Monday, March 30, 2009

A profile of a bad driver

Returning a car borrowed without permission is not a valid excuse to commit speeding. Neither is it a valid excuse to beat a red light, hit someone then run away.

The driver of the car that hit Roger Darryl Guess had that for an alibi. Later on, the offender confessed that apart from speeding he was also intoxicated.

Guess was traveling through west of City Center Drive when he was struck by a Nissan Murano. His car was severely damage that he had to be extricated from its remains. He died at the hospital due to severe injuries.

This particular case is the best example of what drivers should not do: speeding, intoxication and abandoning one’s victim.
Speeding and intoxication are a fatal combination. Its deadly outcome is crystal clear.

Thirty one percent of traffic crashes are caused by speeding. More than half of deadly crashes posted a speed limit of 55 mph or more.

Drunk driving, on the other hand, could be credited for 39% of the fatal car accidents. About 254,000 people were injured in alcohol related accidents.

Hit and run accidents are mostly the result of the acts of a speeding or intoxicated driver.

Ideally, a person involved in an accident must stop to extend help, if necessary, or exchange insurance numbers with the other party. This is prescribed by law as a standard procedure during car accidents, whether the person is at fault or not.

When victimized by a speeding or intoxicated driver, the law gives innocent parties the right to file a damage suit. A personal injury lawyer has to participate to afford the victim an aggressive and fair claim process.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Veteran Pilot Died in a Fighter Jet Crash

Disaster strikes to anyone no matter how skilled one can get.

On a Wednesday morning, the Air Force community was in shocked when an Air Force F-22 Raptor, the most advanced and expensive fighter jet crashed. The jet was operated by Pilot David Cooley, a 21 year veteran of the force.

The plane was on a test flight .It was the second time an F-22 crashed during a test flight. The pilot safely ejected the first time unlike Cooley who went down with it.
Regarded as the world's dominant fighter, F-22, a twin-engine jet has been commended for its maneuverability, speed and advanced electronics systems. It is designed to sneak into another country's airspace, attack other planes and ground targets as well. It also has sensors that other fighter jets lacked.

It has been combat-ready at the end of 2007 but it has not conducted missions in Iraq or Afghanistan.

With the incident, Pentagon is currently having second thoughts on whether to continue with its production.

The real cause is still unclear but investigation is on its way though.

Friday, March 20, 2009

A Fiery Smoke

Fire happens due to various reasons. Faulty electrical wirings, defective electric appliance and negligence are some of the causes of fire.

The risk of dying or getting injured in fire is greater. More often than not, victim dies of suffocation and not of the actual fire.

Smoking is the primary cause of fire related deaths. True enough, a fire engulfed a home Wednesday morning due to smoking.

In a fire accident that happened in a San Carlos home; negligence may seemed to be the ultimate cause of the fire. Specifically, a lighted cigarette butt sparked the blazing inferno.

Fire fighters believed that the victim was smoking in bed. He might have gone to sleep and dropped the cigarette on the floor.

The victim was the sole occupant of a bungalow located at Spruce Lake Avenue, just south of Jackson Drive. Neighbors described the deceased retired accountant as a loner.

The fire was extinguished for five minutes but the damage it created was so severe that victim was unable to get out.

The firefighters revealed that the fire was very intense and hot. The materials used in the modern home ignited the fire even more. A typical modern home uses materials with hydrocarbons and plastics.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Electronic Stability Control System to Reduce Car Accidents

Seeing the fatalities and injuries caused by car accidents, car manufacturers and the government alike have been finding ways to prevent it.

First, cars were installed with seatbelts then with air bags. Seatbelts and air bags have decreased the number of fatalities or serious injuries caused by the impact of a collision or accident.

The government and car manufacturers seemed victorious in their pursuit to further decrease the horrific outcome of accident or in preventing accident itself. By installing electronic stability control systems (ESC) on cars, accidents or injuries dramatically decreased.

In an earlier study, the government calculated that nearly half of the 28,000 fatal vehicle crashes each year involved only a single vehicle. The cause was a car typically losing control and ending up off the road. With the availability of ESC, this type of crash could be prevented.

In fact, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recommended that buyers must consider buying a car with ESC. Moreover, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has called on car manufacturers to incorporate ESC systems in all their vehicles, making them standard features.

By model 2012, new laws would require all car manufacturers to include ESC systems on all passenger cars, sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks.

With the required installation of ESC in 2012, we expect reduction in car accident especially rollover accidents. However, we could not wait for 2012 to be less accident prone. We have to make a move now to prevent any road related accidents.

Friday, March 6, 2009

An Update on the University City Plane Crash

Often times, plane crashes are due to pilot errors.

True enough in the plane crash last December where 4 people were killed including an 11-month old infant, pilot error was the main reason for such tragic incident.

Due to such crash, the pilot who timely ejected before the plane hit the ground was suspended pending investigation, four other marines were relieved from their posts and eleven others were reprimanded.

The crash was said to be a combination of errors and bad judgment from the pilot and his ground commanders.

Initially, the pilot was told to land at a coastal Navy base but chose to land at a more distant base causing him to fly above the populated area of University City. Recordings proved that the pilot repeatedly passed upon suggestions to land at the North Island.

Col. John Rupp, operations officer for the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Miramar said that it was the prudent and correct decision to land at North Island in case of emergency but it was never made hence, the crash over University City neighborhood.

Although the pilot has many hours of flying, it did not warrant him to be over confident thinking nothing bad would happen. Flying is risky by it self. It risks not only the lives of passengers and crew but also those under.

The crash was also a wake up call for those involved to pass upon the procedures during emergency calls. It also made the scrutiny of rules involving aviation.

Clearly, the tragedy could have been prevented. If not for the utter negligence of some people, the victims could be living now.