Think! Don’t Drink and Drive this Christmas

It’s Christmas Eve – so plenty of us will be gearing up to participate in our annual Christmas celebrations. We might be going round to visit our friends at their home, or visiting the local pubs for a Christmas gathering; or the party goers out there might be heading to a nightclub in their local city centre. Whatever way you choose to celebrate Christmas it is important that you do so safely, because the last thing you or your family want is any injuries to occur this year.

Every year the government launch their anti-drink drive campaign to persuade drivers not to consider getting behind the wheel of a vehicle when drunk. It is advised that you plan ahead this year and make sure you have arranged how you are going to make your way home from your celebrations. Lots of pubs across Britain have teamed up with Coca-Cola and are offering the designated driver of a vehicle two-for-one offers on soft drinks.

Police all over South Yorkshire have set up a number of police bays where they are randomly pulling vehicles in and carrying out checks on them. This includes testing the driver of the vehicle to make sure they are not over the legal drink drive limit. The checks have been put into place to help prevent anyone from drink driving, as the chances of them getting caught when doing so are high.
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Accidents at Work-What if They Happen to Me?

With the variety of different job roles out there, some of us are still unsure of the health and safety risks that we are faced with, for example, lifting heavy objects correctly. Others may think that if they work in an office they are not faced with any risks when compared with the job role of a construction worker. The truth is, if you don’t follow minor procedures correctly, then whatever job role you have, you are putting yourself at risk of becoming involved in an accident.

Manual handling is the process and procedure in which we lift and move objects around, no matter how big or small. On construction sites workers are constantly working with heavy equipment – what some of us don’t realise is that receptionists and supermarket workers are also some of the professions that workers are required to work with heavy objects on a daily basis.

When ensuring that equipment and stock at work is moved safely, employers and employees both have a responsibility to ensure this is done properly. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has outlined a number of ways employers and employees can protect themselves.
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Manual Handling Accidents in the Workplace

When we start a new job, or in our current employment situation, it is likely that we will need to carry out some form of manual handling. This is why it is extremely important that our employer does everything possible to ensure we know how to do this safely, and in a way that we won’t cause ourselves any injury. Manual handling can mean anything from lifting a few boxes to pushing and pulling heavy equipment.

The government created the Manual Handling Operations Regulations Act 1992 (amended in 2002) which are designed to protect employees from injuries at work caused by manual handling. Records kept by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that more than a third of all accidents reported to them that resulted in a person being absent from work for more than three days are related to manual handling at work.

A lot of people think that manual handling is just lifting and carrying objects, so it doesn’t affect them. Manual handling is also the lowering, pushing, and pulling of objects. No matter what job role you have, it is likely you will have to carry out some form of manual handling whilst at work.
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Accidents When Using Faulty Electrical Equipment

Electrical goods are something we use everyday – we use them both at work and at home, and let’s face it, we would struggle to do everyday things without them. When we use electrical equipment at work, it all needs to have been tested to make sure that it is safe for us to use, and that it follows all UK safety regulations.

When we purchase electrical equipment for our home we usually buy it from retail stores that we trust, and only buy and sell stock that has undergone the necessary checks, and abides by all safety regulations. To ensure our electrical equipment is safe at home, we should maintain it safely, and keep it away from damp conditions. If we think a piece of equipment is faulty, we should restrain from using it, and get it fixed or checked immediately.

A report done by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) confirms that electricity can easily and injure, and sadly kill, people using them. The report says that around 1000 electrical accidents are reported to them in the workplace each year, and that about 25 of those people die from their injuries. If electrical equipment isn’t used and maintained properly, it can have serious implications for those using it.
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Children as Pedestrians

All road users should understand that children have little understanding about using the roads safely. That is why as a driver, when we see a child waiting to cross a road, we should slow down in the event that they run out in front of us.

When we talk about children, we mean those who are still at primary school or of a young age. Sometimes parents let their children walk home, especially if the school is local and not a far walk. Even if their parents pick them up they often wander off in front with friends, or lag behind. Whatever the situation, it is important that all drivers take into account the possibility of a child running out in from of them.

Children do not have the same understanding of danger as adults, and so a child may not realise the potential risk when running out in front of motor vehicles. When a child is put in a potentially dangerous road traffic situation, a lower standard of personal care is expected of them. This means that if there was a road traffic accident, children at a young age may not be found to have shown negligence in an accident where an adult may clearly have been at fault. Read More

How Sporting Injuries Are Caused

Sport is something a lot of us have been brought up with from such a young age. It may be that our dad followed the local football team, or that our older sister regularly took part in athletics. Whatever the reason, sport has grown to play a huge part in British culture.

Sport  not only leads to a healthy lifestyle, but it is a hobby many of us enjoy. There are a variety of sports that we can take part in throughout the UK, some indoors, some outdoors. For those of us who can’t bare the cold, I’d say it’s best to stick to the indoor sports.

For those of us who watch sport we will be aware that sporting accidents are actually quite common. When we watch a football game, it is extremely likely that at some point during that game we will see a player get injured and taken off the pitch. Some sporting accidents can be minor and simply require those taking part to rest for a while. Others can have extreme effects on those injured, and may prevent them from taking part in any sport for a long time.
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Be Safe When Using Public Transport

When using public transport, we all have a right to feel safe and free from any harm. On a bus, it is the driver and the bus company who owe us as their passengers a duty of care. In order to maintain this duty of care, they should drive safely, stick to the speed limit, stop at designated bus stops, and allow us time when boarding to sit down before they depart.

There have been many accidents on buses resulting from the driver failing to allow passengers time to sit down before they depart from the bus stop. This has caused unnecessary accidents, especially amongst the elderly who aren’t as strong on their feet.

A bus driver should give all people boarding the bus time to sit safely in their seats before departing from the bus stop. If a bus driver speeds off from a bus stop without giving passengers time to sit down, it is possible to make an injury compensation claim in some circumstances. Read More

Why the Highway Code Saves Lives

The Highway Code is something all road users must abide by; if they fail to do so, some of the penalties can be a criminal offence, leading to prosecution. Knowing the rules in the Highway Code is essential.

The Highway Code is a series of rules created for all road uses in England, Scotland, and Wales. The reading and understanding of it is essential for everyone. It affects:

• Pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people
• Cyclists
• Motorcyclists
• Horse riders
• Drivers

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Motorcycle Accidents: Named Riders Campaign

Some motorists on the roads see the motorcyclists out there as road demons. They have no understanding of them and see them as speed machines with no care for others on the roads. The Think! Bike campaign has been created by the government in order to give some understanding to motorists about motorcyclists.

The government have picked up on the public’s disregard to motorcyclists, and want their campaign to encourage motorists to see motorcyclists as people. The reason people choose to ride a motorbike is not necessarily because of the speed it can reach – it may be for a number of other reasons. Some people just love the feeling of riding a motorcycle; it creates a sense of freedom that no other motorist may feel.

Motorbikes are slim and can therefore squeeze though traffic, meaning those riding them aren’t forced to sit in traffic jams every day. The Think! campaign ‘Named Riders’ aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries amongst motorcyclists by humanising them in the eyes of car drivers. The message given out by the campaign is that motorcyclists are a wide range of people with names, personalities, and families – just like car drivers.
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Prepare for Blizzards and Chaos on the Roads

As temperatures plummet, the Met Office has issued warnings for heavy snow and blizzards until Saturday, and has urged those travelling to prepare for chaos on the roads and rail networks. Parts of the country have been told to expect up to four inches of snow in the next few days, which will mean travel chaos on the roads across Britain.

Winter is set at arrive with a vengeance as the big freeze kicks in tonight. It is expected that blizzards of sleet and snow will hit parts of the Midlands, the north of England, and Scotland.

Met Office forecaster John Hammond said: “It looks like an early taste of winter for millions of people over the next few days. We will start to get wintry showers on Wednesday night, especially on higher ground. By the time people wake up on Thursday, there could be a good covering of snow. Temperatures will dip below freezing on Thursday night so there’s a risk of frost.”

Drivers are being urged to prepare for the winter by carrying out vehicle checks and carrying an emergency weather kit in their cars. It’s expected the cold conditions are set to continue up until Christmas.

Snow on the roads can create for the worst driving conditions, so if possible, it’s best to avoid driving in such conditions. When snow is on the roads, the slightest pressure applied to the breaks can cause a vehicle to skid out of control, resulting in a road traffic accident.

No one wants to spend this Christmas in hospital, or laid in bed injured at home, so make the most of public transport this year and leave your motor vehicle at home. If in the unfortunate event that you do become involved in a car accident this year, and suffer injury as a result of the accident, you may be able to make an injury compensation claim if the accident wasn’t your fault.

To make a successful injury compensation claim, you need to be able to prove that the other party involved were negligent, and that their negligence caused you to suffer your injuries. For more information about making a claim, contact the Injury Lawyers for free and friendly advice.