Buckle Up Campaign
March 28, 2012 | Jon P. EricksonOver the last few months I have written a number of entries on the importance of “buckling up.” The March 27, 2012, Minneapolis Star Tribune, had yet another article on just that. The headline reads in bold letters STRONGER SEAT BELT LAW EQUALS FEWER DEAD. I encourage you to read the full article. It’s relatively short, but very informative. Here is a link to that article – Star Tribune State Local Buckle Up The study was done to see if the “primary seat belt laws” actually were effective. The study done by the University of Minnesota supports that it is. Since the passage of the law in 2009 there have been 68 fewer deaths involving vehicle occupants, 320 fewer injuries, and 432 fewer moderate injuries. “The stronger seat belt law is keeping a lot of Minnesotans out of hospitals and morgues” to quote Lee Munnich the director of the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety. The study also found that since the primary seat belt law took effect that “observed seat belt use” has increased from 87 to 93 percent. We’ve been showing you how seat belt use saves lives, reduces injuries and ultimately saves us all money in medical bills, higher insurance costs and the like. We again take this opportunity to…
Read MoreElder and Adult Family Mediation
March 20, 2012 | Elizabeth A. SchadingFamily harmony can be jeopardized when difficult decisions need to be made and adult siblings and parents don’t agree. Maybe you think your Mom should move into assisted living. Or, maybe you’re uncomfortable with Dad’s driving. You might think that it’s time to sell the family cabin, but your sister loves the cabin and can’t bear to part with it and all the memories. Where do you go when the people most like you – those sharing your genes – and with whom you have more history than anyone else in the world, can’t see eye to eye? The legal system isn’t your best option if you’re hoping to continue those family ties after the issue is resolved. A better option is mediation. Mediation allows decisions to be made by the people most affected. It’s a confidential process which allows for creativity but requires compromise. A trained mediator can facilitate a discussion with the ultimate goal of preserving family relationships while resolving the complex interests of all involved. If decisions are being made for and sometimes with an elderly parent, that parent is going to want to preserve as much independence as possible. Adult children might have competing concerns about safety and appropriate care. And then there’s money – who has it, who…
Read MoreBuckle Up – It Saves Lives
February 8, 2012 | Jon P. EricksonI again read an article this past week on motor vehicle accidents (MVA) where seat belts were not worn. It was entitled “Deaths of Non-belted Motorists Spike in Minnesota.” The article leads off by stating that “an overwhelming majority of traffic deaths on Minnesota roads in the past six weeks have involved vehicle occupants who were not wearing their seat belts.” The information from the State Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety reported that in December of 2011, there were 23 vehicle occupants killed in MVA’s and only five were known to be buckled up. In the first three weeks of 2012 eight of Minnesota’s first 10 traffic fatalities were not buckled up. These facts are staggering. It tells me that a significant number of those 33 deaths could have been avoided if the occupants had buckled up! These facts again cry out for a more energized public safety campaign to get all motor vehicle occupants to be properly buckled up. I am committed to spreading the word. This blog is but a small attempt to do just that. BUCKLE UP – IT SAVE LIVES! ~ Jon P. Erickson Attorney at Law
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