On behalf of Rosenberg, Kirby, Cahill, Stankowitz & Richardson | Jun 30, 2020 | Personal Injury
You likely have worries about your teenager driving independently, especially since in the U.S., motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also states that 2,364 teens between the ages of 16 to 19 died in car accidents in 2017, and 300,000 teens went to the emergency room for car accident-related injuries the same year.
Lack of driving experience and immaturity are two factors that contribute to the high car accident rate among teenagers. Luckily, there are steps you can take as a parent to help your teen stay safe and make good decisions when he or she gets behind the wheel.
1. Lead by example
Your behavior when you drive makes an impression on your teen driver. Show your teen what safe driving looks like by always wearing your seat belt, never texting while driving, keeping your cool in stressful driving situations and obeying the posted speed limit.
2. Make time for practice
Your teen will become a better driver, and less likely to sustain injuries in a car crash, if he or she has plenty of driving practice. Consider enrolling your teenager in a driver’s education course and make sure you drive with him or her frequently to solidify his or her driving skills.
3. Discuss the dangers of unsafe driving
Your teen will be less likely to drive recklessly and engage in unsafe driving behaviors if he or she understands the impact of these actions. Sit down and talk to your teenager about why it is so important to drive safely and how his or her actions can significantly affect others when behind the wheel of a car.
4. Institute a set of rules
The state of New Jersey maintains a Graduated License Program for new drivers that places restrictions on permitting, night driving and passengers. You may desire to institute a set of rules that go beyond these restrictions to keep your teen driver safe, such as not letting him or her drive on busy freeways or only letting him or her drive to and from work.
On behalf of Rosenberg, Kirby, Cahill, Stankowitz & Richardson | Jun 24, 2020 | Workers' Compensation
Back pain can seriously impact your quality of life, making it hard to perform leisure activities or to handle tasks at work, which can impair your ability to make a living. Back pain can originate from a number of causes, some sudden and unexpected, while in other cases back pain may develop over time.
Depending on the source of your back pain, you may want to seek compensation for your medical bills. For example, some people suffer back pain because of an injury following a car accident. Medical News Today goes into some of the common causes that can hurt your back.
Accidents and improper lifting
As previously stated, a car accident can injure your back, but many different kinds of accidents can also hurt your back. You may suffer a fall while out in a public place or you may sustain a workplace injury. Any of these events may fracture a bone, damage a spinal disk, or harm a muscle or ligament.
You might also experience back pain from an action that strains your back muscles or causes a spasm. Heavy lifting is a frequent cause of strain and spasms. If you do not lift a load properly, or if you turn your body in an awkward manner, you could injure your back. Also, you might try to lift something that is too heavy for you with similar results.
Postures and workday activities
You could develop back pain over time by performing actions that are typical for you in a workday. Truck drivers, for instance, are susceptible to back pain. If your job requires you to drive over a long distance, you could be on the road for hours. Without a break, you might strain the muscles in your back from sitting down too long.
Even everyday office work can result in back pain. As part of your job, you may sit at a computer desk for prolonged periods. If you stretch your neck to read your computer screen while working, you may develop pain. You can also suffer pain if your sitting posture is too awkward and you do not take breaks to exercise.
On behalf of Rosenberg, Kirby, Cahill, Stankowitz & Richardson | Jun 6, 2020 | Motor Vehicle Accidents
Many different factors cause car accidents, from speeding to drinking and driving. However, few other actions behind the wheel are more dangerous than texting. The National Safety Council reports that over 700 people experience injuries in auto accidents while texting, and knowing which groups of drivers are most likely to text and drive may help you avoid an accident or to review your own driving habits.
Young drivers
Teens and young adults tend to depend on their cell phones a great deal more than their parents, as they use the devices not only to talk but to stream music and video, order food and post to different social media sites. This might lead to everyday texting and driving as they try to keep up with friends while they drive to work or school. Consider reminding your children to keep their phones in a purse or backpack until they reach their destination, as this could reduce the urge to use the device while behind the wheel.
Commercial drivers
Truckers, delivery personnel and company drivers must often stay in touch with managers and customers alike when they are on the road, and this may cause them to text even if they know the dangers. Incidents of texting may occur mostly on highways when individuals are in a hurry to complete their orders or make a delivery. If you own a business, you may want to make your vehicles cell phone free or limit their use when company vehicles are in motion.
While hands-free devices are popular for drivers, they still may cause distractions and accidents. Putting your phone away before you drive is a wise choice when it comes to preventing accidents caused by texting and driving.
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