I previously wrote an article on the changes that the government are looking to implement in relation to driving tests in order to try and provide learner drivers with more awareness and get them used to driving independently on our roads.

However, is this too little too late? Why have the issues not been dealt with before now?

An interesting story caught my eye on the BBC News website today regarding how and when the very first road traffic accident in the UK occurred.

It is reported that the very first fatal road traffic in the UK was exactly 114 years ago when the driver of a Roger-Benz vehicle, travelling at only 4mph ran in to and killed Mrs Driscoll.

On 17 August 1896 Mrs Driscoll had decided to take a day trip to Crystal Palace where there was a motoring exhibition taking place on the day.

At the time there were very few petrol vehicles on Britain’s roads and therefore it was a great surprise to Mrs Driscoll to see one approaching her down the middle of the road. The driver of the vehicle is said to have sounded his bell and shouted for her to move out of the way but before Mrs Driscoll had time to consider her thoughts the driver ran her over.

Unfortunately Mrs Driscoll was killed by the collision and even more shockingly the vehicle was only been driven at 4mph! The report states that the vehicles did have a maximum speed of 8mph however they were limited to only 4mph.

This will be very shocking for many of you given the advertisements we see today regarding why we should travel at between 20-30mph.

Obviously, technology has developed and there are safer systems in place with regards to road vehicles however this story may make you think twice about your speed in future!

Whilst browsing the Daily Mail’s website this morning I came across an article regarding the theft of 3 ‘high powered’ motorbikes from a store in Altrincham, Manchester. The robbers raided the store and fled at high speeds on the stolen bikes.

Accordingly, the store owner had called for police assistance only to be astonished when the officers in attendance were ordered not to give chase as the criminals were not wearing any safety equipment! The store owner had to literally stand by and watch the bikes be driven off into the distance with nobody able to do anything about it.

It is believed that the police were concerned for the safety and welfare of the criminals and concerns were raised that a high speed pursuit could have resulted in a fatal crash.

This is a difficult situation and I am sure many of you out there will be as astonished as the store owner to read this article.

Whilst I can appreciate and understand the concerns of the force to some degree; it is difficult to fully accept that the criminals have ‘got away’ with the act.

We have all been taught ‘right’ from ‘wrong’ from a very young age – the ultimate lesson being that stealing is wrong and you will be punished if you do so. What example does this set to the youth of today? Is it ok to steal high speed vehicles because the police won’t be ‘allowed’ to catch you?

Doesn’t this set a bad precedent? Ok, so the police were concerned for the safety of the robbers, but what about the safety of other road users and pedestrians? There are now 3 criminals riding about on ‘high powered’ motorbikes. What will the police have to say when the criminals cause an accident or cause someone a serious injury?

What are your thoughts? Do you agree?

Inexperienced drivers are one of the biggest causes of road traffic accidents and if you are injured as a result of a road accident and it wasn’t your fault, you should be able to make a claim. You should contact the Injury Lawyers if you think you have a claim for free, no obligation advice.

I am sure that you have all had a moan at some point about the state of our local highways, the biggest bug bear being the number of pot holes which appear to continue to crop up in the middle of the roads and pavements.

Only this weekend I went with my friend to a nearby pub for some lunch and on turning in to the car park had to avoid what can only be referred to as an ‘assault course’  of pot holes. It was as though someone had been at the car park with a pneumatic drill and dug up the entire tarmac and then just left it for the customers to negotiate.

This morning I read an article on the Daily Mail’s website about the outrage of residents in Buntingford, Hertfordshire.

For the past year, the residents have been complaining to their local council about the state of one particular stretch of road in the village and the number of pot holes which requiring repairing and filling in.

Following these numerous complaints the residents were shocked to see workman merely painting white lines over the pot holes rather than taking steps to repair them! The busy road accommodates many residential homes and 2 schools with many parents from the vicinity having to drive down this road on a daily basis.

Referring back to the start of this article you will note that I commented that we are dealing with more and more cases of individuals who have obtained injuries due to falling down/in/over potholes and uneven pathways on the pavements and highways.

The Council in this case commented that carrying out ‘minor repairs’ to the road is not always possible or cost effective. I’m sure that the local residents would disagree and I am sure that the Council would rather take the time and money repairing the problem rather than incurring the costs of several claims when people’s vehicles are damaged and/or individuals are caused serious injury to themselves.

If you have been injured as a result of a trip/fall caused as a result of the poor maintenance of a highway then you may be able to make a claim. You should contact The Injury Lawyers directly for free, no obligation advise about whether or not you may have the grounds and prospects to make a claim for compensation.

But what if there is a scientific reason behind why we reach for the sweets and chocolates when we are sat at our computer all day?

I read a very interesting article on the Daily Mail website recently, regarding a study which has taken place in Stockholm by a Dr Chaput.

He carried out a study on a group of female students whereby one group were asked to relax for 45 minutes and the other group were asked some information into an on-screen summary. Following the task the group were given access to a buffet whereby the girls who had completed the computer-based task ate 230 more calories than the group who had been asked to relax. Fatty foods and chocolate were popular choices amongst the girls who had been involved in the computer based task.

Experiments which were carried out during the task showed the computer based students “blood sugar levels to fluctuate” and “hunger hormones to rise”.

Suggestions were made that individuals working at computers should take regular screen breaks and even consider standing up whilst working! Obviously this is an unrealistic approach to dealing with the matter as standing up all day in one position will lead to further complications.

Further advice for dealing with the matter would be the suggestion that you should ensure you have a regular exercise regime which will help to battle any cravings you get whilst sitting at your desk all day.

I’m not sure how much ‘truth’ is behind this latest research however for now, it will certainly do us ladies for another excuse for eating all that chocolate!

This is difficult to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on the face of it as every case has to be judged on its own merits and there are many aspects which can influence how successful your claim is likely to be.

The first point to establish is whether or not your Employer owed you a duty of care in the circumstances. Did your accident happen in your workplace; this may be in an office or out on a site you are contracted to work on? Your van or truck may be your workplace for example? If this is the case, if you had an accident whilst in your workplace then it is more than likely that your Employer owed you a duty of care.

Has your Employer breached their duty of care? What are the circumstances of the accident; had your Employer negligently done or not done something which has resulted in your injury? Have protective measures failed to have been put in to place where work equipment is involved i.e. protective guards, protective personal equipment etc? Have you tripped over equipment which has been negligently left in your pathway?

If the above appears applicable to you then it is likely that you may have a claim for a workplace accident, however, is there a possibility you may be held partly responsible for your own injuries?

The simplest and most answer to give you is yes.

Many factors need to be taken in to consideration when considering your Employer’s liability to you and the following will be a few:

1. Had you been provided with Personal Protective Equipment but you failed to wear them when the accident happened?
2. Had you put yourself in a position where it was reasonably foreseeable an accident may occur?
3. Were you aware of the hazard? If so, had you reported the hazard to anyone? What is your firms policy for clearing hazards out of ‘harm’s way’ i.e. are you all responsible for ensuring the workplace is kept clear of hazards or is this solely the responsibility of your Employer?

 
It is most likely that your Employer will bear some liability for your accident but you also need to consider if there is any possibility you bear any liability also.

If you have been involved in an accident at work and you have sustained injuries as a result you should seek independent legal advice from a firm of personal injury lawyers such as ourselves.

Many of us have suffered with back pain at some point in our lives; for many of us it can be severe and debilitating with a life of constant suffering.

We see experts, physiotherapists, chiropractors etc and what is the one thing they all reiterate? It is important to maintain a good posture at all times as poor posture is the most common cause of back pain amongst us.

Today, on the BBC News website, I read an article which now suggests that sitting in an upright, at a 90 degree position actually puts unnecessary strain and pressure on the spine. This sought of pressure can lead to disc movement and ultimately severe back problems for many.

Scottish and Canadian researchers carried out this latest study and concluded that the best angle to be sat at is 135 degrees, in an almost reclined position.

Realistically, sitting at a 135 degree angle poses some difficulties as you can potentially slide from your seat and will also find it much more difficult to work at your computer if you have a desk based job.

One expert from the charity, Backcare, suggested that maybe sitting in a position of 120 degrees or less would be more appropriate and realistic for day to day activities.

So does this new research push out all the previous advice we have ever been provided with? I cannot say for sure and obviously each and every person’s circumstances differ and you should always seek the advice of your GP if your back pain is causing you significant discomfort on a day to day basis.

If you do suffer with back pain as a result of your seating position at work you should always raise this with your Employer and discuss whether or not anything can be done to assist you.

If you find that your Employer does not respond to your queries and fails to do anything to address your needs and you continue to suffer you may be able to make a claim for compensation. If your Employer continually fails to address your needs then it is likely they will be in breach of their duty of care to you and you may be entitled to bring a claim against them.

If you think you may be suffering due to the negligence of your Employer then please seek legal advice from a specialist firm of personal injury lawyers such as us. We can offer you no obligation advice and we work on a 100% no win no fee basis.

I’m talking about going for the elusive cut and colour of course.

We’ve all been doing our hair one day, looked in the mirror and thought “I fancy a change of colour” – we pick up the phone, make that call and don’t think anything more about it.

What happens when your re-style goes wrong, though? How devastating can it really be?

Well 37 year old Stephanie Davies-Crowley from Tottenham suffered from serious toxic shock following attendance at La Belle Hair Salon in Hitchin.

It is understood that a patch test was not carried out prior to the full hair dye treatment being completed. An assistant in the salon put a mixture of chemicals together which resulted in the victims scalp being burned.

Mrs Davies-Crowley was having the treatment just days before her wedding in August 2009 and had to be taken straight to Hospital as her injuries were so severe. She describes going blind at one point and having to have fluid drained from her head as the swelling was so excessive from the reaction.

Mrs Davies-Crowley resulted in having to wear a wig on her wedding day.

I’m sure many of you reading this will be shocked at the devastating result of this woman’s treatment and a survey carried out by the Association if Personal Injury Lawyers showed that lawyers had dealt with 338 salon-related injuries in the past year!

Next time you think about having a restyle make sure that you are using a fully qualified stylist and that they carry out all of the relevant tests to ensure that you are not allergic to any of the products to be used.

If you do find yourself in similar circumstances contact a specialist personal injury lawyer to discuss whether or not you have a claim against the salon used.

The students from Brooksby Melton College in Melton Mowbray were on an organised field trip which had been arranged through travel company Chameleon Worldwide. The students were nearing the end of their trip as they were due to be flying back to the UK.

Sky News has reported that a bus carrying 22 students from the college and 1 member of staff overturned after the driver lost control on Bulembu Road in Barberton. An officer from the local police told reporters that the roads in this area are ‘treacherous’ and have caused many fatal accidents in the past.

Two female students travelling on the bus were killed on impact whilst another later passed away in the local medical centre; the remaining 19 were taken by air ambulance to a local medical centre for treatment.

It has not yet been confirmed whether or not any charges will be brought against the driver of the bus but investigations are underway in to this.

This is a very traumatic time for the families of those who have been involved in this incident and it is understood that the college are offering help and support for those involved.

This report comes just hours after the England football team have arrived in the country to hopefully fulfil a lot of fans dreams. Unfortunately, these students will have very different memories of South Africa and they certainly won’t be happy ones.

What do you make of this then?

I read recently on the Daily Mails website that the Driving Standards Agency has ‘revamped’ the driving test once again and this will be coming in to place from 4^th October this year.

The new test is designed to promote ‘independent thinking’ amongst new drivers, and essentially role play a situation whereby a driver is lost. Drivers will have to drive around for 10 minutes taking instructions verbally only and by following road signs. They will not be allowed any prompting from the examiner at any point. During this part of the test, driver’s will also be asked to complete a five point turn…yes you heard me right, a FIVE point turn…and also a U-turn. This again is supposed to simulate a driver being lost and heading in the wrong direction and thus having to turn the car around.

It is understood that during a trial run on 100 learner drivers, they made 5 times more mistakes and only 18% passed the test! That equates to less than 1 in 5 passing.

There are mixed views on the new test; many believing it is a good way to go as the test will be much more realistic, and better prepare new drivers for the real world whilst others believe that it is ‘missing the point’ of reducing the number of reckless drivers on our roads. Not only this, but it will be much more costly for young learners to get through their training and pass their tests…could this lead to more cases of young adults driving on our roads without full licenses?

I’m sure this is a topic of conversation which will be brought up many more times before its implementation in October, but what do you think? I’m not convinced that it is going to help reduce the number of accidents caused by reckless young drivers…they will just know how to handle themselves better in the event that they become lost on the way…

But what about a clean keyboard, monitor and telephone policy? Does your workplace have one? It’s likely they don’t as it isn’t compulsory and there currently isn’t any legislation on the matter.

On the Daily Mail’s website today I read a shocking article about the germs and bacteria contained within our keyboards and on our telephones and the illnesses that are increasing as a result.

There were several shocking reports found by Which?, who carried out the research, including one woman who thought seeds were coming out of her keyboard (which she found to be confusing as she never ate at her desk). After tests were carried out it was discovered that these ‘seeds’ were actually mice droppings!

Another keyboard also tested as part of the research found one gentleman’s keyboard to contain 150 times the acceptable limit for bacteria and 5 times as dirty as an average toilet seat!

The research concluded that 1 in 10 of us never clean our keyboards and 20% of us never clean our mouse. Half of the people surveyed only cleaned their keyboard once a month.

I think you’ll agree that these are shocking statistics. How many of us spend hours at our computers and then walk away to have our lunch/tea and do not even consider washing our hands? Why do we need to, right? At the end of the day they’re our germs so how can they harm us? But consider who else may have used your keyboard or phone; what food may have dropped on to the keyboard (the remains of which are still in there!). We’ve all spilled a drink on the computer at some point!

So, even if your Employer’s do not have a system in place in respect of cleaning your work stations i.e. an external company coming in to clean the keyboards, maybe you should consider investing in some anti-bacterial gel for your desk – best to be safe than sorry!

You might want to think twice now before you tuck in to the Mars Bar!