Recent news stories about unsafe toys being produced in China have to frighten parents with small children. Now, just in time for the holidays, the Dallas Morning News had an article this week about Web sites that help parents choose safe toys for their children. Here is the list of sites:
This information is from an e-mail that's been circulating for a very long time. But there are some good tips in here, and it's worth summarizing. This only applies if you have a remote control for a car alarm.
Put your car keys beside your bed at night. If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies.
Next time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside your house, and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.
If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, the odds are the burglar or rapist won't stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there and the criminal won't want that.
Remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. Maybe this could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.It is also suggested that you carry your car keys with you in case you fall outside so someone can hear the alarm and come find you.
Can the news from China get any stranger than this? In Mattel's latest toy recall (Mattel is up to at least 21,000,000 recalled toys just in the past few months), the popular Aqua Dots beads have been found to contain a chemical that acts as a date-rape drug when ingested by children. Here are excerpts from a story in the Dallas Morning News:
Aqua Dots, which features small beads that bond with water, contain chemical 1,4-butanediol, an industrial solvent that the body converts to drug gamma-hydroxy butyrate, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Web site.
Two children in the U.S. who swallowed the beads were hospitalized after they became comatose and later recovered, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. The toys were manufactured in China and distributed by Toronto-based Spin Master, it said.
The recall comes as consumer concern grows about Chinese-made products amid revelations this year of toxic pet food, contaminated vitamins, lead paint on toys and deadly cribs. President George W. Bush earlier this week called for increased penalties for companies that sell dangerous products and establishing a certification program for producers that meet safety standards.
China, which produces four-fifths of the toys sold in the U.S., has been the focus of several recalls this year, including at least 21 million items recalled by the world's largest toymaker, Mattel Inc.
Here are some tips for teenage drivers, courtesy of Safeco Insurance:
Driver's license
Most teenagers are excited and proud about getting their first driver's license. Make the most of this time by helping your teen along the way. A few helpful hints:
• Obtain the license handbook from your local Department of Motor Vehicles.
• Be sure your teen studies the handbook and takes practice tests. Ten hours of study is normally sufficient and if your teen passes two of the practice exams, he or she is very likely to pass the exam. You can also help your teen by quizzing him or her.Prepare your teen for all kinds of driving situations.
Knowing your teen is prepared to handle unique situations will go a long way in giving you confidence and peace of mind that he or she is ready to drive. There's a variety of challenges and unexpected occurrences to prepare for—some within your control and some out of your control. Part of ensuring your teen's safety is being proactive with providing tips and advice on how to handle these kinds of situations before they happen.
If your teen needs to drive in bad weather
Driving in inclement weather is a leading cause of accidents.* Whether your teen is facing ice, snow, rain or fog, there are certain precautions he or she should take if he or she needs to drive at these times. Here are some tips you can pass along to your teen to reduce the risk of accidents:
Rain
• Reduce your speed.
• Turn on your lights and ensure that your field of vision is clear. If necessary, use the air conditioner or defroster to improve visibility.
• As always, make sure that you have the proper treads on your tires.Fog
• Turn on your headlights to low beam, whether it's day or night.
• Stay to the right of the road and stay a safe distance behind the car ahead of you.
• If visibility is extremely low, pull off the road to the right and turn on your emergency hazard lights. Wait until visibility improves.Snow and Ice
• Bridges and overpasses freeze before roads do because of the cold air that passes underneath them. So always slow down and avoid sudden changes in speed or direction when driving on bridges or overpasses.
• Use your brakes cautiously. If you have antilock brakes, apply firm and consistent pressure to the pedal in accordance with your car's manual. If you don't have antilock brakes, slowly pump the brakes to prevent your brakes from locking up.
• Maintain a steady, slow speed.
• If you are stuck in the snow, straighten the wheel and accelerate slowly. Don't spin the tires.
• Consider carrying sand or cinders to place under the wheels for traction. You should also keep a small shovel and a sleeping bag in the trunk for extremely cold conditions or travel
*Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). through remote areas.If the car breaks down or runs out of gas It's extremely important to prepare your teen for the unfortunate event of his or her car breaking down or running out of gas. Especially since in many instances you won't be immediately available to help your teen. This is a key reason why Safeco offers 24/7 Roadside Assistance with Teensurance—to help get your teen to safety and give you the peace of mind that your teen will not be stranded.
Here's some helpful advice to share with your young driver:
1. Get the car off the road as quickly as possible only when it's safe to do so. If you didn't get the car off the road before it stalled, it's important to move it so it won't become a potential safety hazard to other motorists.
2. To push your car off the road, put on your hazard lights and shift your car into neutra l. Once your car is in a safe location and stopped, be sure to place the car back into par k and set the emergency brake.
3. Keep your hazard lights on. This will help your vehicle be more visible to motorists. Keeping your hazard lights on will also signal to law enforcement that you either plan to return to your car quickly or that you need help.
4. If you have a cell phone, stay in the car and call for roadside assistance. (Teensurance comes with roadside assistance that covers your teen in most any vehicle he or she drives so make sure the number is programmed into his or her cell phone or that the wallet card is accessible.)Note: Keep in mind that each situation your teen faces could be unique and might require different actions.
Dealing with the effects of peer pressure
Let's be honest. P eer pressure is a powerful motivator to teens, causing them to do things they wouldn't normally do. But with Teensurance, parents have the opportunity to set limits and boundaries around speed, safe driving areas and times—and be notified in real-time if those limits have been exceeded.
Sometimes, these mistakes are unintentional. Other times, peer pressure can cause teens to push beyond their limits. Thankfully, you'll know and will be able to have a conversation with your teenager about what happened and how to avoid these situations in the future. Maybe more importantly, it gives your teen a valid reason why he or she can't participate in risky behavior. In the end, what matters most is providing your teenager with the freedom to drive responsibly. Teensurance can assist you in providing this freedom without compromising your teen's safety or your peace of mind.
If there's an accident
Unfortunately, accidents happen. So it's important that your teen knows exactly what to do if there is one. To make sure your teen understands the proper process to follow in an accident, give him or her the card on the back of this brochure. It includes essential information such as:
1. Stop. If you leave the site of an accident you could be charged with a "hit and run"— regardless of whether or not you think it's your fault.
2. Exchange information with all parties involved in the accident, including: names and driver's license numbers, vehicle identification numbers, name and contact information of the car owners, plus insurance company names, addresses and policy numbers. If possible, take pictures of the accident scene.
3. If you hit a parked car and its driver is not around, you may not leave the scene of the accident until you have left a note in a conspicuous place that includes your name, address, explanation of the accident, and the name and address of your car's owner. If you don't, you could be charged with a "hit and run."
The Dallas Morning News had a good article on "bump keys" in yesterday's edition. I first wrote about this problem in this blog in January. The heart of the problem is that a burglar can buy house keys that have been cut down so that they enter the locks without moving any of the lock's pins. The burglar then "bumps" the key with a hammer, and the resulting force bounces the pins brieflyinto the unlocked position. If the burglar is quick enough, he can then open the door just like he had your own house key.
There are door locks that are immune to bump keys, and it's recommended that every homeowner buy these locks. For details, please read the Dallas Morning News article and the blog post.
What will they find lead paint in next? And is everything made in China now? Boy Scout badges? What could be more American than Boy Scout badges?
It's just crazy that the U.S. is completely losing our manufacturing abilities to overseas factories. We're not going to be able to make anything for ourselves if we ever have to.
If you haven't heard, plastic totem badges given to Cub Scouts (the younger version of Boy Scouts) have been discovered to contain lead paint. I may still have one of these badges myself, from my time in the Cub Scouts many years ago. Of course, that was long before the U.S. was outsourcing all manufacturing to Asia.
The Dallas Morning News had an interesting article yesterday discussing the increase in registration of motorcycle and scooters, now that the price of gas has risen so high. The article also contained some "Rules of the Road" that came from the Texas Department of Transportation. The rules were not included in the online article, so I'll reproduce them here:
If you drive a car...
* Look twice for motorcyclists -- at intersections, while entering highways and whenever you're turning or changing lanes.
* If you're passing a motorcyclist, move to the other lane and allow plenty of room.
* Be on the lookout for two-wheelers on the highway, at intersections and when they may be changing lanes.
* Watch for riders who may need to quickly maneuver around potholes and debris.
If you ride a motorcycle or scooter...
* Turn on your headlights and ride defensively.
* Avoid riding in the center of the lane, where debris and oil build up.
* Ride at a safe speed, and never ride if you've been drinking.
* Take a course to learn or reinforce safe riding techniques.
* Texas law says motorcyclists under age 21 must wear helmets.
* Those 21 or over may ride without helmets if they've successfully completed a motorcycle safety course and can show proof of health insurance with a minimum of $10,000 coverage for injuries resulting from a crash. The fine for not wearing a helmet can be up to $50, plus court costs.
* Riding a low-powered scooter on a highway can be illegal. Many Texas highways have a minimum speed limit of 45 mph.
I appreciate my friend David Zachary Kaufman, of Qui Custodes, pointing out this interesting illustration of home burglary statistics and tips.
The Dallas area had the rainiest two-month period in history in May and June. It has rained each day so far in July, and rain is predicted every day in the extended forecast. We are sick of the rain, and the flooding it has caused.
But on every one of those rainy days, I've been amazed at the number of people who drive in the rain with their headlights turned off. This is extremely dangerous. Every time you turn on your windshield wipers, you should also turn on your headlights. Remember that headlights are not there just so you can see, but also so others can see you. I really wish auto makers would wire cars so that this happened automatically.
There should be no exceptions -- use your lights when you use your wipers!
I'm not endorsing Safeco insurance, but their new "Teensurance" program is intriguing. It combines auto insurance with a kind of Big-Brother approach to new teen drivers. Parents can log in to a computer and track where their kids are driving, or at least where the car is. The parents can also get alerts about roadside problems, and the teens can get car doors unlocked with a phone call (in case the keys get locked inside the car).
Safeco also offers some very good information for your teen drivers.
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