Tag: safety

These Cops Are Making Craigslist a Safer Place to Shop

Posted on by robbie

While Craigslist can be useful when it comes to offloading old furniture or selling concert tickets, it can also be the breeding ground for dangerous meet-ups between strangers. Law enforcement has long warned that posts can be a ploy for robbery or other deadly crimes. Which is why a police department outside of Philadelphia is now allowing online users to complete their cash transactions just outside the department with officers conveniently nearby.
Cops in Conshohocken, Penn., have opened up their parking lot as a free place for Craigslist users to meet to exchange cash for goods, the Associated Press reports. Conshohocken Officer Steve Vallone first came up with the idea after he learned his wife was planning to meet someone at their home to complete an online purchase.

“I figured there’s got to be a better place for people who don’t know each other to complete these transactions,” Vallone says. “Why not allow people to complete their online transactions from here? It seems like the perfect match.”

Residents can use the well-lit lot 24 hours a day or the lobby, which is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to lights, the parking lot is also equipped with four surveillance cameras and an emergency call button to contact the station inside.

While the police said the initiative was not in respond to any crimes, NBC Philadelphia reports the move comes a few weeks after an alleged rapist was charged with killing a man he met on Craigslist.

Last May in Florida, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office offered up its four parking lots as a safe zone for people to answer classifieds or complete cash transactions for online purchases.

With more people using online marketplaces, let’s hope more communities catch on to creating safe zones.

MORE: This Teacher Made a Viral Photo to Teach About Internet Safety

Millions of Tiny Hairs Might Replace Your Windshield Wipers

Posted on by robbie

Do your wipers ever seem two swipes behind the storm, leaving you wishing that the rain never even made it to your windshield in the first place? Soon enough, it never will, thanks to an amazing innovation that has the potential to revolutionize glass.
Sounds crazy? Not to a group of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), whose new technology can control the behavior of glass.
Here’s how it works:
The engineers have created an elastic material that’s covered with tiny hairs that are about one quarter of the width of human hair. Introduce a magnetic pull and these fibers sway accordingly. Coat a windshield (or a window) with this hairy material, and water can be, in effect, redirected off of the glass.
The hair-like structures are most similar, and in fact inspired by, cilia — the tiny hairs in our noses that filter air.
The technology goes far beyond its inspiration, though, according to City Lab. It can even stop a water dead in its tracks on a vertical surface.
MIT’s latest advancement doesn’t just stop with liquids, though. It can also redirect sunlight, which could completely change the nature of windows. Not only can the hairs be manipulated to lighten or darken the glass gradually, they can also completely shut out light. Window shades and blinds may soon be a thing of the past.
“[The technology] could filter how much solar radiation you want coming in, and also shed raindrops. This is an opportunity for the future,”  MIT graduate student Yangying Zhu told MIT News.
If this innovation takes off, everyday life will be improved significantly. Beyond increased convenience, it can also improve safety, especially on the road. By wicking away water and reducing glare, everything from commutes to road trips will undoubtedly become much safer.
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MORE: An Idaho Couple is Literally Paving the Way to America’s Solar-Powered Future

A New Museum Exhibit Educates About Disaster Preparedness

Posted on by robbie

From ‘superstorm’ Sandy in 2012 to the countless forest fires that ravage the West every year, natural disasters are increasingly becoming a large part of American life. As a result, combating Mother Nature when she’s at her angriest requires not just innovation, but education, too.
That’s exactly what a new exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. aims to do, according to Next City. Organized into categories of earth, wind, fire, and water, “Designing for Disaster” is educating visitors about the history of disaster relief and prevention, as well as what works and what doesn’t.
Tales of large-scale projects such as flexible staircase joints at UC Berkeley’s California Memorial Stadium will surely draw in visitors, though it is the hands-on demonstrations and focus on everyday solutions that this exhibit is making the most difference with.
As the Washington Post writes, “The exhibit’s most compelling demonstrations show how innovative engineering solutions can reduce the impact of disasters and, in fact, already are.”
Whether highlighting family disaster plans, showcasing earthquake drills, or using an interactive feature to help visitors learn about the durability of different roof styles, Designing for Disaster is spreading knowledge.
As Americans flock to our nation’s capital during the summer vacation months, they can learn how others are preparing for natural disasters. And with that education, perhaps they can educate members of their own communities on how best to prevent future damage.
After all, while you can’t avoid Mother Nature’s fury, you can make sure you’re ready to meet it head on.
MORE: The Competition for Disaster Relief Funds Heats Up

Making Access to Emergency Help Easier, One Text at a Time

Posted on by robbie

We’ve already told you about an effort to make 911 calls easier from motel rooms, where people often have to press “9” to make outgoing calls, a small step that had fatal consequences for one family.
Now, a new plan from the FCC is trying to make access to emergency help even easier for the most vulnerable citizens, including those who don’t even have the option of a phone call. Called “text-to-911,” the initiative allows select AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon customers to text 911 for help during emergency situations.
“Access to 911 must catch up with how consumers communicate in the 21st Century,” said Julius Genachowski, the former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, in a press release announcing the plan’s proposal in 2012.
Which is not to say texting is the agency’s preferred method of communication. There’s only a limited number of call centers that can receive texts at the moment, though the plan is slated to be available across the country by the end of the year. Still, dispatchers caution that voice-to-voice communication is still ideal for a number of reasons, including the transmission delays and limited character counts associated with texting.
But as Keith Wagstaff of NBC News writes, “It’s not ideal. But for some people, especially those with disabilities, text-to-911 could be a life-saver.”

Their Daughter Died When She Didn’t Buckle Up. Now They’re Working to Save Other Children From the Same Danger

Posted on by robbie

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Commission, more than 33,000 people were killed in car crashes in 2009. Of those fatalities, more than half were not wearing their seatbelt. Last year, Alexa Johnson, a 19-year-old Colorado resident, was one such victim.
Johnson died when she lost control of her pickup truck in rural Weld County, Colorado and was ejected through the driver’s side window. She wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
Colorado highway officials note that many drivers on rural roads fail to wear safety restraints. In fact, 59 percent of the unbuckled fatalities in Colorado last year occurred on rural roadways. Alexa’s father, Tad Johnson, told Monte Whaley of the Denver Post, “The first thing I felt was anger and then I wanted to blame someone. And then I had an ‘aha’ moment and I said, ‘Alexa, what are we going to do about this?'”
Tad and his wife Jona launched a social media campaign to raise awareness about the problem of young adults in rural areas driving without seatbelts. He looked at the photos on Alexa’s Facebook page and said, “We saw that in all those photos, hardly ever was Alexa and her friends using seat belts. It’s something that we just had to deal with.”
The Johnsons took to Facebook with their message about buckling up for safety, and then began to sew inch-wide Velcro ribbons that wrap around seat belts to remind drivers to use them. The ribbons are called Alexa’s Hugs, and since last year, the Johnsons have produced thousands of them, which now come in a variety of designs.
Alexa’s Hugs have already saved at least one life. Alexa’s friend, Kole Kilcrease told Whaley he was driving near the same stretch of highway where Alexa died when he hit ice and lost control, rolling his pickup two-and-a-half times. Both Kilcrease and his passenger survived because they were buckled in. Kilcrease said, “I never really buckled up because it just seemed like an inconvenience. You have a busy day, and you have other things on your mind. I don’t think that anymore.”
MORE: A 16-Year-Old Died in A Car Accident. What Happened Next Changed Hundreds of Teenagers’ Lives.
 

Houston Bikers Need Safe Roads. Here’s the Simple Plan to Make That Happen.

Posted on by robbie

Last month, the Houston Chronicle posted some shocking numbers: At least 23 bike riders have been killed on city streets in the past five years.
Those deaths directly conflict with a pro-biking culture that the city is trying to promote. Initiatives such as Houston Bike Share and various trail expansions have encouraged residents to explore and commute on their two wheelers. And the city is only going to get more bike-friendly in the future — the Bayou Greenways 2020 projects aims to creating a continuous city system of 150 miles of parks and trails along Houston’s bayous, the Complete Streets approach will incorporate all types of transportation onto city streets, and Sunday Streets HTx already shuts off certain streets to vehicles for safe pedestrian and biker enjoyment.
Mayor Annise D. Parker hopes to keep those current and future bikers safe by eliminating cycling fatalities. Her effort —the  “Goal Zero” program for bike safety — was announced on March 25, following the example of New York City and San Francisco.
According to a press release from the Mayor’s office, education and laws are key to the plan. “Mayor Annise Parker today announced the City and BikeHouston are joining forces to launch a major bike safety campaign to enforce and educate motorists and cyclists about the existing Safe Passing Ordinance, as well as create a Bicycle Master Plan for the City,” the statement read.
The first step will be tighter traffic law enforcement. As most drivers know, cyclists are expected to follow the same stop sign and traffic light laws as cars. Parker stated in the press release that the Houston Police Department will keep both sides in check by ticketing drivers who violate the new Safe Passing Ordinance (which requires a space of three feet between bike and car) and cyclists that disregard traffic laws.
“Whether on a bike or behind the wheel, we have to abide by the rules of the road and learn how to share the road safely,” Parker said. “Unfortunately, a spate of recent bicycle fatalities on Houston streets indicates there is much work to be done in this area. As a first step, I am dedicating $50,000 toward the cost of a Bicycle Master Plan that will guide our future decisions regarding placement of dedicated on-street bike lanes and infrastructure.”
In February, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a Vision Zero plan geared toward eliminating all traffic deaths, while San Francisco’s WalkFirst plan, introduced earlier this month, aims to safeguard the city’s most dangerous intersections for pedestrians. Though their effects still have yet to be seen, greater awareness and care among drivers, bikers, and walkers, can only promote safety. With biking becoming an increasingly popular mode of transportation in cities around the country, these measures will likely continue to see copycats like Houston.

Why Is This Doctor Telling Grandmas to Balance on One Leg While Brushing Their Teeth?

Posted on by robbie

Falls are always a danger to the elderly. More than half of people over age 80 fall each year, and falls are the leading cause of injury to seniors. In Wisconsin, the death rate among elderly people after a fall is double the national average, so one doctor decided to try to do something to reduce the risk. Dr. Irene Hamrick of the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health learned about a program in Australia called the Lifestyle and Functional Exercise program, or LiFE, that was improving seniors’ balance by incorporating simple exercises into their daily routines. Participants in the program reduced their rate of falls by 31 percent over a year of follow-up, and increased their strength.
Dr. Hamrick adapted LiFE for Wisconsin seniors. She recruited people over 70 in Wausau, Wis., to enroll in a pilot program that asked participants to perform simple strength and balance exercises during the day, like standing on one leg while brushing their teeth. The program runs counter to the standard advice that physicians give to the elderly about avoiding activities that may be challenging to their balance.
Dr. Hamrick plans to expand the program statewide, saying in a statement, “We are very excited with the success we have seen so far. Patients really want to do the program, and we have not had anyone drop out.”
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