America's love affair with the open road has grown to become its love affair with recreational vehicles. Today, there are over 30 million RV enthusiasts, and more on the way. With more than 16,000 publicly and privately owned campgrounds nationwide, RVs give us the freedom to roam from coast to coast and any stop in between. But getting safely from here to there takes planning.

Be an Informed Buyer

Make sure your vehicle can safely tow an RV. Most full and mid-size family cars can pull a trailer, and so can today's popular vans, 4x4s and light-duty trucks. The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association suggests that you discuss these basic factors with your RV and auto dealers when evaluating trailer/tow vehicle options: engine horsepower; transmission and axle capacity; cooling equipment; suspension; springs and shocks; power brakes; power steering; and battery capacity.

- Check the owner's manual to find the trailer types that your vehicle can haul and the maximum load weight it can pull. Obtain a "trailering guide" for your vehicle.

- You'll also want to follow your RV dealer's advice on the type and size of hitch and ball, tire inflation and anti-sway devices.

- If you tow a boat, get the right-sized trailer to minimize swaying.

- Make sure your trailer has the right tires. Never use automotive radial tires on a boat or other trailer. Carry a spare.

- If you're thinking of buying an RV, call 1-888-GO-RVING.

Towing A Small Trailer

Make a thorough check of your vehicle and trailer when you use it.

- Be sure vehicle and trailer are hitched correctly.

- Connect brakes and signal lights. Always check that the trailer's brakes, turn signals and tail lights work and are synchronized with the towing vehicle's.

- Check tire pressure, and lug nuts for tightness.

- Don't overload the towing vehicle or the trailer. Check the manuals. Place a slightly higher percentage of cargo weight toward the front of the trailer. This will improve the connection by increasing weight on the hitch.

- Balance the load from side to side, and secure it so it won't shift.

- Once the trailer is loaded, make sure all doors are closed and secure. Be sure safety chains are attached, in good condition, and not dragging on the ground.

- On the road, steer as little as possible to avoid swaying. Try to avoid applying the brakes suddenly. It's better to release the gas pedal and slow down naturally.

- Trailer tires can get very hot while in use, especially tires on smaller trailers. Follow the manufacturer's directions for recommended maximum speeds. On hot days travel under the speed limit.

- Check and grease your trailer's wheel bearings once a year, and after each immersion in water.

Big Tow

Whether driving a motorized RV, or towing a travel trailer, special precautions are required.

- Before leaving on a trip, sit in the driver's seat and adjust all mirrors for optimal road views. Equip a towing vehicle with large mirrors for the fenders on both sides.

- Check for leaks in propane gas bottles, heating equipment, and related tubing. Turn off all valves.

- Load tools and emergency and foul weather items in an accessible location in the towing vehicle.

- While moving, don't let anyone stay in the towed vehicle. It is dan­gerous and illegal in many states.

- Allow for your vehicle size when turning.

- Increase your normal following distance.

- Allow more time to brake, change lanes, and enter a busy road, since bigger vehicles take more time to accelerate and slow down.

- After passing, allow plenty of room before changing lanes again.

- Most trailering mishaps occur when going downhill and the trailer begins pushing the towing vehicle. When descending steep hills it is important to use a lower gear to achieve some braking action from the engine rather than depending solely on the braking system.

- Back up with care. Use someone outside the vehicle to assist the driver. If there's no one to help, get out and inspect the area.

- Always carry tire changing instructions when you travel.

Posted by Steven J. Klearman at 10:50 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0) | Comments (0)

Vehicle Warnings

According to Operation Lifesaver, an average of eight collisions between trains and motorists occur every day. Over 350 people are killed each year, and about 1,000 are seriously injured. A motorist is 40 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a collision with a train than in a collision with another motor vehicle.

- Look, Listen and Live is the basic rule. Obey all highway-rail crossing signs and signals.

- Don't rely on warning signals. They could be broken. If you suspect a signal is malfunctioning, or if you feel vision at the crossing is restricted, e.g., high weeds, call the police or the railroad. You may want to find another route.

- Expect a train any time. Most trains don't follow set schedules.

- As you approach a railroad crossing: slow down when you see the R X R advance warning sign; open a window; turn off the radio and fan; stop talking; look both ways; and listen for a train whistle.

- You must stop if red warning lights are flashing; warning bells are ringing; there's a STOP sign, or the gates are lowered. It's the law. NOTE: More than half of all train-vehicle crashes occur when a driver disregards flashing red lights or gates that warn of a coming train.

- Never race a train to a crossing. Always assume you'll lose.

- Never stop on a crossing or shift gears. When traffic is heavy, wait until you are sure you can clear all of the tracks.

- If you start across the tracks and the warnings activate, continue to the other side. Don't stop or attempt to back up.

- Watch out for a second train when crossing multiple tracks.

- Its large mass makes it difficult to judge the speed and distance of an oncoming train. Be careful.

- Remember, trains cannot stop quickly. It can take a mile or more to stop once the brakes are applied.

- Be doubly alert at night and in bad weather. Don't overdrive your lights. In many nighttime collisions, cars run into trains.

- Many rail-car collisions occur near a driver's home because people take a rail crossing for granted. Don't fall into that trap. Build pos­sible delays into your schedule.

- Keep alcohol, distractions and fatigue out of your car.

- If your car stalls on the tracks, get everyone out immediately and get a safe distance from the tracks. Call the police. If no train is coming, post lookouts and try to get the car off the tracks. Be ready to get away fast. If a train approaches, run toward the train to avoid flying debris.

Personal Warnings

In recent years, over 500 people have been killed annually while trespassing on railroad rights-of-way and property.

- Do not walk, run, cycle or operate all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on railroad tracks and property or through tunnels. Furthermore, these activities are against the law.

- Cross tracks only at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings. Observe all warning signs and signals.

- Do not hunt or fish from railroad trestles. There is only enough clearance on tracks for a train to pass. They are not meant to be sidewalks or pedestrian bridges.

- Do not attempt to hop aboard railroad equipment at any time. A slip of the foot can cost you a limb.

Posted by Steven J. Klearman at 11:25 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0) | Comments (0)

Yahoo New, in a story by AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, reports that "new research challenges the notion that you can be fat and fit, finding that being active can lower but not eliminate heart risks faced by heavy women.

The new study involving nearly 39,000 women helps sort out the combined effects of physical activity and body mass on women's chances of developing heart disease.

The study by Harvard-affiliated researchers appears in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.

Participants were women aged 54 on average who filled out a questionnaire at the study's start detailing their height, weight and amount of weekly physical activity in the past year, including walking, jogging, bicycling and swimming. They were then tracked for about 11 years. Overall 948 women developed heart disease.

Women were considered active if they followed government-recommended guidelines and got at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week, including brisk walking or jogging. Women who got less exercise than that were considered inactive.

Weight was evaluated by body mass index: A BMI between 25 and 29 is considered overweight, while obese is 30 and higher.

Compared with normal-weight active women, the risk for developing heart disease was 54 percent higher in overweight active women and 87 percent higher in obese active women. By contrast, it was 88 percent higher in overweight inactive women; and 2 1/2 times greater in obese inactive women.

About two in five U.S. women at age 50 will eventually develop heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems. Excess weight can raise those odds in many ways, including by increasing blood pressure and risks for diabetes, and by worsening cholesterol. Exercise counteracts all three.

"It is reassuring to see that physical activity really does make an impact," said lead author Dr. Amy Weinstein of Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. However, she added, "If you're overweight or obese, you can't really get back to that lower risk entirely with just physical activity alone."

University of South Carolina obesity expert Steven Blair, a leading proponent of the "fit and fat" theory, said the study is limited by relying on women's self-reporting their activity levels. That method is not as reliable as a more objective fitness evaluation including exercise treadmill tests, Blair said. These tests include heart-rate measures to see how the heart responds to and tolerates exercise.

In Blair's research, overweight people deemed 'fit' by treadmill tests did not face increased risks of dying from heart disease.

Dr. Laura Concannon, who specializes in treating overweight patients at Chicago's Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, said the study's message that exercise can help reduce health risks isn't new, but it's important.

Posted by Steven J. Klearman at 11:30 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0) | Comments (0)

I often borrow from D. Garth Sullivan, Esq. at Indox Consulting (www.indoxconsulting.com).

Here's an interesting study about Myspace and the disclosure of teen health risks:

Social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, have become popular Internet venues for adolescent social interaction. Approximately 25% of the estimated 150-160 million users of MySpace, the largest site, are under age 18. Social networking Web sites allow users to create personal profiles, communicate with others, and join groups. Given that the adolescent developmental stage prioritizes peer relationships and identity exploration, the immense popularity of MySpace among adolescents may bring little surprise.

Personal Web profiles are multimedia creations featuring text, pictures, blogs, audio, and video all posted by the profile owner to represent his or her identity. Web profiles may be public and available to anyone on the Internet, or private and available only to those who the profile owner designates as "friends."

Recent media reports have highlighted cases in which young adults posted information about risk behaviors, such as sexual activity and substance use, on their publicly accessible Web profiles and experienced repercussions of these disclosures. It is worth noting that posting risk behavior information on a public Web profile may place adolescents at risk, regardless of whether or not that information is valid. These risks may include unwanted contact and adverse reactions from potential employers, school admissions officers, and others. Another risk is that displaying risk behavior information on Web profiles normalizes risky behavior within the adolescent cohort and may encourage peers to engage in risky behavior themselves.

The goal of this study was to determine how common such health risk behavior disclosures were in the public MySpace profiles of adolescents who actively use MySpace. We also assessed the prevalence of display of personally identifying information, such as name, picture, and hometown. Posting both identifiable and risk behavior information creates additional risks to adolescents, as individuals may be targeted on the basis of the display of risk behavior information, then easily identified and located.

Results of the Study

Our results demonstrate that several important risk factors can be identified effectively and efficiently using publicly available Web profiles. Some sites also feature internal search engines that allow rapid identification of profiles displaying risk behavior. On MySpace, for example, it is possible to search for users who self-identify as drinkers and smokers. Further, social networking Web sites typically allow direct access to a large number of adolescents through email.

Educators and providers may also create or work through one of the thousands of groups devoted to health topics on MySpace. Previous studies have demonstrated that Internet approaches to modify behavior can be effective in older populations. Social networking sites may provide a new venue for identification, assessment, and interventions to prevent or reduce health risks.

An important factor to consider when viewing information posted on MySpace is that social networking Web sites provide no verification of any information displayed on individuals' Web profiles. The validity of online personal risk behavior information has not been completely evaluated, but there are reasons to be concerned that such disclosures reflect either intent or actual behaviors.

Previous studies of Internet behaviors have shown that computer use often encourages self-disclosure and "hyperpersonal" information, which supports the validity of Internet self-report. Most teens reported that the majority of their online self-representation reflects their identity, but the presentation may not be entirely current. Previous studies have also shown that even on Web sites designed to promote identity experimentation and exploration, such as chat rooms, subjects generally evolved their online presentations to fit their own identities.

The Media Practice Model summarizes these findings by stating that adolescents choose and interact with media on the basis of who they are, or who they want to be, at the moment. This theory suggests that adolescent disclosures made on MySpace profiles reflect either actual behaviors or behavioral intent, both of which are of interest to healthcare providers, educators, and parents.
Limitations to this study include that, as described above, information displayed by profile owners, including ages, pictures, and behavioral descriptions, cannot be objectively verified. In particular, anecdotal reports suggest that teens frequently misrepresent their age on Web profiles in order to bypass security restrictions placed on the profiles of younger teens. We studied profiles within the class of 2008 group in an effort to improve the likelihood of viewing profiles of actual 16- and 17-year-old adolescents. However, targeting 16 and 17 year olds through this MySpace group biased our sample population to adolescents in school and who join online groups, limiting generalizability.

Finally, although our prevalences were stable between data checkpoints, this study conducted a detailed evaluation of a relatively small number of profiles compared with the total 11,000 available for the class of 2008 group. The results of this study nonetheless indicate that adolescents who are active users of MySpace regularly post health risk behaviors and display personal identification

Posted by Steven J. Klearman at 2:11 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0) | Comments (0)