A new British public service announcement is gaining international media attention because of its graphic nature: however, it is also drawing attention to the fact that texting while driving is extraordinarily dangerous and puts many lives at risk when drivers turn their attention from the road to their cellphones.

The PSA shows three teenage girls driving down the road, giggling and having a great time. As one girl is shown texting while driving, she veers into the other lane and causes a major accident. She looks over at her friend, dazed, only to see a third car approaching the accident and violently crashing into them. The result is a realistic video with plenty of blood, smashing cars, breaking bones, death andthe reality of the danger that is texting while driving.

You can view the video here on YouTube. Before watching, be warned: this video is graphic and visually disturbing.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson serves all types of personal injury, product liability and auto accident clients through Palm Beach and Broward counties, including Boca Raton, Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach and Parkland. For more information, please call us at (561) 750-9191 or visit our website at www.balkanpatterson.com.

Parkland is taking the next steps necessary to create and enforce a city ordinance to ban text messaging while driving. The city commissioner Jared Moskowitz instructed the Parkland city attorney to draft an ordinance for the ban.

The issue could be brought before the city as soon as Sept. 14 - less than a month away. Parkland would be the first city within Broward County to outlaw texting while driving. Drivers are extremely distracted by texting while driving, and it greatly increases the chance of an accident.

Numerous studies have been published on the subject, with one even going so far as to say that texting while driving is more dangerous than drinking and driving. Regardless of which is worse, texting while driving puts all of us at risk, and it is an easy step to take in keeping ourselves and our families safe.

Balkan & Patterson is an auto accident and personal injury law firm in Boca Raton, with offices in Hollywood in Broward County. We serve personal injury and auto accident clients throughout South Florida, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Parkland, Lighthouse Point and more. For more information, visit us online at www.balkanpatterson.com.

ommissioner Jared Moskowitz late tonight instructed the city attorney to draft an ordinance for the ban. The issue could be debated as soon as Sept. 14.

There are 17 states that ban texting while driving, including California, Maryland, New Jersey and Illinois. Efforts in the Florida Legislature have failed during the past two years but supporters said it will be introduced again in the next session.

“This seems like a no-brainer,” Moskowitz said after the meeting. “We are a young city; we have a lot of kids.”

An onslaught of product recalls in the past year has drawn international attention to the fact that many of the products we use in our homes and purchase for our families are not always safe. The toys our children play with are not exempt from these recalls, and in fact, toys are frequently on the top of the product recall list.

More than 550 products were recalled in 2008, and the majority of them were toys and cribs. While a toy might be designed in the U.S., most are made overseas in countries like China, where they don’t have the same standards for safety and quality control. Because of the numerous recalls, class action lawsuits, and the potential dangers to our children, new legislation was passed to increase testing and regulations on many of these products. The legislation, called the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, was enacted in Feb. 2009, but the deadline for compliance with the new regulations has been extended until next year.

Essentially, the legislation prohibits the use of lead and certain toxic chemicals in toys and infant products and requires them to be tested before they are approved for sale to consumers. Manufacturers and importers of all sizes of children’s products will not need to test or certify to these new requirements until Feb. 10, 2010, but they must meet the lead and phthalates limits, mandatory toy standards and other requirements. More information about the legislation can be found on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

Until there are better regulations in place for toys, there are a few tips parents can keep in mind when shopping for these products.

• Read Labels: This information gives age and safety recommendations for each toy.
• Be Age Appropriate: Certain toys are designed for different ages. Make sure your children’s toys are specific to their age.
• Small Parts or Magnets: If you have young children, use caution with these types of toys. Small parts or magnets can cause serious injuries if swallowed.
• Research: Before buying anything, consult the Consumer Product Safety Commission website for the most up-to-date information on recalled products.

Adam Balkan is a partner in the law firm of Balkan & Patterson. As a parent and a Parkland resident, he works to protect our communities and handles all types of personal injury cases, including class actions, product recalls, auto accidents and cases of child or special needs student abuse.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson serves all types of personal injury, product liability and auto accident clients through Palm Beach and Broward counties, including Boca Raton, Lighthouse Point, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach and Parkland. For more information, please call us at (561) 750-9191 or visit our website at www.balkanpatterson.com.

Kids are going back to school throughout South Florida, and the rest of the country will soon follow. Keeping our children safe is any parent’s number one priority, and the attorneys at the law firm of Balkan & Patterson work hard to keep our communities safe and our laws strong. There are a number of resources available on our website and on the Internet for parents, including safety tips and methods for helping keep your children out of danger.

One measure parents can take is to make sure they have up-to-date information on their child. This information helps greatly in the event on an emergency, and our law firm can provide you with a free child identification kit. The child identification kits assist parents in creating a private and extremely comprehensive record of their child’s personal and medical information, for use in an emergency. The kits allow parents to make fingerprint and dental records, along with a complete and accurate description of the child. In an emergency where a child is missing, the first few hours are critical to a safe recovery. These kits help police and other emergency personnel in finding lost or missing children.

To request a kit, please contact us online at www.balkanpatterson.com or call 561-750-9191.

Officials in Parkland, Florida, are weighing the options of making texting while driving illegal because of safety concerns. Texting while driving greatly increases the risk of an accident because a driver’s attention is significantly reduced - it is estimated that those drivers are 23 times as likely to be involved in an accident.

Seventeen states have already banned texting while driving. According to Parkland officials, the fines will not be determined until later, but could mimic similar legislation around the country. In California, for example, the fine for the first offense is $20. To view the complete story, please click here.