You may have already seen the “Death by Cell Phone”  billboards along the highways near you.  They feature the pictures of a 61 year-old woman and a 12 year-old boy both of whom were victims of auto accidents caused by drivers using cell phones.  The billboards are a continuation the efforts by the National Safety Council’s (NSC) to reduce the number of cellphone-related car crashes.

The message on the billboard is focused on having the viewers watch on-line videos of the surviving relatives.  The survivors tell the stories of their loved ones and the circumstances of the car crashes that took they lives.

The ad campaign was sponsored by Nationwide Insurance Co. and Lamar Advertising who donated the billboard space. It is featured in 67 markets nationwide and has the potential to be seen by over million drivers every day.  The NSC is counting on this wide exposure to educate drivers on the dangers of inattentive driving and particulary in talking on cell phones and text while driving.

“Driver inattention is a leading cause of traffic crashes, responsible for about 80 percent of all collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Considering crashes are the number-one cause of accidental death in the U.S., it is important to pay close attention to our driving habits and those of other drivers.”

The National Safety Council is on a mission to:

Alert the American public that different kinds of distractions have different levels of crash risk. Talking on a cell phone and sending text messages are much higher risk activities that occur for longer durations and with more people than most other actions engaged in while driving.

Lead a change in our nation’s cultural norms, so people come to view cell phone conversations and text messaging while driving as unsafe and socially unacceptable. Calling for a legislative ban on these activities is the first step in a long-term process to educate Americans to their risk and change the culture.

 

 

 

Gov. Charlie Crist this week signed a law prohibiting cities and counties from collecting what has been termed “crash taxes” for first responders tending to auto accident victims. 

The law was in response to several cities attempts to charge the drivers who caused a  car crash for the services provided by the fire department and emergency medical personnel.  Opponents of the car crash fees said they were improper because taxes are collected to support the emergency personnel and there should be no additional fees for services.

The cities of course are all reporting record budget shortfalls and were using the fees to make up for some of the loss.

The Food and Drug Administration today issued a warning to consumers to discontinue the use of the nasal cold remedy Zicam because it may result in the loss of smell.  The products are:
    –Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel
    –Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs
    –Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size (a discontinued product)

While Matrixx Initiatives, manufacturers of Zicam, maintains that their product is safe, as a result of the F.D.A warning, they issued a press release today stating they are voluntarily recalling all Zicam products.

The F.D.A. has received rover 130 reports of anosmia, or loss of smell, from consumers with as little as one dose of the nasal gel.  The reports date back to 1999 and include both temporary and permanent loss of smell.

Zicam isand is distributed as a homeopathic remedy. As such, they  did not need approval from the F.D.A. to sell the product.   However, according to the New York Times, Matrixx has settled over 340 claims totalling over $12 million for loss of smell and has over 800 reports of loss of smell but F.D.A. has not seen those reports.

According to Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)

“Loss of sense of smell is a serious risk for people who use these products for relief from cold symptoms. We are concerned that consumers may unknowingly use a product that could cause serious harm, and therefore we are advising them not to use these products for any reason.”

Matrixx has asked consumers to discard any unused product or request a refund on line at www.ziam.com or by calling 1-877-942-2626.