By: Allison Lane

The Transportation Department banned commercial drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds, from text messaging while operating commercial vehicles.  President Obama signed an executive order prohibiting all Federal employees driving government owned vehicles or with government owned equipment, from texting and driving. 

Studies have shown that drivers who text and drive are six times more likely to get into an accident.  Research shows that a driver’s reaction time is decreased by thirty percent when the driver is texting and driving, versus a nine percent decrease when the driver is talking on the phone and driving.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s research shows that a driver who is texting and driving takes his or her eyes off of the road an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting.  This correlates to driving, without looking at the road, for the length of a football field, including end zones, at a speed of 55 miles per hour. 

This prohibition is effective immediately and will result in harsh penalties including civil or criminal penalties up to $2,750.00.  Prior to this prohibition, the District of Columbia and nineteen states ban all drivers from texting and driving, and ten other states restrict novice drivers from texting and driving.

The number of accidents that have been caused by texting and driving is unknown, because the police have not been required to keep track of it.  However, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 80 percent of accidents are caused by driver inattention.  This inattention is continuing to increase with the use of cell phones and texting while driving.  A survey revealed that 60% of teenage drivers, text and drive.  The Transportation Department is concerned that it will be a difficult law to enforce, however, they have joined with safety advocates to create FocusDriven.  This organization will be similar to Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, to lobby against cell phone use and texting while driving.

Do not text and drive.

By: Allison Lane

Cadmium, a toxic metal and carcinogenic, was recently found in a high volume of toys imported from China.  This metal has been found in children’s inexpensive jewelry, charms and pendants across the United States.  Stores such as Walmart, Claire’s and other retailers are pulling these items off of the market in an abundance of caution.
 
Reports have shown that Chinese manufacturers substituted lead for Cadmium in these inexpensive toys and jewelry.  Manufacturers have consistently been scrutinized, and were eventually banned from using lead in children’s toys.  It appears that manufacturers replaced the lead with this inexpensive, yet dangerous metal.  The tests on the products revealed that some of the jewelry had as high as 84-91% of its weight in cadmium. 
 
One of the largest concerns seems to be how easily the metal rubs off, which could be extremely dangerous to children who put these pieces of jewelry or toys in their mouth.  A child does not need to ingest the cadmium to be at risk.  It can be caused by biting or repeatedly chewing on a product.  It is very disheartening that manufacturers would use this dangerous metal for products that were designed for children. The metal is not only known to cause cancer, but may also hinder brain development, and cause learning disabilities.
 
This metal originally was used as pigment and for corrosion resistant plating on steel.  Aside from batteries, it is being used less regularly because it is known to cause significant health problems and is hazardous to the environment.  Of the 275 most dangerous substances in the environment, cadmium is number 7. 

If your children have any of these small trinkets, jewelry charms or pendants, please remove them from your children’s possession and call Balkan & Patterson to assist you.

By: Allison Lane

Did you know. . . Florida is Number 5 in the Country for the Most Uninsured Drivers?

What does that mean to you?  If you are in a car accident that is caused by an uninsured driver, and you do not have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage on your automobile policy, you essentially have no protection.  By only carrying liability coverage on your automobile insurance policy, you are protecting someone else that you may injure in an accident, but you are not protecting yourself or the passengers in your car, from the negligence of an uninsured driver or a hit and run.

Recent studies show that 23% of drivers in the State of Florida are uninsured.  This drastically high statistic is expected to increase in 2010. The studies show a strong correlation between uninsured drivers and unemployment.

In Florida, drivers are required to carry personal injury protection in the amount of $10,000.00, to pay for medical bills caused by the accident, 60% of lost wages and 60% household expenses.  Florida also requires its drivers to carry property damage in the amount of $10,000.00, to pay for property damage to another driver’s vehicle, but not the driver’s own vehicle. Florida law does not require Florida motorists to carry liability insurance or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.

If you find yourself in an unfortunate economic situation, do not cancel your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.  The only way to protect yourself against uninsured drivers in Florida is to obtain Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage.  Please contact Balkan & Patterson, LLP, or your insurance agent to confirm that your automobile insurance coverage is sufficient to protect you and your family, before it is too late.