Category: safety

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Boston Elementary School Tries Out New, 3D Crosswalk

Young students in Medford, Massachusetts, have come up with a brand new innovation for the area: 3D crosswalks. Not only do they look way cooler than regular ol’ 2D crosswalks, but they also make the intersection safer.

The 3D crosswalk is at the intersection of a parking lot and Allston Street at Brooks Elementary School, and it was two students at the school who came up with the idea. Fourth-grader Isa and fifth-grader Eric worked with their teacher and the Brooks Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility to make it happen.

Painters added additional shaded shapes around the normal white stripes of the crosswalk, creating an optical illusion for drivers approaching the intersection. Instead of obviously lying flat on the ground, the white lines appear to be blocks on the street, which prompts drivers to slow down and pay more attention.

“It’s been really well received and there’s a lot of excitement about it,” teacher Michael Coates told The Boston Globe.

Posted by Vegamálun GÍH on Monday, September 25, 2017

Boston artist Nate Swain, well-known for his photo murals around the city, designed the crosswalk. Medford plans to install three more of the same crosswalks in the near future, also outside elementary schools.

3D crosswalks are a first for Medford, and for the Boston area in general, but they’re not a brand new concept. They’re also known as “Iceland crosswalks,” as that country started the trend. They also exist in other cities around the world, including Chicago.

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Startling Report Finds the U.S. Has Over 47,000 Bridges That Are “Structurally Deficient”

Rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure has been a big talking point among politicians over the past several years, but it doesn’t seem like any real action is ever taken.

And the news isn’t getting any better. A new report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association revealed that more than 47,000 bridges in the U.S. are in bad condition and need urgent repairs. The organization estimates that it would take 80 years to repair all the bridges in the U.S. that are deficient.

Stillwater Bridge, MN
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The term “structurally deficient” doesn’t necessarily mean that a bridge is in danger of collapsing, but it does mean that a bridge needs repairs and renovations. Clearly that’s not a good thing.

Alison Black, the chief economist for the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, said, “In addition to those bridges that are structurally deficient, about 4 out of 10 bridges across the country need some sort of major rehabilitation work. So unfortunately, it’s not just these 47,000 structures that need to be fixed.”

Arlington Memorial Bridge, VA
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The report says that the deficient bridges in the U.S. are crossed 178 million times each day. Many notable bridges are on the “structurally deficient” list, including the Brooklyn Bridge, the Arlington Memorial Bridge that connects Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia, and the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge that stretches across the San Francisco Bay.

San Mateo Bridge, CA
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

To add insult to injury, 2018 saw the slowest rate of repairs in five years. According to Black, “There’s not a lot of new money. It really is just keeping pace with project costs and inflation. I think if we saw a significant increase in the federal funding side of this that would really go a long way to help states that are trying to provide some of these repairs and fix these bridges.”

Let’s all hope that our local, state, and national politicians can work together to repair our infrastructure and ensure the safety of the millions of Americans who drive across these bridges each and every day.

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Travel Blogger Shares Her Best Tips for Women Traveling Alone

Traveling is an essential experience that expands your horizons in ways you could never have experienced at home. Traveling with people to share that experience is definitely awesome, but traveling alone is a great experience too!

That said, traveling solo isn’t without its challenges – particularly if you’re a woman. Let’s face it, if you can get harassed walking the block in your own neighborhood, you certainly should trust fate in places where you don’t know the lay of the land or speak the language.

That’s why Ciara Johnson, a popular Black travel blogger on Instagram, shared a series of solo travel tips for women.

Photo Credit: Twitter

“I’m a woman and I travel the world alone, from Mexico to Morocco to Cuba to Bosnia to many other countries. Here’s a thread on how I stay safe,” Ciara wrote on Twitter.

First, Ciara is “hyper aware” of her surroundings. “Scan your surroundings,” she said. “Is someone walking close to you? Does someone appear to be watching you? Did that car just pull beside you & slow down?” If you notice something awry, don’t hesitate to get out of there. Always trust your gut.

As Ciara writes: “It’s better to look a little paranoid than to be harassed, robbed, or worse.”

Photo Credit: Ciara Johnson

Second, Ciara recommends doing a lot of research before you go. You can never be too prepared, so look up “cultural norms, customs, how to dress, scams, natural disasters, political climate, etc.,” she writes. She also recommends looking for accounts by other solo female travelers, and checking reviews for hotels.

Third, Ciara uses technology wisely. She avoids pulling her phone out randomly on the street. But she does use Google Maps, translation apps, Uber. She makes sure to have access to data to keep her family and friends aware of her location.

“Make sure someone, anyone… knows where you are & where you’re staying,” she said.

Photo Credit: Ciara Johnson

Fourth, Ciara trusts other women before other men. Solo travelers have to rely on strangers to some extent, but don’t trust just anyone. “If I need directions, I usually ask a woman. This is not to say all women can be trusted, but I feel more comfortable trusting a woman on first instinct.”

And fifth, Ciara avoids giving out information that could be used against her. She doesn’t let her massive social media following know exactly where she travels until after she’s left, for example. She lies if someone asks if she’s travelig alone.

Armed with these tips, there’s nowhere you can’t go – and the experience is totally worth it!

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This Extremely Lucky Mom Will Never Feel Bad Nagging About Car Seat Safety Again

If you’re a mom or have friends who are moms, you’ve definitely seen a picture of a baby strapped into a car seat pop up in your timeline at one time or another. There’s also a good chance you’ve seen one mom comment to another about how their kid is improperly or not safely restrained in their car seat. The straps, the adjustable head support, the clips…it’s a lot to take in when you’re a new parent (which is why you should totally get your local fire department to double check your installation!).

That said, most of us get the hang of things pretty quickly once we’re putting our precious bundle in and out of that seat, sometimes multiple times a day. Other people, though, sometimes don’t quite get why we’re so militant.

I know my parents always want to help by putting the baby in and out of the cars eat, and I know how many times I’ve had to correct them or check again once they’ve got him ready to go – and how many times they’ve exchanged looks, tried to tell me he was in too tight, or probably thought I was over the top.

The same is probably true of mom Rebecca Tafaro Boyer, who replied to this photo her husband sent of their infant son with some “nagging” feedback about how he was strapped into his seat.

She “nagged” him about William’s position in the car seat – the straps were too loose and the chest clip was too low (it should be nipple height), and felt sure that her husband listened and made the corrections.

Later, she would be 100% glad she hadn’t feltbad about her nagging, because the two of them were in an accident.

“David just didn’t have enough time to stop – it could have happened to anyone. He slammed on the brakes at nearly 50mph before colliding with the front passenger side door of her SUV. My precious little bundle of joy was so well restrained in his car seat THAT HE DIDN’T EVEN WAKE UP.”

Her husband and baby went to the local hospital to get checked out, and though William was fine, her husband did suffer a broken foot – but there’s no way to know if that would have been the case had she not asked him to tighten up and re-adjust William’s straps that morning.

“I am so thankful that my husband took the extra one minute that was necessary to put William in his car seat safely. I can’t even begin to imagine how different the outcome could have been. I truly believe that the reason my family is at home sitting on the couch with a pair of crutches instead of down at the hospital is because of my annoying nagging mom voice.”

So if you have one of those (I know you do, it comes with the baby!) don’t be afraid to use it when it comes to your child’s safety. Like Rebecca reminds us in her now viral post, “The car is a loss, but cars can be replaced – my boys can’t!”

No one can, so stay safe out there, friends, and remember that if your car seat has been involved in an accident, it needs to be replaced. Ask your insurance if it’s covered and get a new one!

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Iceland Has Been the Safest Country in the World for over a Decade

If you’re tired of all the dangers that come along with living in, well, a lot of countries around the globe, you might want to consider moving to Iceland.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

For the 11th year in a row, Iceland has been named the safest country in the world by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The Australian think-tank studies the crime rates, corruption, government functioning, terrorist attacks, and military expenditures of 163 countries around the globe to determine their findings. You can explore the results in more detail HERE.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

And if you’re an American, you might be surprised to learn that the U.S. didn’t even rank in the top 100 countries for safety. We’re sitting (not very) pretty at 121st.

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