We all see a lot of coverage in the media about the dangers of distracted drivers, but what about distracted pedestrians? The online journal of "Injury Prevention" states that the injury and death rate of pedestrians distracted by technology has sky rocketed since 2004, more than tripling in that time period.
"Two phenomena are likely contributors to the possible association between headphone use and pedestrian injury: distraction and sensory deprivation," site authors of the journal Injury Prevention. When a pedestrian is distracted, they are inclined to walk slower and more likely to walk in front of a moving vehicle. Of 116 accidents from 2004 to 2011 where pedestrians were noted as using headphones, 70% resulted in fatalities; greater than two thirds were males under 30 years old and over half of the vehicles involved were trains.
This past February, a boy in Wisconsin was struck by a train as he walked with his head down and headphones on under his hood. Because his senses were deprived, he did not see the warning lights of the train or the sounds of it's horns blaring. Just a day later a similar situation occurred in Michigan and another teen was killed. As summer approaches, teens need to be made aware of how dangerous it is to not only drive but also to walk or ride a bike while distracted.
Pedestrians:
• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Avoid distractions like texting, talking on the phone, or wearing headphones.
• Make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see you and know that you are there.
• Obey all crosswalk traffic laws.
Drivers:
• Look out for pedestrians and bicyclists, especially ones that may not be watching the road.
• Avoid distractions such as talking on the phone, listening to loud music, and texting.
• Always yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
• Reduce speed on neighborhood streets
Increasing awareness among drivers and pedestrians is the only way to convey that multitasking on the road is extremely dangerous.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Friday, June 1, 2012
Bath Salts Epidemic
In a gory scene out of a horror movie, a naked man was found eating the face of another man in Miami on May 26th. It is suspected by police that the 31 year old Rudy Eugene was on a designer drug known as “bath salts” and this drug is what caused the psychotic episode.
A Miami police officer shot Rudy Eugene 4 times before cannibalistic psychosis was ended.
While the Miami police have not officially concluded that Eugene was on “bath salts,” experts confirm he was exhibiting the tell tale signs of someone high on the drug. Some symptoms of this drug include perception of super human strength, paranoia, hallucinations, extreme violence, and nudity as a result of the increased body temperature that would cause most people’s organs to fail.
Armando Aguilar referred to people on this drug as a “walking dead person.”
The victim was 65 year old Ronald Poppo, a homeless man, who lost 75 percent of his face in this brutal attack.
Dr. Paul Adams is a physician at the Jackson Memorial Rider Trauma Center in Miami where the victim is being treated. Dr. Adams says that he is seeing more and more instances where virtually uncontrollable patients showing signs of psychosis are being brought in.
"You can call it the new LSD. It's a recreational drug. They [patients] seem to be unaware of their surroundings. They are not rational, very aggressive and are stronger than they usually are. In the emergency room it usually takes four to five people to control them, and we have had a couple of people breaking out of restraints," says Adams.
In 2011, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency banned for a year the possession and sale of 3 of the chemicals used to make the psychotic drug.
The drug resembles the salts one would use to put in a bath, and it can be injected, swallowed or smoked. It is far less expensive than other drugs and is able to be made in a home kitchen.
Since this drug is new, police are unsure how to handle it. Last week the Senate passed a FDA bill that will outlaw the active ingredients mephedrone, methylenedioxyprovalerone (MDPV) and methylone as well as other drugs.
Due to the law only banning specific chemical combinations, chemists have been altering the makeup of these drugs to keep them technically legal.
Rudy Eugene was killed by police during the attack and Ronald Poppo remains in the hospital in critical condition.
A Miami police officer shot Rudy Eugene 4 times before cannibalistic psychosis was ended.
While the Miami police have not officially concluded that Eugene was on “bath salts,” experts confirm he was exhibiting the tell tale signs of someone high on the drug. Some symptoms of this drug include perception of super human strength, paranoia, hallucinations, extreme violence, and nudity as a result of the increased body temperature that would cause most people’s organs to fail.
Armando Aguilar referred to people on this drug as a “walking dead person.”
The victim was 65 year old Ronald Poppo, a homeless man, who lost 75 percent of his face in this brutal attack.
Dr. Paul Adams is a physician at the Jackson Memorial Rider Trauma Center in Miami where the victim is being treated. Dr. Adams says that he is seeing more and more instances where virtually uncontrollable patients showing signs of psychosis are being brought in.
"You can call it the new LSD. It's a recreational drug. They [patients] seem to be unaware of their surroundings. They are not rational, very aggressive and are stronger than they usually are. In the emergency room it usually takes four to five people to control them, and we have had a couple of people breaking out of restraints," says Adams.
In 2011, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency banned for a year the possession and sale of 3 of the chemicals used to make the psychotic drug.
The drug resembles the salts one would use to put in a bath, and it can be injected, swallowed or smoked. It is far less expensive than other drugs and is able to be made in a home kitchen.
Since this drug is new, police are unsure how to handle it. Last week the Senate passed a FDA bill that will outlaw the active ingredients mephedrone, methylenedioxyprovalerone (MDPV) and methylone as well as other drugs.
Due to the law only banning specific chemical combinations, chemists have been altering the makeup of these drugs to keep them technically legal.
Rudy Eugene was killed by police during the attack and Ronald Poppo remains in the hospital in critical condition.
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