Everyone knows about the main hazards of driving. You learn them in driver’s ed. In school they may show you one of the various versions of “Blood One The Pavement,” the movie specifically geared to scare young drivers into safe driving. The effectiveness varies. Some students view it seriously, others view it as a hilarious snuff film, either way, the film does present some of the reality of hazards you will find on the road.
If you read this blog regularly, you also know that there are other serious hazards such as severe weather, DUI, debris, lack of visibility, distractions, etc. It’s no wonder that one of the main causes of death in the United States is due to injuries suffered in a car accident. But there are other hazards you may not know about, most likely because they aren’t very publicized, but some of them may be far more common than you realize. Here are five of them:
1) Skin Cancer
You may be wondering how a car can cause skin cancer. Well, the scientists at our own University of Washington here in the Seattle area have found a very pointed and (frankly) disturbing connection between driving and skin cancer, according to a study they published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.
Using a large government database, researchers took a look at melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma, two deadly forms of skin cancer. They were surprised to find that when these types of cancers were found on just one side of the body, it showed up predominantly on the left side. In fact, 52% of melanoma cases and 53% of Merkel cell carcinoma cases occurred on the left side, specifically on the upper arms. This is the part of the body most exposed to UV rays while driving with the window open.
“In countries where people drive on the opposite side of the road, the right arm gets more sun exposure. A 1986 study cited by the researchers found that Australian men were more likely to show precancerous growths on the right side of their bodies,” according to USA Today.
2) Deafness
Driving with the window open can be more enjoyable sometimes than having the AC dry your skin to the consistency of a shriveling leaf. Perhaps that’s why people enjoy convertibles so much. But according to a study published in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology, driving a convertible with the top down at speeds of over 55 mph can put drivers at risk for noise-induced hearing loss.
The sound level measurements in 80% of the cars, when driven at 55 mph with the top down, were all greater than 85 decibels (db). Believe it or not, but that is the maximum noise level the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recommended in such industrial workplaces as assembly plants, stamping plants, and steel mills.
Also, researchers warn that driving with the top down or with the window down could also cause drivers to turn up their music to dangerous levels, which could also seriously effect their hearing.
3) Hazardous Chemicals
According to The Ecology Center, a non-profit environmental watchdog organization, more than 200 models of car on the market today have toxic chemicals throughout the interior, steering wheels to armrests. These chemical components could break down over time and become highly toxic to the driver.
“These chemicals become part of the air we breathe, contributing to ‘new car smell’ and a variety of acute and long-term health concerns,” representatives of the Ecology Center said. “Since the average American spends more than 1.5 hours in a car every day, toxic chemical exposure inside vehicles is a major source of potential indoor air pollution.”
4) Bumpers
There is a misconception that bumpers are there to protect the driver. Nothing is farther from the truth. They were originally intended to protect the car frame and easily fixed or swapped out if they are dented. That’s when they were made of steel. Now they are merely plastic bumper pads that tell you if you are parallel parking correctly.
There are two organizations that keep score when crash test ratings are tallied, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Neither heavily regulate the use of bumpers since they have essentially been taken out of the protection equation above 2.5 mph.
IIHS is the only organization that conducts low-speed bumper tests, the government does not. While these tests don’t really assess safety, they can be of interest to consumers in that ratings are assigned based on the costs to repair the vehicle. In the IIHS test, the vehicle is crashed four separate times at 5 mph, both front and rear bumpers are run into a flat barrier, the front bumper into an angle barrier and the rear bumper into a short pole. Ratings are then given on the usual “Good” to “Poor” scale based on repair costs, which often come in at over $1,000.
5) Stress
We all know that driving is stressful most of the time, but what we don’t know is that the stress is far more prevalent in our lives than we thought. According to a study called “American Community Survey” released by the US Census Bureau, workers age 16 or older who drive to work spend an average of 20.7 minutes in their commute. Double that figure to account for the drive home, apply the math to a 50-week work year and it adds up to more than a month’s worth of time spent on the road.
Nationally, workers spend 200 hours commuting to and from work (about five weeks). In Washington State (across the state, not just Western Washington) we spend 49% more time in our cars commuting than other Americans. That means that a huge chunk of the local population spend more time sitting in their cars than vacationing or exercising.
This can cause a tremendous amount of stress and lead to a myriad of health problems such as high blood pressure, lowered immune system, and heart disease. These things can kill you. What is worse is that if you actually have a medical emergency while driving, you are more likely to die, especially if you are driving at highway speeds. The stress leads to medical problems that lead to car accidents.
Seattle Car Accident Attorneys
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident anywhere in Washington state, you need a skilled lawyer to deal with the insurance companies to assure you the best settlement. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.
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