How to Choose the Best Car for a Newly-licensed Teen Driver
Consumer Reports produced the YouTube video below to help parents choose the best car for a newly-licensed teenage driver.
The experts advise parents to NOT buy a cheap car or an old car lacking important safety features that could save lives in an accident. A vehicle with good safety features can compensate for a teen’s lack of driving experience and judgement.
They also recommend:
- Do not buy a car without Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This is a crucial safety feature that helps stabilize the car to avoid accidents.
- Do not buy a car without antilock brakes.
- Do not buy a teen a pickup truck. They don’t handle or brake as well as some smaller cars and the vehicle’s high center of gravity makes it unstable and easier to roll.
- Do not buy a teen a cheap new car. The car may be too slow for easy merging. In a crash, they do not have the mass to protect the car’s occupants.
- Do not buy a teen an older car that lacks important safety features found in newer cars such as airbags, ESC and antilock brakes.
- Do not buy a teen a larger SUV or a minivan because the more passengers your teen has in the car when they are driving, the more likely they are to have an accident.
- DO buy a teen a 4-cylinder midsize sedan with as many safety features as you can afford.
Consumer Reports produced a list of the best used cars to buy for a teenage driver. You can find the list at this link: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2016/03/best-used-cars-for-teens/index.htm
We talk about the essentials, including why electronic stability control is so important. Viewer comments also point out some common concerns, opinions, and misconceptions about good cars for teens. Finally, we discuss the role of advanced driver training and where our vehicle recommendations overlap with the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety – and where they deviate.
Tips for Creating Strong Online Passwords
To keep your online accounts safe, experts recommend 1. creating passwords that are a combination of eight or more letters and numbers/symbols and 2. avoid using the same username and password combination for multiple websites.
Here are some tips for creating strong online passwords:
- Use a unique password for each of your important accounts.
- Use a mix of letters, numbers and symbols in your password. Do not create passwords of numbers only, especially sequences.
- Don’t use personal information or common words as a password.
- Make sure your backup password options are up-to-date and secure.
SplashData compiled the following list of the 25 “Worst Passwords of 2014” from over 3.3 million passwords that were leaked in 2013. If any of your passwords appear on the list below change them ASAP using the suggestions above.
- 123456
- password
- 12345
- 12345678
- qwerty
- 1234567890
- 123
- baseball
- dragon
- football
- 1234567
- monkey
- letmein
- abc123
- 111111
- mustang
- access
- shadow
- master
- michael
- superman
- 696969
- 123123
- batman
- trustno1
Keep your passwords secure
- Don’t leave notes with your password on your computer or desk.
- If you save your passwords in a file on your computer, create a unique name for the file so people don’t know what’s inside. Do not give the file an obvious name, such as “my passwords.”
- If you have a difficult time remembering multiple passwords, a trusted password manager may be a good solution. Check out the reviews and reputations of these services. PC Magazine’s favorites can be viewed at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp
Ten Emerging Scams and How to Protect Yourself
Do you consider yourself friendly? Thrifty? Financially sophisticated? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are more likely to be defrauded because you may give strangers the benefit of the doubt, are more enticed by bargains and are comfortable moving larger amounts of money around.
An AARP article highlights 10 emerging consumer scams and steps to avoid them. Often, these scammers target the elderly and engage in a specific type of elder abuse.
1. Tech support
Through this scam, one American is duped out of an average $454 nearly every 10 seconds. It starts with an unsolicited call from someone claiming to be with Microsoft or Windows tech support, who says viruses have been detected on their computer. To protect their data, they are told to immediately call up a certain website and follow its instructions. A dummy screen may appear that shows viruses being detected and eliminated, but in reality malware is being installed that allows the scammer to steal usernames and passwords, hold data for ransom or even use the webcam to spy on them.
To avoid being scammed: Hang up!
2. Silent call
The phone rings, you pick it up, say “hello,” but there’s no one on the other line. It’s a new type of robocall – an automated computer system making tens of thousands of calls to “build a list of humans to target for theft,” according to the Financial Fraud Research Center. It’s the first step in opening you up to many of the phone-based scams discussed in this article.
To avoid being scammed: Put caller ID on your landline, screen your calls, and don’t pick up if the number is unfamiliar.
3. IRS impostor
This is the #1 reported fraud right now. Someone claiming to be from the IRS either phones or leaves a voice message saying you owe back taxes and threatening that, unless funds are wired immediately, legal action will be taken or you’ll be arrested. Or they may say you have a refund waiting but need to verify personal info before sending.
To avoid being scammed: Do not return a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS. The real IRS opens communications with a taxpayer only via the U.S. Postal Service. If you’re ever in doubt about an IRS matter, call the agency directly at 800-829-1040.
4. Cancer rip-off
Last spring, in one of the biggest busts of its kind, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged four national cancer charities (the Cancer Fund of America, Cancer Support Services, the Children’s Cancer Fund of America and the Breast Cancer Society) with defrauding consumers of $187 million.
To avoid being scammed: Before contributing to any charity, check out its rating on charitynavigator.org. Do not give cash to door-to-door solicitors or your credit card number to callers. Ask for more information about the charity (brochures, websites) and investigate the cause first. Be wary of popular online giving sites such as gofundme.com.
5. Chip card
Banks and credit card companies are issuing customers new “chip” cards. The FTC warns that con artists are impersonating card issuers and sending emails requesting personal and financial information, or asking that you click on a malware-laced link before being issued a new card. The fraudsters are sending emails — purporting to be from companies such as American Express — that convincingly use the company’s logo and color scheme, and even have footer links such as “View Our Privacy Policy” and “Contact Us.”
To avoid being scammed: No credit card company will email or call you to verify personal info it already has on file before mailing a new card. If you’re ever unsure, simply call the number on the back of your card (not the one supplied by the email) and ask the company if it’s trying to contact you.
6. Faith-based dating
Some con artists are stealing the hearts of unsuspecting singles (many of them seniors) and then using various ploys to steal money. But now scammers are targeting faith-based sites like BigChurch, ChristianMingle, JDate and others.
To avoid being scammed: Before getting involved with anyone online, use Google or Spokeo.com to research the person, and even view his or her address on Google Maps. Finding “no results” is a red flag. Do a Google Image search for a profile picture. Keep in mind that people who are legitimately looking for love won’t ask for money.
7. Medical identity theft
When defrauded for medical identity theft, you can be required to cover the cost for health care services you never received including tests, prescription drugs and even operations.
To avoid being scammed: Never surrender Social Security, Medicare or health insurance numbers to anyone you don’t know and trust. Be particularly wary of free health checks offered at shopping malls, fitness clubs and retirement homes (so-called rolling labs). If they ask to photocopy your cards or ask you to sign a blank insurance claim form, don’t do it. Review all statements from your insurance provider and if there are any charges you don’t understand, call immediately. And when shopping online for prescription drugs or other health-related items, remember that if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
8. Counterfeit apps
Some Apple app developers have evidently used a fake version of Xcode (hence dubbed Xcode Ghost) to build their apps, not knowing it contained malware designed to steal passwords and do other devious things.
To avoid being scammed: Apple says it has purged its store of these malicious apps. Always read an app’s reviews before downloading and choosing proven, popular ones. You can limit an app’s access to your location by adjusting your device’s privacy settings.
9. Grieving widow
People are more vulnerable after the loss of a loved one, and con artists know that. They scan obituaries and find ways to trick the widow or widower out of money.
To avoid being scammed: Ask a trusted family member to temporarily handle your financial responsibilities while you are grieving. Have that person follow up on any suspicious phone calls or emails. And be aware that while you are grieving, you may be more vulnerable to fraud tactics that play on your emotions.
10. Gift voucher
This rip-off involves getting an unsolicited email from McDonald’s, Subway or another popular restaurant or retailer offering a free gift card if you click a link to activate it. The pitch looks legit, but it’s a phishing scam, meaning the perpetrator is either trying to install malware on your computer or gather personal info by having you complete an online questionnaire.
To avoid being scammed: Never click a link in an unsolicited email or divulge personal info, no matter how enticing the offer. Do a Google search (such as “McDonald’s gift card scam”) and see if any warnings come up. In most cases, they will.
To learn more, you can read the full article.
Steps to Stay Healthy While Traveling
New York Times writer and experienced world traveler, Jane Brody, shares her tips to stay healthy while vacationing in developing countries.
Below are highlights of her recent post for the New York Times, which can be found at http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/02/22/staying-healthy-while-traveling-the-globe/?ref=health:
1: Drink and brush your teeth with water from a sealed bottle that you open yourself. Avoid ice in your drinks.
2. Keep your mouth shut when you take a shower or swim in a pool.
3. Before every meal, chew a 262 milligrams bismuth subsalicylate tablet (Pepto-Bismol).
4. Stick to “safe food” that is fully cooked and served hot. Eat only fruits and vegetables you have washed in bottled water and peeled yourself. Never eat undercooked foods (eggs, meat, fish or poultry). Do not eat street food.
5. Wash your hands often – always before eating. If soap and water are not available use a hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol.
6. Carry an emergency supply of Lomotil (for digestive problems) and azithromycin (Zithromax Z-pak, for infections).
7. Be up-to-date on routine vaccines – measles-mumps-rubella, varicella (chickenpox), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, polio and an annual flu shot. Review recommendations for specific destinations on the C.D.C. website at cdc.gov/travel.
8. Bring sunscreen, insect repellent with 20 percent or more of DEET, motion sickness pills and a first-aid kit (with hydrocortisone cream, alcohol wipes, antibiotic ointment and a variety of bandages).
9. If you are at risk for blood clots when flying or driving long distances, book an aisle seat so you can get up every hour and walk around for a minute. Move your legs and flex your ankles frequently. Wear graduated compression stockings. For more information, check the C.D.C. advisory on blood clots and talk to your doctor.
10. Purchase travel health and medical evacuation insurance.
11. Carry a card that lists your blood type, any chronic illnesses or serious allergies and the generic names of prescription medicines you take. Bring some extra doses in case of travel delays.
12. To avoid parasitic diseases like schistosomiasis, do not swim or wade in fresh water in developing countries or wherever the sanitation is poor. Pools should be chlorinated.
13. Do not touch or feed any animal you don’t know. Some carry rabies so if you get bitten or scratched by an animal, wash the wound immediately with soap and clean water and, if at all possible, get to a doctor quickly.
14. If you expect to be at a high altitude (8,000 feet or higher), consult your doctor about medicine to prevent altitude sickness. The recommended preventive is acetazolamide (generic version of Diamox).
Video Helps Kids and Parents Understand Concussions
From falling off a bike to getting tackled in a football game, the ways a kid can get a concussion – or mild traumatic brain injury – are endless and the consequences can be life changing.
Dr. Mike Evans, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, created a video to help kids and parents understand the injury. Concussions 101, a Primer for Kids and Parents is easy to understand and speaks directly to children who have had a concussion about what happened to their brain, what symptoms to expect and how to safely return to activity and play.
You can view the short, very informative video below:
Be Prepared When Disaster Strikes
The key to surviving a disaster – natural or manmade – is preparation.
The American Red Cross offers valuable information, lists and tools to help you and your family prepare for a disaster.
Their website provides supply lists for an emergency kit (http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit) and guides you through the process of drafting a family readiness plan (http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/plan).
The American Red Cross also offers smartphone apps to alert you to a disaster or support you after disaster strikes. Available apps for your mobile phone include:
- Customizable Emergency Alerts
- First Aid
- Hurricane, tornado, flood, wildfire and earthquake warnings
- Pet First Aid
When disaster strikes, its important to let your family know you are safe. You can register on the American Red Cross Safe and Well website to let your family and friends know you are safe. You may also call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and select the prompt for “Disaster” to register yourself and your family.
For more information, visit the Red Cross website at http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family
http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit
Millions of Americans Could Lose the Protection of Workman’s Compensation
In a two part series, Insult to Injury: America’s Vanishing Workers Protections, National Public Radio is shedding light on a serious assault on worker’s rights and protections.
Texas and Oklahoma have slashed worker’s compensation benefits and deny injured workers the support they need as a result of a workplace accident. State law allow employers to opt-out of state-regulated workman compensation plans and develop their own workplace injury plans. As a result, 1.5 million workers in the states don’t have state-regulated workers’ compensation to turn to when they’re injured on the job.
The opt-out system saves employers 40 to 90 percent in claims costs.
Opt-out plans cover fewer injuries, cut benefits sooner, control the injured worker’s access to doctors and limits their appeals. There are tougher qualifying rules for injuries and injured parties often have 24 hours or less to report the injury. Many Texas plans cover medical care for only about two years, whereas workers’ comp pays as long as necessary. Plans often exclude payments for wheelchair vans and chiropractors or for injuries caused by exposure to silica dust, mold or asbestos.
In Oklahoma, almost every opt-out plan includes mandatory settlements. The employer decides when to cut off benefits. The employer decides how much to pay. If a worker refuses to accept the settlement offer, they lose all their benefits.
Some details of opt-out plans follow:
- Brookdale Senior Living, the nation’s largest chain of assisted living facilities, does not cover most bacterial infections.
- Costco pays up to $600 for external hearing aids, while the cheapest model for sale at Costco costs $900.
- U.S. Foods, the nation’s second-largest food distributor, excludes any sickness or disease “regardless of how contracted” potentially allowing the company to dodge work-related conditions such as heatstroke, chemical exposures or cancer.
- Managers at Taco Bell can accompany injured workers to doctor’s appointments.
- Sears and many other companies can deny all benefits if workers don’t report injuries by the end of their shifts.
While employees suffer, the opt-out plans protect employers. They cannot be sued for workplace accidents.
When state law fails them, injured workers are supposed to be protected by the Employment Retirement Income Security Act – or ERISA. However, National Public Radio reports that ERISA doesn’t provide the worker protections promised by promoters of opt-out plans.
Currently, only Texas and Oklahoma have opt-out plans. However, PartnerSource, a Texas company that writes, sells and services opt-out-workplace injury plans, has set up opt-out advocacy and lobbying groups. The company consults for some of the biggest and best-known employers in America.
PartnerSource is busy lobbying to bring opt-out legislation to other states. The company’s goal is to have a dozen opt-out states by the end of the decade.
To learn more about opt-out plans and their impact on real workers in Texas and Oklahoma, go to http://www.npr.org/2015/10/14/448544926/texas-oklahoma-permit-companies-to-dump-worker-compensation-plans
Are E-cigarettes a Healthy Alternative to Regular Cigarettes?
Many smokers turn to e-cigarettes as a less toxic alternative to regular cigarettes or to kick their smoking habit, but research is finding that e-cigarettes may be just as dangerous and addicting. Even though about 10 percent of U.S. adults use e-cigarettes, the vaping devices and nicotine liquid remain unregulated, untested and unmonitored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Its not just adults using e-cigarettes. Unregulated advertising projecting vaping as “cool” is appealing to young people. There are over 7,700 flavors of nicotine liquid – including bubble gum, fruit loops, chocolate and strawberry. Between 2013 and 2014, e-cigarette use among teens tripled from 4.5 percent to 13.4 percent. During the same year, use by middle schoolers increased from 1.1 percent to 3.9 percent.
Below the American Lung Association debunks five common myths about E-cigarettes:
MYTH 1: E-cigarettes are safe.
FACT: E-cigarettes are unregulated tobacco products.
Nearly 500 brands and 7,700 flavors of e-cigarettes are on the market and none of them have been evaluated by the FDA. We don’t know for sure what’s in them. Studies have found toxic chemicals, including an ingredient used in antifreeze and formaldehyde in e-cigarettes. Because the FDA doesn’t regulate these products, there aren’t requirements around ingredient disclosure, warning labels or youth access restrictions.
MYTH 2. E-cigarettes don’t have nicotine.
FACT: Almost all e-cigarettes contain nicotine—including many that claim they are nicotine-free.
A 2014 study showed wide-ranging nicotine levels in e-cigarettes and inconsistencies between listed and actual nicotine levels in these products. Nicotine is an addictive substance that can have negative health impacts, including on adolescent brain development. The more nicotine a person uses, the greater the potential for addiction.
MYTH 3: E-cigarettes can help smokers quit.
FACT: The FDA hasn’t found any e-cigarette to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit.
Instead of quitting, many e-cigarette users are continuing to use e-cigarettes while still using conventional cigarettes. In 2013, 76.8 percent of the people who recently used e-cigarettes also currently smoked conventional cigarettes. The U.S. Surgeon General has found that even smoking a few cigarettes a day is dangerous to your health.When smokers are ready to quit, they should talk with their doctors about using one of the seven FDA-approved medications proven to be safe and effective in helping smokers quit. They can also contact the American Lung Association to find a program that is right for them.
MYTH 4: E-cigarettes aren’t marketed to kids.
FACT: E-cigarette use among middle and high school students tripled from 2011 to 2013.
With aggressive industry tactics such as cartoon characters and candy flavors including bubble gum, fruit loops, chocolate and strawberry, it’s no surprise studies show a dramatic increase in kids using e-cigarettes. For the first time ever, teens are smoking e-cigarettes more than traditional cigarettes.
MYTH 5: There’s no secondhand emissions from e-cigarettes
FACT: E-cigarettes expose others to secondhand emissions.
The vapor emitted by e-cigarettes and exhaled by users contains carcinogens, such as formaldehyde, according to early studies. Little is known about these emissions or the potential harm they can cause.
You can learn more about the dangers of e-cigarettes at the American Lung Association website at http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/?referrer=http://letamericaknow.com/view_feature_ysk.php?memberid=22515&orderid=872&issueid=1601?referrer=http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/e-cigarettes-and-lung-health.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/ or at http://letamericaknow.com/view_newsletter_ysk.php?memberid=22515&orderid=872&newsletterid=302&issueid=1601&subscriberid=74917E
Website Helps Parents Manage the Influlence of Media on Children
Kids of all ages are spending more time than ever consuming media – including video games, mobile devices, music, social media, TV and movies. Research by Common Sense Media found that teens spend nine hours per day on media and technology on average, not including time spent in school. While consuming media, kids are exposed to information and images that can affect their attitudes about sex, friends, body image, bullying, alcohol, drugs and violence.
Most parents believe that their kids spend too much time in front of screens and wonder how much screen time is too much. According to Dr. Michael Rich, pediatrician, founder and director of The Center on Media and Child Health at Boston’s Children’s Hospital, “The reality is they are using it and we have to start directing our concern from how much they’re using it to what they are doing with these media and then what context they’re doing it because so many schools, so many of our communities are now building themselves around a technology that is able to facilitate those activities, that the concept of screen time is really obsolete.”
To help parents navigate this new media reality, researchers from The Center on Media and Child Health created a website to provide information and resources on the positive and negative health impacts of media at different ages and advice on how to use media in a way that is most beneficial for children. The website can be accessed at this link: http://cmch.tv/parents/
The site has useful tip sheets on Media, Media Addiction, Media and Substance Abuse and Media and Sexual Behavior. Parents can also ask Dr. Rich questions regarding media and their child through the website at the Ask the Mediatrician page found at http://cmch.tv/parents/askthemediatrician/
Accidents from Distracted Walkers are on the Rise
The New York Times reports that visits to emergency rooms for injuries involving distracted pedestrians on cellphones more than doubled between 2004 and 2010 and continues to grow. Peripheral vision can drop to 10 percent of normal when a person is texting or talking on a phone while walking. Though distracted walking is most common among 18 to 34 year old, it is women 55 and older who are most likely to suffer serious injuries after a collision. Digitally distracted walkers also get hurt. They have been hit by vehicles, fallen down stairs and escalators, tripped over curbs, walked into glass doors, and fallen into fountains and swimming pools.
To help pedestrians stay injury free while walking, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) recommends:
■ When using headphones, keep the volume low enough to be able to hear surrounding traffic.
■ Stay focused on the people, objects and obstacles in front of and around you. Window shoppers are especially prone to pedestrian collisions.
■ Don’t jaywalk. Use crosswalks and obey traffic signals. Be especially aware of bicycles coming your way.
■ Look ahead of you, not down, when stepping on or off a curb or approaching stairs or escalators.
■ Stay alert to vehicles pulling in or out of parking lots.
■ If you must make or take a call or send a text while walking, stop and step out of the flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Resume walking only when the task is completed.
The AAOS and other safety organizations created a public service announcement called, “Digital Deadwalkers” to encourage pedestrians not to walk while distracted by their cell phones. The video can be viewed at http://newsroom.aaos.org/video_display.cfm?video_id=6813
If you have been involved in an Arizona motor vehicle accident, we’re here to help. Khalidi Law Firm, PLLC has more than two decades’ experience litigating vehicle accidents, including cars, motorcycles, trucks and even bicycles from our offices in Tucson’s Barrio Historica.