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Child safety expert Kimberlee Mitchell, right, installs a car seat for Kennedy Word, 8 months, as father Kendall Word, looks on during a car seat check hosted by Dorel Juvenile Group, AAA, and the New York City Department of Transportation in New York, Friday, July 16, 2010. (David Goldman / AP Images for Dorel Juvenile Group)

Kids should sit in rear-facing car seats until they are 2 years old instead of 1, says new advice from a group of American pediatricians and U.S. traffic safety officials.

Older kids too should ride in booster seats longer too, up to the age of 12, depending on their height, the new recommendations advise.

Parents have long been told to follow the weight and body length limits listed on their car seat. But many have used the general guideline of one year of age or 20 to 22 pounds (9.0 to 9.9 kg) as a guideline for when to move them into a front-facing car seat or when to turn their baby’s convertible car seat around.

The American Academy of Pediatrics is worried that some parents have been turning their babies around too early, putting the children at risk of serious injury or death in the event of a crash.

So after carefully reviewing the latest data that shows that children in rear-facing car seats are more likely to surivive a crash, the AAP has issued a new policy statement. The statement says toddlers should sit in rear-facing car seats until age two, or for as long as they are within the weight and height limits listed by the car seat’s manufacturer.

If a child under the age of two outgrows the weight limits for their infant car seat, they should be moved to a rear-facing convertible car seat and kept in that position until age two, the AAP now says. Only after the age of two should the car seat be turned forward-facing.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued separate but similar recommendations, stressing that there is no need to hurry to transition a child to the next restraint type.

“The best possible thing you can do is keep your child rear-facing as long as possible,” the AAP’s Dr. Benjamin Hoffman, who helped write the new policy, told Reuters. “We hope we will be able to convince parents to keep their children rear-facing longer.”

Dr. Claude Cyr, a member of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s Injury Prevention Committee, says the U.S. and Canadian recommendations are similar. But he tells CTV News that the re-wording of the AAP guidelines could compel a review of the Canadian guidelines to see if they could be made clearer.

The CPS guidelines state that only when a car seat’s weight or height limits have been exceeded, should parents move their children into the next phase of car seat.

“Parents should be encouraged to continue to use a rear-facing seat as long as the height and weight limitations allow,” the CPS guidelines read.

After kids have been moved into a front-facing car seat with five-point harnesses, they should stay in that seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer. The AAP says the lowest maximum weight limit for forward-facing car seats is 40 lb (18 kg), while some models of can accommodate children up to 65 lb (30 kg).

Kids who exceed those weight limits should then move to a booster seat used with the car’s seatbelt, until they are tall enough to fit correctly with just the seat belt. That’s usually when kids are between eight and 12 years old, or when they’ve reached 4 feet 9 inches (145 centimetres).

For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs or lap, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck. A poorly fitting seat belt can cause abdominal and spinal injuries in a crash.

And no child younger than 13 should ride in the front seat, both groups remind.

According to the new AAP statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, 1,500 kids under 16 die every year in car crashes in the U.S.

Child safety seats have been shown to cut the risk of death by 28 per cent compared with seatbelts; they also reduce non-fatal injuries.

Car seats with five-point harnesses are able to distribute the energy of a crash over a bigger area of the body, instead of concentrating it on the points where a seatbelt touches the body: the shoulders, belly and hips.

Booster seats too have also been found to reduce the risk of non-fatal injury among 4- to 8-year-olds by 45 per cent compared with seat belts alone, the AAP says.

Automobile accidents occur frequently in New York. This is largely due to the enormous traffic conditions and rushing around that commuters are faced with every day. Whether one is trying to get to work on time or home to loved ones, rarely is the driving experience one of relaxation. Many distractions cause motorists to take chances and pay less attention to the road. Cell phones, music, and texting now further reduce the awareness necessary to navigate the road safely. Other factors such as intoxication, drugs, mood swings, anger, and plain stupidity make it virtually impossible not to be involved in an accident sooner or later.

 

Often times, drivers can be on their very best behavior and still have a collision as a result of another reckless driver. This, of course, causes the motorist to have to watch out for others as well as themselves. The object is to reduce as many dangerous factors that contribute to motor vehicle accidents, says Alan Ripka, Esq. This is a conscious effort that includes NEVER getting behind the wheel of a car if anything causes you to be less than 100% perceptive. Being sick, overly tired, taking prescription drugs, being angry or willing to disobey traffic laws to satisfy your personal needs are just a few examples of when NOT to drive. Presumably, the more obvious and proven killers of innocent bystanders are operating the vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This practice is absolutely irresponsible and all, with no exception, should shun the selfish motorist and prevent them from driving.

 

Unfortunately, car accidents are a way of life. In dealing with the injuries that are sustained you should remember the following checklist; don’t ever leave the scene of an accident without making a police report, be certain to go to an emergency room and discuss all your injuries to be sure you’re alright, seek out an attorney that has practiced law in this field, and be certain that all the paperwork with time deadlines are filled out and served like a no fault application and notice of claim, amongst others.

 

Navigating through an accident can be complicated, and having the right attorney can give you peace of mind, says Alan Ripka, Esq., a lawyer who practices law in this field. If you or that of a loved one has been injured in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation. The professional team of lawyers at Napoli Bern Ripka Law Firm can evaluate your situation and determine the next steps to gain justice for you and your family. Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP has fought against large companies in other matters and will fight for you if we believe you have a potential case for medical malpractice, products liability, personal injury, and is prepared to go to court and have a trial if necessary. Please contact our office and submit or call and ask for Alan Ripka, one of our partners. Please mention that you read our blog.

(Cambridge, MA) – Millions of Americans suffer with joint health issues. Every movement your body makes puts pressure on your joints. Over time this wear and tear can lead to discomfort, inflammation, and sometimes more serious issues. Your joints age over time and like the rest of your body, they require comfort and support.

For many years, few options have been available for those with joint discomfort. Those with low to moderate joint discomfort have had access to low-end supplements such as Glucosamine and Chondroitin for quite some time, but these fail to provide the relief and support that many desire.

However, a breakthrough discovery is changing everything. Researchers in Cambridge, MA have discovered a new compound of all-natural ingredients that promises to relieve joint discomfort, improve mobility, and in some cases protect the actual joints themselves. The new proprietary formula, branded under the trademark Instaflex Joint Support includes ingredients with clinical trials nothing short of amazing.

• Relieve and comfort your joints
• Reduce inflammation and stiffness
• Lubricate for healthy fluid movement
• Protect and enhance your mobility
• Official Sponsor of Arthritis Foundation

We were cautiously optimistic with Instaflex. There are many joint supplements on the market, but it’s rare that a product becomes so popular and widely talked about, so soon after introduction; Instaflex first became available in the US this past fall and has rapidly become the top premium joint product on the market.

Most joint supplements offer a mix of Glucosamine and MSM, powerful joint relievers in their own right, but not effective for everyone. Instaflex Joint Support combines those proven joint relievers with several new fast-acting compounds including Hyaluronic Acid, Turmeric Root Extract, and Boswellia Serrata Extract, to help relieve joints, increase mobility, and protect joints for many more individuals.

GNC stores have locked down the nationwide exclusive to Instaflex Joint Support, but samples are available online to try. The samples arrive just a few days after ordering and unlike most joint relievers, the results are almost immediate. Instaflex not only relieved joints, but resulted in fewer painful flare-ups by week’s end for some. By the second week of the trial, results can be even more impressive with increased flexibility, mobility, and even those with severe joint discomfort feeling impressive relief.

While most supplements can’t relieve and comfort for all conditions, Instaflex’s interesting combination of proven joint relievers and new compounds designed by Cambridge researchers works great.

Instaflex is an impressive product and a great choice for anyone looking to relieve their joints and support long lasting joint health. Instaflex is available in GNC stores but samples are available here. You can try Instaflex now to feel the benefits in person.

Nearly everyone has four of them — broad flat muscles, known as obliques, that attach the rib cage and the pelvis on each side of the body and, until recently, have not really been part of the sports lexicon.

But now they are. The muscles are particularly important to baseball players, who use them to rotate their bodies as hard as possible to throw a ball and swing a bat, and increasingly those muscles are being injured and putting players like Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria on the disabled list.

Why this is happening is not really clear, but happening it is. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ head trainer, Stan Conte, was so intrigued that he stayed up through the night last week going line by line through a list he has assembled of the roughly 7,000 players who have gone on the disabled list since 1991.

“I had to do that because those injuries weren’t always called obliques,” said Conte, who has spent several years trying to build mathematical formulas to predict the physical problems that players may encounter. “Until the late 1990s, they were called rib cage injuries or abdominal injuries or lower chest injuries. As M.R.I. technology got better, the diagnosis became more particular and we began to see them called oblique injuries.”

For continuity, Conte then grouped everything — what used to be called rib cage or abdominal injuries two decades ago but are now called an oblique — under the term “core injuries.”

And what he found was that four players had gone on the D.L. with core, or oblique, injuries at this point a year ago. But in 2011, the total is already 14 — 12 players at the start of the season and 2 more since then. It is a small sample, Conte acknowledged, but he said it was significant nonetheless because the increase was in contrast to the general pattern since 1991.

That pattern, Conte said, showed that the number of oblique injuries had risen slightly in the last two decades. But over the last eight years, Conte said, the number had actually remained flat, leading to an obvious question: Why is there such a big increase this year?

“One theory I have is that players are transferring more quickly from the off-season to spring training games and to more competitive regular-season games, and the muscles aren’t holding up to the increased strain and force the players are putting on them in competition,” Conte said in a telephone interview.

Conte said that for some players, there might be a shorter period of time between when they report to spring training and when they actually start playing exhibition games. In fact, since 1991 a third of all oblique injuries have occurred in April. (Spring training injuries are counted under an April heading because the disabled list is not used before the season starts). The number decreases throughout the season, with just 1 percent of oblique injuries occurring in September.

Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson was among four Yankees who injured their obliques during spring training this year.

“One of the first questions I was asked was whether I was taking more or less batting practice,” Granderson said. “I felt like I had been doing about the same amount from last year to this year.”

Granderson, who injured his oblique toward the end of spring training but started in center field for the Yankees on opening day, said that a player who might be swinging more might be more likely to injure his oblique.

“But I didn’t feel like anything I was doing was anything drastically different to anything I was doing before,” he said. “I had the same warm-up I was doing before, nothing that gave a sign that hey, it’s a little sore or anything like that. It was literally one swing. It was a funny swing, it was an out-in-front swing where I swung and didn’t square it up.”

Last season, pitchers who injured their obliques and went on the disabled list typically took about 43 days before returning to play compared with 31 days for position players.

Another theory in baseball for the rise of oblique injuries is that players are putting too much emphasis on strengthening their abdominal muscles.

“Personally I don’t think that’s true because I can’t imagine a stronger, more flexible, muscle that has more endurance being a bad thing,” Conte said. He noted that “nobody did these exercises” back in 1991 and that the number of injuries then was similar to the numbers in recent years, although 2011 is clearly different.

Yankees Manager Joe Girardi, who watched one player after another sustain oblique injuries this spring, said the whole thing remained a mystery to him.

“We’ve had two appendectomies, which I wouldn’t have really bet on,” he said referring to Adam Dunn of the Chicago White Sox and Matt Holliday of the St. Louis Cardinals, both of whom underwent that procedure earlier this month.

As for the oblique injuries, Girardi said, “I can’t really tell you why it’s happened.”

“Players are strong now and they take swings,” he said. But why that might lead to more oblique injuries, Girardi was not willing to say. “It used to be the hammy,” he said of the hamstring pulls that once dominated injury discussions. And no one, Girardi said, seemed to know why that was the case, either.

Winter weather conditions of snow and ice have lead to slip and fall injuries in New York this season. Record snowfalls, freezing temperatures, icy and slushy streets and windy conditions have all contributed to creating slick sidewalks, streets, stairways and even building entryways. These increased hazards have led to pedestrians falling and hurting themselves.

An Injured Person has Rights

Often when people fall, they may be embarrassed or think it’s just not a big deal and fail to pursue their rights. However, any injury should be treated seriously and those who do fall should seek medical treatment without delay. A fall is not always a simple matter — serious injuries can occur such as back or neck injuries and broken bones. These injuries may require medical treatment and extensive therapy, which can also lead to high treatment costs.

Although we know to take care and proceed with caution during a winter storm, sometimes an individual is injured as a result of slipping and falling on negligently maintained icy streets and sidewalks. Under those types of circumstances, victims may be entitled to compensation for the damages they suffered as a result.

Who May be Liable for Your Injuries?

Property owners are responsible for keeping their premises safe no matter the season. Winter storms do not initiate a free pass to clearing sidewalks, entryways, parking lots and other walkways free of hazardous snow, slush and ice. Once a storm concludes, if an owner fails to properly maintain their property in a reasonable amount of time (within four hours after a storm ends in New York) and people are injured as a result, the victim may be entitled to compensation for those injuries.

The type of damages an injured party may be entitled to will depend on the circumstances surrounding the injury and the type and severity of the injury. Some common types of damages resulting from a personal injury claim may include monetary compensation for medical care, future medical treatment, loss of income (due to inability to work), loss of future income and pain and suffering.

To learn more about what types of compensation you may be entitled to, it is important to speak with a New York personal injury attorney knowledgeable in slip and fall claims. A lawyer can investigate the situation that caused your injury, explain your legal rights and help you pursue your claims to obtain the compensation you deserve.

Article provided by Subin Associates PC
Visit us at http://www.subinlaw.com/