Does your Teen have a Class D Driver's License? There are several restrictions and requirements mandated by the state of Georgia that a teen must accomplish before becoming a licensed driver. Click here to learn more.
Does your child have a Class D Driver's License? Know what his/her restrictions are with a Georgia Class D License.
Determining fault in the wake of a multi-car crash
Georgia residents who were involved in an accident involving three or more vehicles probably know how hard it can be to establish everyone's degree of fault. Those who have not been involved in one would do well to know the basics of how fault is established. It all comes down to the legal concept of negligence: that is, the failure of someone to exercise reasonable care.
Let's say that Driver A is rear-ended by Driver B, who was tailgating. Driver B is clearly at fault unless Driver A did something unusual like braking suddenly for no reason. But if Driver B was also rear-ended by a tailgating, or speeding or otherwise careless Driver C, then both B and C may be held liable by Driver A since the impact of Driver C with B increased the impact of Driver B with A.
Cancer, infections and vascular diseases are often misdiagnosed
As many as 80,000 people in Georgia and around the country die each year and up to 160,000 suffer serious harm because their doctors failed to accurately diagnose their medical conditions. This was one of the worrying conclusions that researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore reached after studying more than 11,000 medical malpractice claims. In what they say is the first study of its kind, the research team sorted dozens of diagnostic codes into groups to identify the most common types of medical mistakes.
This approach revealed that almost 75% of the patients who died or suffered serious harm because of a misdiagnosis involving cancer, vascular disease or an infection. When the researchers delved deeper, they found that sepsis, stroke and lung cancer were the conditions most often misdiagnosed. Other conditions that doctors seem to have trouble diagnosing accurately include heart attacks, blood clots, pneumonia, meningitis, and skin, breast and prostate cancer.
FMCSA plans new study on large-truck crash causation
The landscape of commercial trucking has changed over the years, and with that has come a change in why truckers get into accidents. For example, truckers in Georgia and across the U.S. have a lot more distractions to contend with than previously. To take these changes into account, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be conducting a new large-truck causation study. The last time it did so was in the early 2000s.
The FMCSA issued its formal proposal in January 2020 and is seeking information on how to proceed with the study. The goals are already clear, though. Researchers will identify the factors in all tow-away, injury and fatal crashes that involved large trucks and were reported to the FMCSA. They will then aim to create strategies for crash avoidance and mitigation.
Red-light cameras: benefits and controversies
Georgia residents should remember that red-light running is to blame for hundreds of deaths every year. Most people understand that this practice is wrong. While 92.9% of respondents to a survey from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety agreed that it was, however, 42.7% admitted to running a red light at least once in the previous 30 days. For many, there is only one solution to this trend: red-light cameras.
Cameras can deter drivers from running red lights and thus prevent crashes. According to data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, cameras can reduce red-light violations by 40%. Comparing large cities with cameras to those without them, the IIHS also discovered that there were 17% fewer red-light running crash deaths in the former than in the latter.
Keep an eye out for these breast cancer symptoms
Early diagnosis of cancer is incredibly important. Breast cancer is one of the more common types of cancer in the United States, impacting both men and women. It is important for people to know exactly what signs and symptoms to look out for.
Part of the reason to look for these symptoms is simply to go see the doctor as soon as they present themselves. However, you also want to know what to watch for in case the doctor makes a mistake. A misdiagnosis could prove deadly. Doctors are human, and they do make errors. If you recognize these symptoms, it may be wise to keep pursuing it and get a second opinion.
Music could promote brain development in preterm babies
An international research team has shown, for the first time, that music therapy applied to preterm infants can influence the structural maturation of their auditory and emotional brain areas. This finding raises the possibility of creating specialized brain-oriented care for improving preterm infants' outcome (J. Neuroimage 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116391).
Distracted drivers often engage in multiple distracting activities
Georgia drivers might welcome the news of the increase in hands-free cellphone usage. However, this positive trend is often accompanied by an alarming one: when drivers use hands-free cellphones while driving, they are also at increased risk of engaging in at least one more distracted driving behavior.
The information was recently released by Lytx, a company that specializes in analyzing data and providing safety solutions for commercial and public sector fleets. The data analyzed by Lytx revealed that while the number of people using hands-free cellphones while driving had increased, this had also increased the risk for some drivers to engage in other distracted driving behavior, such as eating, drinking, speeding or following the other vehicles too closely. The risk for motor vehicle accidents is then increased when the driver takes on other risky behaviors and loses focus on the road.
Exercise Apps Help Boost Women's Activity Levels
Exercise apps and fitness trackers are all the rage, and now a new study shows they might actually work.
Misdiagnosis of heart attack is a problem for women
Women in Georgia may be at a greater risk of being misdiagnosed when they are having a heart attack or stroke. Researchers have found that there is a disparity between misdiagnoses in women and men. Some of the reasons for this disparity could be the way that women present symptoms and the focus of women's health care concerns.
The typical symptom that is associated with a heart attack is chest pain. However, there are many other symptoms of heart attack that are less common and harder to diagnose. According to an American Heart Association study, women are more likely than men to present less common symptoms, such as vomiting or back pain, when they are having a heart attack. Women are also more likely to worry about breast or cervical cancer than heart disease, even though the latter is the leading cause of death in women.
