Panish Shea & Boyle Blog

Knowing the steps you’re supposed to take in the midst of severe weather conditions is essential to ensuring safety.  Different types of storms may require you to take different precautions, although seeking shelter is always going to be imperative.  If the part of California you live in is ever impacted by severe weather, then you might consider the valuable tips offered in a new report.

Although not common, tornados are a possibility in California.  When they descend, you have to be ready to go into action.  Hopefully you’re in a structure that’s equipped to weather the tornado.  An underground shelter will be the best choice, but if such a basement level isn’t available, get to someplace in the center of the structure.  What you don’t want to do is buy into the old myth that you can equalize pressure by opening windows.  All this really does is give the wind access to your home and send debris inside.

If you ever find yourself outside, the danger becomes far greater.  If in an automobile, you need to exit at once so that you’re not inside should the tornado pick up the vehicle.  If no buildings are around, you’ll want to find a low-lying area and lay down while covering your head with your hands.  However, keep in mind if you’re in a ditch that heavy rains might lead to flooding, and thus you must be cognizant of that danger.

Hail also poses its share of danger, with head injuries from larger pieces of hail resulting in various injuries and even fatalities every single year.  We’re talking about a projectile that could be the size of a baseball moving as much as 100 miles per hour.  If in the midst of a hailstorm, find shelter as quickly as you can.  That goes for if you’re in a vehicle as well; hail can crash straight through the windows.

No matter what type of storm might be bearing down on your neighborhood, you can stay up to date by following the warnings of the National Weather Service.  If you’re traveling, know what counties you’re going to be traveling through so that you know to take precautions when that particular county has a watch or a warning issued for it.  Having a map handy is also a great idea, as you can consult it if you’re not sure of your location.

You also want to make sure to check in on certain demographics prior to a storm hitting.  If you have a loved one or neighbor who is elderly or mentally or physically disabled, check on them if you can do so safely.  And if you have pets or children, make sure you know where they are at all times.

Bicyclists can have it pretty rough, especially on busy Southern California roads.  In Los Angeles, drivers tend to get so focused on making it through the gridlock to get to their destination that they fail to take into account the rights of cyclists, who don’t have nearly the same protection that an individual in a motor vehicle does.

To make sure that bicycle safety awareness is assured, thousands of cyclists throughout the country took part last week in an event known as the Ride of Silence.  Cyclists gathered at venues all across the United States to lend their wheels to the cause, which strives to honor those who have been injured or killed in a bike accident.

Around 100 people showed up in Pasadena, and throughout the duration of the ride, no one was allowed to speak.  The 12 mile course took cyclists through Old Pasadena to City Hall and eventually closed out at the Rose Bowl.  In years prior, the ride simply involved riding in laps around the Rose Bowl, but the event coordinator preferred the method used this year, as it’s thought to have drawn more awareness.

That same event coordinator says that 25 people on bicycles have already been killed in Southern California this year.  Riders on hand for the event were able to attest to the danger themselves, with around half claiming that they have been hit while on their travels.

Given their large size when compared with other types of vehicles on the highway, semi trucks need to have their safety assured in order to protect travelers along the roads.  Thus, owners of the vehicles involved in this next recall must make sure to get the necessary repairs as soon as possible, lest a runaway tractor trailer imperil safety across the country.

Mack Trucks announced the recall, which pertains to MRU, GU, LEU, CXU, and CHU trucks of the 2013 and 2014 model years.  Each of the 5,203 or so affected vehicles will have drum brakes.

The recall was necessitated because it was discovered that there might not be a cotter pin in the brake slack adjuster’s clevis pin.  Without this component, loosening and eventual dislodgment of the clevis pin is a distinct possibility.  This can lead one wheel to lose its ability to halt as required, a condition that will potentially increase the time and distance it takes to stop.  The vehicle might also be pulled to one side because of the braking imbalance.  Either situation would imperil drivers and nearby commuters.

On June 17, the recall is set to start up, and owners can expect to hear from Mack.  Free inspections will be offered by dealers, and if the brake slack adjuster is found to be wanting, new hardware will also be installed at no cost.

Parents with kids who are about to hit the legal age limit for driving have to contend with a worry that parents didn’t have to fathom even ten years ago:  texting and driving.  Our nation’s teens are more invested in constant communication than at any time in the recent past, but when that communication extends to behind the wheel, the results can be disastrous.

A new report out of Missouri finds a local driving instructor providing parents with some valuable tips on getting teenagers to put down the phone when they get in the driver’s seat.  Parents should of course speak with their teens about the importance of cellphone restraint, but they shouldn’t be hypocritical.  If you don’t want your teens to text, then you have to be willing to stow the phone while driving as well, otherwise your kids will be far more likely to text themselves.

Parents might ask that their teens put their phones someplace like the trunk or the glove compartment so that the temptation to text isn’t even there.  But when even that doesn’t work, parents can invest in one of the many apps out on the market.  Some apps, like Text Blocker and DriveSafe.ly, will send auto-replies when texts come in to the teen.  Others, like Drive Alive, are incentive-based.  A teen is rewarded via PayPal when they drive in a manner that encourages safety.

This past Friday, texting drivers in the city of Mitchell, South Dakota may have been in for a rude awakening.  That’s because enactment of a ban on texting at the wheel finally took place, which means that drivers in Mitchell can now face a fine of $150 if they get caught texting and driving.  The city’s assistant police chief explained that a crash involving a serious injury or even a fatality would be grounds for the seizure of a cellphone for evidentiary purposes.  Under the new law, drivers can’t even text at a stop light.  The move came after South Dakota lawmakers opted not to pass a statewide ban on texting until at least 2014.

For more about the newly enacted ban, click here.

Quattroporte vehicles of the 2005 through 2008 model years and Alfa Romeo 8C and Granturismo vehicles of the 2008 model year have been recalled by Maserati North America.  7,438 of these automobiles could suffer from an issue wherein the anti-corrosive substance on the rear tie rod assemblies is not at the level it should be.  This can lead to the assembly weakening and failing outright, a condition which might cause drivers to lose control of the automobiles.  A crash hazard would be posed at that point.  The recall should start before June’s end.  Owners, once notified by Maserati, will be able to bring their vehicles in to a dealer to obtain a new assembly with adequate anti-corrosive materials.

For more about the recall, follow this link.

A slew of Coachmen, Forest River, Palomino, Prime Time, Cargo Mate, Phoenix, and Revere Recreational Vehicles are being recalled by Forest River because of an issue involving the awning.  A total of 9,526 vehicles are being recalled, and each might have a power awning motor assembly whose screws are in danger of shearing.  This condition can lead the awning to unwittingly unroll, causing a potential injury to persons in the vicinity if parked and posing a crash hazard if in transit.  There is no indication yet of when the recall is going to start, but once it does, owners will hear from Forest River.  They’ll then be able to bring the RVs in for a new awning motor.

Click here for more about the recall.

Somewhere between a riding mower and a walking mower is a stand-on mower.  We previously covered some of the steps that consumers can take to make sure both they and their children are safe around lawnmowers, but stand-on mowers require a user to take certain other precautions in order to ensure safety.  A new report discloses some of those precautions.

Just like anything else, you should prepare prior to starting up the mower.  That means that a careful review of the owner’s manual is warranted.  You should also suit up with the right clothing, making sure to cover your eyes and ears and wear the proper pair of shoes and pants.

Preparation also extends to the area you’re going to mow.  You should do a once-over of the entire area to make sure there isn’t any debris that could act as a projectile when you roll over it.  If you’re covering a wider area that you’re unfamiliar with, if you’re mowing for commercial purposes for instance, you need to make a mental note of any steep drop-offs or large ditches.  You should also clear kids and animals out of the area.

Before you start the mower, you’ll have to fill it up with fuel.  This should be done outdoors, and the mower should have been turned off for quite some time prior to the fill-up.  Step carefully onto the mower and have both feet in place the entire time that you ride.

If you have to get off for any reason, say to move an obstacle out of your way, make sure the blade clutch engagement switch has been set to the off position so that the blades don’t pose a threat while you’re away.  Also put on the parking brake so that the mower doesn’t roll away while you’re on your feet.  The engine should be completely off and you should take the key with you.

Slopes can be a little bit trickier on a stand-on mower.  When moving up, you’ll want to position your full weight forward so that the unit doesn’t tip backward and threaten to crush you.  The gas pedal should be pressed evenly without going too fast.

On the other hand, make sure you’re leaning back if heading down an incline.  If the unit begins to move too fast and you feel control slip, slow down at a reasonable rate until you can get things under control.  Should the mower not respond, you might need to jump off of the unit.  If you do this, though, there absolutely should not be anyone in front of the mower.  Avoid this situation at all costs if you can.  You should also lean back when mowing inclines at a perpendicular angle.

Given the additional challenges of this type of mower, make sure only those well-versed in its operation are allowed to use it.

Studies may have shown that distracted driving has surpassed drunk driving as the leading cause of fatalities on the road, but that hardly means that we’ve vanquished the threat of intoxication at the wheel.  Far from it.  The National Transportation Safety Board estimates that drunk driving still accounts for a third of all traffic fatalities, and they want to do something about it.

The organization has unveiled a slew of safety recommendations, some of which target inebriated driving.  The one that has caught most citizens’ eyes, though, is the recommendation calling for a significant reduction in the legal Blood Alcohol Content limit.  At the moment, that limit is .08%, but if the NTSB gets its way, the limit would be brought down to .05%.

In backing up their point, the NTSB explains that having a .08% BAC still doubles an individual’s chance of being in a fatal accident.  And this isn’t the only measure that the NTSB hopes to see combat drunk driving.  They also recommended that officers enact additional crackdowns on drinking and driving and that interlock devices which impede the ignition of a vehicle when a driver has been drinking be more widely adopted.

Not all are happy with these recommendations.  The American Beverage Institute sees the move as an attack on moderate drinkers, as they believe that the lower limit would not help curtail the habits of those persons who already drink excessively.

The threat of a child being scalded by a hot substance should not be underestimated by parents.  Research suggests that the most typical reason that children have to seek out hospital treatment for a burn is because they were scalded.  Tap water and boiling pots atop a stove are typically to blame, but healthcare professionals are taking note of another hazard that has become increasingly common in nature:  soup burns.

The Shriners Hospital for Children Northern California estimates that 8% of kids admitted with a burn were burned by soup, and that number is actually far lower than the Chicago-based Stroger Hospital, which figures that hot soup scaldings account for as much as 40% of burn treatments.

The University of California at Davis School of Medicine’s chief of burn surgery not long ago headed up a research effort that tested out various instant soup cups to determine what would be the most likely to tip over.  The study deduced that height is usually to blame for ease of tipping, as the taller the cup, the more likely that even a slight jostling will lead it to tip.

One lawsuit has already been filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by the parents of a scalded child.  Doctors say that kids are more at risk of scalding because of their relatively thin skin.  Noodles also tend to stick to skin and soup retains heat better than other substances.