Stay Alert, Stay Awake, Stay Driving

There is only so much trucking companies can do to when it comes to road safety and with the yearly updated precautions there are still accidents after accidents. I think that the yearly measures are a good start, but most of the accidents are not with the company rather that are with the driver alone. The one thing that I can suggest companies do it making it lenient for travel times so that way the drivers are allotted more stopping breaks and time to eat and nap. If there was more time for commercial drivers to arrive to their destination there would be less fatigued drivers due to the fact the fatigued drivers have become one of the top causes for commercial driving accidents.

Although fatigue has claimed one of the top spots there are several other contributions to the tremendously high truck driving accident records. Having a heavy meal has been shown to significantly add to the fatigue levels of the driver. On the other hand, if the driver engages in music at a decent volume it will help to keep them awake and if that starts to cause them to nod off turning it up louder will help to do the trick. Contrary to popular belief most truck driver engage in either alcohol, drugs or even both. These engagements have caused a tremendous impairment to their driving and is increasing the accident prevalence exponentially. Drugs and alcohol not only create impaired driving, but it also causes drowsiness and not mention it exponentially increases your risk of getting into a wreck.

Not all trucking accidents are due to the physical state of the driver either. Many accidents for truckers are the same for recreational drivers; they are just simply distracted. Many drivers have a companion when they are driving whether it is a pet or another person. Although that companion is supposed to be used to help keep the driver awake and provide company it can become detrimental to their driving. Having a pet means that you need to watch that pet and if the pet starts to bark or sniff around you are going to look around and see if you can provide for their needs. When you are looking around and trying to provide for the needs of you pet could be the epitome of your crash. Also, we have all driven somewhere and one little thing can bring the total road rage out of us and that happens ever so often with truck drivers. However, road rage with truck drivers can more dangerous because they are driving a vehicle that is multitudes heavier than any car as well as their stopping and accelerating times are way slower. Therefore, if a truck driver is cut-off and break checked then there is a good possibility they will hit you because of how long it takes such a big vehicle to stop. Doing things like that to a truck driver will create road rage which can essentially be a reasoning for why they are doing things the way they are doing them. Having such an aggressive attitude while driving is a huge factor that pushes the truck drivers to do drug or drink alcohol while on the road.

In order for companies to cut back on the accidents they need to implement lenient travel times. They need to require a driver to take mandated breaks where they are not driving. I also believe that companies should drug test at the beginning of their route and at the end to try and prevent drugs and alcohol while driving. Although companies cannot regulate against aggressive driving or distracted driving they can educate the drivers on the risks of them and what distracted driving could do to not only them, but several other people that are driving on the roads. So if you are a driver it is important to be mindful of everyone else on the road and to be cautious for your safety as well.

http://mattsharplaw.com/news/drive-time-regulations/

http://mattsharplaw.com/news/truck-drivers-mistakes/

http://mattsharplaw.com/news/highway-hypnosis/

 

Oh Yes, a Nursing Home

For most people, growing up that had at least one parent in their household that took care of them. However, a time comes when they will need your care in return and some people are unable to provide the same exceptional care that they received when they needed it growing up so they turn to nursing homes. I know what your thinking, “oh no, not a nursing home”, but honestly, it is not as bad as you think it is, but that is only if you know what to look for in your search for the perfect one.

In order to receive the best care you have to know someone that got the best care so you have an idea of what to expect. You do not want to bring a loved one to a facility that has received nothing but bad reviews, do you? Going somewhere that you are familiar with or you know someone familiar with it puts you three steps ahead in finding the perfect place. You will be given an idea on the treatment, the activities offered, the staff, and the residents’ favorite; the food. When thinking about a nursing home there are so many other things that need to be though of than just the environment. There are so many rights given to residents at a nursing home that so many people are unaware of. In Illinois, like many other states, residents have a choice for so many different things that probably did not know they had and the kicker is that if they are not allowed to practice their choice the facility can be fined. These rights include, but are not limited to:

  • The Right to Refuse and Accept Treatment
  • The Right to Choose a Personal Physician
  • The Right to Private Visitors
  • The Right to Receive Private Communications
  • The Right to Manage Personal Finances

Having someone you know that has stayed in a nursing home will provide you the information about whether or not you are getting these rights properly at that facility. The rights as a tenant allow you to make all of the decisions inside the facility on your own or with the help of your family. Many nursing homes allow for future tenants and family members to tour the facility before committing to anything. This is the most important step in making sure you are picking the right place for your family member. When touring the facility you want to make sure you are keeping an eye out on everything. Look and see how the faculty interacts with the tenants; you want to notice if the tenants are happy or frustrated and angry. Touring the facility will allow you the opportunity to see what the inside it like, what the tenants rooms look like, and allow you to see everything else about the environment. However, the most important thing to look out for is the amount of supervision there is for the current tenants. If there is a lack of supervision then there is a huge risk of something harmful happening to anyone of the tenants especially if they have an underlying medical condition like dementia.

Overall, when looking at nursing homes you need to understand the level of care that is expected of all nursing home workers. The staff is responsible for maintaining a clean and orderly environment for each and every tenant. Monitoring medication and administering it at the appropriate time is another one of their important tasks for the day. Along with those, they need to be able to work with their dietary needs and keep in mind the special needs from people with allergies, religious beliefs, etc. Most importantly, they need to be attentive; they need to supervise every single patient in order to keep them out of harms way.

Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is not as difficult as everyone makes it seem. They are not as bad as everyone anticipates just because of what the media is pointing them out to be, but if you know what to look for them you will be all set and your loved one will be all set. Keep all of these tips in mind when you are looking for a nursing home or when your loved one is in  nursing home that way you know when things are not right. Always, always, always report when something is not right because what is going on could be a form of neglect and that could be happening to more than just your family member. Once you have found the perfect nursing home your loved one will be able to receive the care that they deserve. Do not settle for less than the best.

http://stromlawyers.com/blog/2020/03/facilities-safety-violations/

http://stromlawyers.com/blog/2020/01/elopement-dangers/

http://stromlawyers.com/blog/2019/06/standard-of-care/