Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Line Drive
In early September, a 4 year old boy and his family went to see a Cleveland Indians minor league baseball game. They had great seats for the game, they were in the front row, only 10 seats away from the scrapper's dugout. A foul ball line drive directly hit the boy's head, who was sitting in his father's lap and talking to his mother. The ball 
came into contact with his head at such a fast speed that it caused a skull fracture, leaving the boy in critical condition. Reportedly, there were no nets to prevent these foul balls to hit fans sitting above the dugouts, there was only a cage net behind the home plate. Luke Holko is able to move his arms and legs, as well as blink his eyes, to show acknowledgement when he is spoken to. At this point in his recovery, he can't talk. Doctors at Akron Children's Hospital say he suffered a brain stem injury, that is healing. However, it could take months or years to find out how well he recovers. The family admits to having seen signs warning to "be aware of foul balls". There are also warnings written on the back of every ticket sold, essentially stating that if you come to a ballgame, you are doing so at your own risk. It can't be argued that it is the ballplayers fault for hitting a line drive into the boy's head, he couldn't have possibly done so intentionally. Is it fair to say that the stadium's was poorly designed, and did not take into account foul balls, and their potentially lethal consequences? Are the stadium's warnings on the back of tickets enough, to argue that the fans were warned of foul balls, and their risks, but still attended the game at their own risk?
came into contact with his head at such a fast speed that it caused a skull fracture, leaving the boy in critical condition. Reportedly, there were no nets to prevent these foul balls to hit fans sitting above the dugouts, there was only a cage net behind the home plate. Luke Holko is able to move his arms and legs, as well as blink his eyes, to show acknowledgement when he is spoken to. At this point in his recovery, he can't talk. Doctors at Akron Children's Hospital say he suffered a brain stem injury, that is healing. However, it could take months or years to find out how well he recovers. The family admits to having seen signs warning to "be aware of foul balls". There are also warnings written on the back of every ticket sold, essentially stating that if you come to a ballgame, you are doing so at your own risk. It can't be argued that it is the ballplayers fault for hitting a line drive into the boy's head, he couldn't have possibly done so intentionally. Is it fair to say that the stadium's was poorly designed, and did not take into account foul balls, and their potentially lethal consequences? Are the stadium's warnings on the back of tickets enough, to argue that the fans were warned of foul balls, and their risks, but still attended the game at their own risk?Thursday, September 17, 2009
Safe or sorry?
There is an average 6 million car accidents annually in the United States. 40,000 of these accidents are fatal crashes. Reckless driving caused by speeding drivers, who may be drunk drivers, or preoccupied is the leading cause of an accident on the road. Its a policeman's job, his obligation serving the country to keep the road safe from these reckless drivers as best possible. Modern technology has made it possible for Police officers to use radar guns or laser unites to find drivers violating speed limit laws. Recently, there is a new Iphone app that allows drivers to live stream the positions of state troopers waiting with a radar gun or laser unit, so that other drivers can be aware of the speed trap and not violate traffic laws in those areas.
"When, you're ready to hit the road. And once you're tooling down the highway, if you spot a state trooper or city cop lying in wait with a radar gun or laser unit, you just need to punch in "pound one" on your cell phone -- or dial a toll-free number. Other users are then alerted on their cell phones or PDA when they approach the same speed trap.'One great thing about that is that it's hands-free,' says Tenereillo. 'You don't have to be looking at the phone or even be holding it to be notified of the speed trap -- which, of course, is safer, because you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to be notified of the trap.'"
Ironically, The CEO Founder of Trapster, Tenereillo says the device is safe as it doesn't require the driver to take their eyes off the road to be notified of the speed traps. What is more dangerous, Mr. Tenereillo, a driver violating speed limit laws, bypassing police that are keeping our highways and roads safe from reckless drivers, or taking your eyes off the road briefly. I would rather have the police patrolling the neighborhoods and highways, arresting drivers violating speed laws, and recklessly driving, then selfishly using a program like Trapster.
"When, you're ready to hit the road. And once you're tooling down the highway, if you spot a state trooper or city cop lying in wait with a radar gun or laser unit, you just need to punch in "pound one" on your cell phone -- or dial a toll-free number. Other users are then alerted on their cell phones or PDA when they approach the same speed trap.'One great thing about that is that it's hands-free,' says Tenereillo. 'You don't have to be looking at the phone or even be holding it to be notified of the speed trap -- which, of course, is safer, because you don’t have to take your eyes off the road to be notified of the trap.'"Ironically, The CEO Founder of Trapster, Tenereillo says the device is safe as it doesn't require the driver to take their eyes off the road to be notified of the speed traps. What is more dangerous, Mr. Tenereillo, a driver violating speed limit laws, bypassing police that are keeping our highways and roads safe from reckless drivers, or taking your eyes off the road briefly. I would rather have the police patrolling the neighborhoods and highways, arresting drivers violating speed laws, and recklessly driving, then selfishly using a program like Trapster.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Driving Text?
There are about 354 billion text messages sent every year across America. Teenagers send the most text messages when compared to all other age groups. I know a lot of people, myself included, that send text messages while they drive. Most states began enforcing "hands-free" laws which prohibit the use of communication via cellular devices while driving, drivers are sending text messages to maintain the ability to communicate with their peers. However, nobody seems to pause to realize how dangerous it is to drive while sending text messages. In 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in alcohol-impaired traffic collision, which involved a driver with an illegal Alchol level (.08 or greater). There were 41,059 total traffic fatalities in 2007, so these deaths constituted approximately 32% of the total traffic fatalities in 2007.
ABC News released this photo of a man sending text messages
while driving. Either hold the steering wheel, or don't drive!
The Transport Research Laboratory (U.K.) found that when people were sending text messages, while driving had their reaction speed reduced by 35%, which increases the chances of a crash. The research Lab tested drivers that were under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, and found that those that were drinking and driving suffered a 12% loss of reaction speed, and those that were driving under the influence of marijuana had their reaction speed reduced by 21%. Despite all the advertisements on highways, and on televisions saying "you drink, you drive, you lose.", nobody thinks about the effects of sending text messages while driving. Next time you are driving and your friend texts you asking where you are, think twice about sending a text in response. Wait until you reach your destination or at least at a stoplight, "driving text" decreases your reaction speeds by over 35%, almost 3 times as slow as those impaired by alcohol. It may seem silly, but, sending text messages while driving is proven to reduce the reaction speeds of drivers. Is it time for the creation of laws that would outlaw the use of cell phones to send text messages while driving?
ABC News released this photo of a man sending text messages
while driving. Either hold the steering wheel, or don't drive!
The Transport Research Laboratory (U.K.) found that when people were sending text messages, while driving had their reaction speed reduced by 35%, which increases the chances of a crash. The research Lab tested drivers that were under the influence of alcohol and marijuana, and found that those that were drinking and driving suffered a 12% loss of reaction speed, and those that were driving under the influence of marijuana had their reaction speed reduced by 21%. Despite all the advertisements on highways, and on televisions saying "you drink, you drive, you lose.", nobody thinks about the effects of sending text messages while driving. Next time you are driving and your friend texts you asking where you are, think twice about sending a text in response. Wait until you reach your destination or at least at a stoplight, "driving text" decreases your reaction speeds by over 35%, almost 3 times as slow as those impaired by alcohol. It may seem silly, but, sending text messages while driving is proven to reduce the reaction speeds of drivers. Is it time for the creation of laws that would outlaw the use of cell phones to send text messages while driving?
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