Posted by Benji Riggins on February 14, 2010 under Safety | 
North Carolina residents now have online access to information on malpractice lawsuits, convictions, suspensions, or other disciplinary actions taken against physicians and other medical professionals in the state.
The North Carolina Medical Board has expanded its Web site to include the data on the 35,000 licensed physicians and physician assistants it licenses and regulates.
The information includes malpractice suits that have been settled or lost since May 2008. The General Assembly established that cutoff date after medical providers, insurers and defense lawyers objected to posting older malpractice data.
The Web site www.ncmedboard.org allows consumers to search by a doctor’s name or by city.
The board has maintained a searchable database of information regarding its licensees’ education, training and professional background for several years. Those listings included board certifications and disciplinary history, if any, with the state medical board.
But a recent change in North Carolina law authorized the board to expand this information to include the malpractice liability payment information and additional details including final suspensions or revocations of hospital privileges; final disciplinary orders or actions of any regulatory board or agency; felony convictions; and misdemeanor convictions involving offenses against a person, offenses of moral turpitude, offenses involving the use of drugs or alcohol and violations of public health and safety codes.
Licensees are required to report this information to the board under state law.
Posted by Benji Riggins on February 9, 2010 under Safety |
Toyota owners should place safety first and follow the car manufacturers’ instructions regarding the recalled vehicles, insurers say. After the recall of some 8 million Toyota vehicles, insurers are urging vehicle owners not to hesitate on contacting Toyota dealers.
“If Toyota drivers experience any issues with their accelerator pedal, they should contact their Toyota dealer without delay,” said Robert Passmore, senior director of claims for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI).
In the event that a driver experiences an accelerator pedal that sticks or returns slowly to idle position, Toyota says the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes. The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure. The vehicle should be driven to the nearest safe location, the engine shut off and a Toyota dealer contacted for assistance.
“Consumer safety is a top concern for the insurance industry and we are encouraged that Toyota dealers nationwide are beginning to make repairs on the vehicles involved in the recall,” said Passmore.
Insurers want consumers to know that if Toyota’s recalled part causes an accident, the driver’s automobile liability or physical damage insurance will provide coverage.
“This type of unforeseen event is what insurance is for,” said PCI’s Passmore. “If the pedal is a factor, the insurer will pay the claim for the driver and then likely seek to be reimbursed by Toyota. This is one less thing for the consumer to worry about.”
There is also good news for consumers because a vehicle recall by itself will generally not cause insurance rates to increase, Passmore said. “Looking forward, it is unlikely that rates would be affected by the recall.”
Over the years Toyotas have had a good safety record as evidenced by their popularity, so it is unlikely that there will be enough accidents caused by the faulty pedals that rates will increase, according to Passmore.
“Insurers look at the cost of claims over a period of time for vehicle,” he added. “They are interested in how much it costs to repair a vehicle and how often the vehicle is involved in an accident.”
While Toyota is pursuing repairs to recalled vehicles, the nation’s largest auto insurer says Toyota vehicle safety has been a concern for some time.
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Posted by Benji Riggins on February 1, 2010 under Safety |
Drivers who send text messages are six times more likely to crash, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Utah.
Using a driving simulator, drivers in the study tended to decrease their minimum following distance when texting and also showed delayed reaction times. In fact, their median reaction times increased by 30 percent when they were texting and 9 percent when they talked on the phone. Drivers who texted also showed impairment in forward and lateral control.
According to the researchers, texting “requires drivers to switch their attention from one task to the other. When such attention-switching occurs as drivers compose, read, or receive a text, their overall reaction times are substantially slower than when they’re engaged in a phone conversation.”
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