Tennessee motorists may find it interesting to learn about a new technology that would allow drivers to "see through" large trucks ahead of them on the roadway and know when it is safe to pass them. The concept was developed by the South Korean electronics conglomerate Samsung.
Alcohol, speed and youth major factors in motor vehicle accidents
As many Tennessee motorists know, speeding remains a leading factor in motor vehicle accidents. The total number of fatalities dropped by almost 10,000 to 33,561 between 2003 and 2012, yet speeding was still cited as a factor in about 30 percent of the deaths. Rather than viewing speed as a lone causative factor, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration puts it in context with a common co-factor and looks at the incidence by gender and age.
The prevalence of health care worker injuries
Tennessee residents who work as nurses in residential care facilities or hospitals may not be surprised to read that health care continues to present the highest rate of injuries relative to any other general industry. The hazards of the profession, primarily tied to lifting and transferring patients, have been highlighted in a number of media reports, including one about a 43-year-old nurse who was unable to walk until she received surgery for a back injury after she helped lift a heavy patient who had fallen. Injuries like hers are unfortunately common in an industry that, according to reports, lacks sufficient lifting equipment to assist nurses with tasks that can strain muscles and joints and even result in permanent disorders.
Salon chemical use under increased scrutiny
Tennessee manicurists may not know about reports that link potentially dangerous chemicals in some nail salon products to serious health problems. Nail salon products that include chemicals such as formaldehyde may be associated with serious medical problems such as cancer, miscarriages, asthma and respiratory disease. Efforts to regulate these chemicals have generally been unsuccessful.
The leading causes of fatal car accidents
In Tennessee and around the country, car accidents claim the lives of many people each year due to various causes such as driving while under the influence and texting while driving. Using data obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on fatal car accidents between 2009 and 2013, the Auto Insurance Center has compiled a list of the leading causes in each state as well as the District of Columbia.
