. They involved nine tractor-trailers and two passenger vehicles, leaving two dead and several injured. The first crash occurred around 7:20 PM, when a truck overturned in the median, spilling its load of watermelons and creating a jam that backed up for miles. Traffic was still barely moving after 10 PM when brothers Stone and William Weeks drove through in their Honda Civic. A tractor-trailer rammed their car from behind, forcing it underneath the truck in front of it and starting a fire that killed both brothers. Reporter Darryl Woodson, editor of the Lexington News-Gazette, says that his paper doesn’t even try to cover all the interstate wrecks because the incidents are so frequent.

Interstate 81 is popular among truckers because it is a north-south alternative to I-95 that avoids tolls and bypasses traffic around major cities. Since the North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994, the highway carries even more truckers ferrying goods from the border into U.S. markets. However, tourists exploring the Shenandoah Valley use I-81 and one-third of the state’s college students use the corridor to access James Madison University and Virginia Tech.

During the last decade, Virginia transportation officials considered building a parallel highway for trucks only. The idea was discarded after officials determined that it would create space for trucks but wouldn’t ease congestion or other vehicles. More recently, officials looked at widening the interstate from two lanes to four, but that is unlikely to happen with the state in financial crisis and tolls considered politically undesirable. I-81 program manager for Virginia’s Transportation Department Fred Altizer Jr. stated that nothing will happen because there is no revenue to support it.

Environmental groups have lobbied unsuccessfully for more investment in rail, arguing that it is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to keep trucks off the road. In the meantime, I-81 traffic has tripled in the past two decades in the Winchester and Roanoke regions. Trucks slow dramatically on inclines then barrel down after reaching the crest of the hill, often tailgating smaller vehicles in front of them.

Truckers report that other drivers often don’t give them enough room and are unaware that a tractor-trailer can require the length of a football field to stop. One truck driver said that he would much rather be surrounded by trucks driven by professionals than cars whose drivers seem oblivious to the dangers of sharing the road with tractor-trailers.

This writer has personal experience with I-81, having driven it for nearly 30 years, including from Tennessee all the way to Watertown, New York where I was stationed with the 10^th Mountain Division in the late 1980’s. Interstate 81 has definitely gotten worse (as far as safety) in the past 10-15 years in Virginia, and I think that a lane expansion will have to be done sometime in the next 10 years. If not, it will become either a parking lot for tractor trailers, or just too risky to travel in a passenger car – or both. I hope the money is found to widen it to at least 3 lanes running north and south. This is an important infrastructure project not only for Virginia, but for the country, because this Interstate is important for the nation’s commerce, and, perhaps, even national security. I hope that our future governors and elected representatives will take this project on with a strong commitment.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Toy Manufacturer Agrees To Penalty For Lead In Toys

Greg Webb — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 21:55:29 GMT

OKK Trading, an American based toy importer, has agreed to pay a $665,000 civil penalty settlement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) after it was shown that the company imported and sold toys that violated many child safety standards, such as having high levels of lead. The CPSC announced that the settlement resolves the agency’s allegations that OKK Trading violated a thirty-year-old ban on lead paint in toys by knowingly importing and selling toys with excessive levels of lead from November 2007 to August 2008. The settlement also resolves several other allegations that it knowingly sold and imported games, toys, rattles, art materials and pacifiers that violated federal safety standards. In agreeing with the settlement, OKK Trading denies that it knowingly violated the law. The company further claims it received no reports of injuries or incidents involving the products covered by the settlement.

Earlier this month, the CPSC also announced that toy maker Mattel Inc. and its subsidiary Fisher-Price have agreed to pay $2.3 million for importing and selling toys with excessive amounts of lead. A CPSC spokesperson said the agency expects to announce more civil penalties against companies that violated the lead ban in order to hold companies responsible for all of the recalls that attracted so much media attention in 2007 and 2008.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb