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US Research Confirms Cancer Risk – 25 years later
Some 25 years ago an Australian research report found that in countries with right hand drive vehicles there are more cancers and pre-cancerous growths on the right side of a driver. Now researchers at the University Of Washington in Seattle, USA have found that Americans have a tendency to develop the worst forms of skin cancer such as melanomas and merkel cell carcinomas on the left side of their bodies. The Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology also said that there is an especially high incidence of cancers discovered on the upper left arm, which is consistent with left hand drive vehicles. It’s good to see that our American cousins have finally caught up with our thinking!
It seems therefore that driving in Summer conditions with the driver’s window open has a big impact on the incidence of skin cancer.
There are three simple solutions:-
1. Cover up – long sleeve shirts are an obvious answer.
2. Apply sunscreen to arms and exposed areas.
3. Keep the windows shut, as auto glass filters out much of the bad UV that can cause cancer. So drive with the windows up and the aircon on, and, whilst that may not be the fuel efficient or ‘greenie’ solution, it could save your life.
The Driverless Car Fom Google
We’ve already heard of Volkswagen and General Motors experimenting towards driverless cars, and now Google has joined in.
Google? What the search engine?
Yes indeed. Their involvement stemmed from their camera cars travelling around the world taking pictures of people’s front yards.
But now this technology has gone a lot, lot further.
We have already seen some embryonic “driverless” options move into production – adaptive cruise control is one example, but that’s nothing compared with the latest on road research.
Google seems to be a step ahead of the rest, though, as they are working with Stamford University and a talented engineering team headed by Sebastian Thrun who was the co-inventor of Google’s street mapping cameras.
They have five Toyota Prius cars and have logged nearly a quarter of a million kilometres in varied road conditions in California, including the winding streets of San Francisco.
Thrun has a very personal motivation in all of this, having lost a close friend in an auto accident when they were teenagers. He explains his motivation and shows some vivid pictures of the driverless cars in motion in this YouTube clip.
It’s very impressive, as it seems to be able to handle all conditions, city back streets, freeways, night and daytime traffic and some pretty fancy obstacle courses at racing speeds.
But will it happen?
One thing’s for certain, there are plenty of pluses – better use of road space, much improved traffic flows, less stress (if you can stand being in the passenger seat with no driver) and better use of time.
But what if there’s a glitch – a software failure, a bug in the system? Can you imagine the mayhem?
Sadly there are many road fatalities everyday, but it only needs one to occur from a software malfunction to put a big question mark on the whole project.
What do you think? Will it happen in our lifetime? Can you sit back and have nobody drive?
Budget Benefits
The Gillard Government announced two pieces of legislation in the 2011 budget that might have escaped the attention of many, as they received very little press attention.
1. NOVATED LEASES
A novated lease is a method of financing the purchase of a motor vehicle through your employer that can give some substantial financial benefits to you. But there have been a few drawbacks and complications, as the net impact on the employer and the owner has been dependant on the number of kilometres travelled each year.
The budget has swept away this confusion and has now established a single tax benefit rate irrespective of the number of kilometres travelled. So, if you have previously looked at novated leases and walked away, it may now be more favourable for you.
If you want to know more about novated leases click here
2. SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS BUDGET BOOST
A surprise package in the Swan budget is a tax write off of up to $5000 for those wanting to buy a new car. In effect this means that, for example, a tradesman on a 30% marginal tax rate will receive a tax break of $1275 when buying a $34,000 ute. But there’s a catch. This won’t come into effect immediately. In fact on current plans you’ll have to wait awhile, unless the automotive industry’s lobbying for immediate implementation is successful.
Children escaping from safety seats
There are many of us out there with ‘Houdini’ children that can climb or escape from anything your adult brain can think of. The problem with that is safety of your most precious cargo. Strapping your child into a secure safety seat is still the most highly regarded method of securing your children against the unforseen. Today’s regulations also state that you must have children up to the age of 7 in at least a safety ‘booster’ seat if they are over 15kgs in weight.
But what if you have the clever child that just knows how to get out? Even worse; the ones that pops through the front seats to say – ‘Hi mum’. Studies have shown that children today are far smarter than we ever were. The abundance of information available to them through technology gives them ideas that you and I never would have imagined.
The best way to handle this dilemma is to engage it at the earliest of ages. The earlier you can swing a win for the driver the better it is. Not forgetting the licence points you lose and the fines that come with it!
In these circumstances you need to pull over as quickly and safely as possible and wait quietly (hold onto that mixed scream of loving concern and blind anger). Most children will buckle under the silence and wonder what is going on. The only answer is to say (firmly) the car DOES NOT MOVE UNTIL EVERYONE IS SECURLY AND SAFELY BUCKLED IN. If need be, help them back into their seat and lock them in again…if they can’t do it themselves.
This may take several efforts, but in the long run we all know that most of our driving (with children) is about them. Acknowledge that the delay will only impinge on THEIR FUN and not yours and that ‘SAFETY FIRST’ is the only important factor in this trip.
Some people may have to go as far as cancelling the outing, but which would you rather?
Children will learn to respect not only road rules – but you, very quickly.
There is no meeting or school event that is worth more than the lives of our children. Keep that in mind the next time you blow your stack while driving at 70kms per hour and turning your back to the windscreen to make sure they can see how angry you are!!! That truly does not work. Nor is it at all safe.
The best advice for installing the seats is to follow the manufacturer’s fitting instructions, always use Australian Design Rules anchor points or ISOFIX points, or if you are still unsure go to an authorised fitting station which you can find here: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=authrestraintfitting.form .
Stay cool and check your precious cargo regularly through the rear view mirror. It wont be long until they are driving you!
Level 2, 9 Help Street