Happy Thanksgiving!
We wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving. As we head into the holiday season, we give thanks for our many wonderful family, friends and clients, and hope your holidays are filled with joy and blessings. |
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Distracted Driving a Big Problem Among Young Drivers
USA Today reported that "nearly seven in 10 young drivers still text behind the wheel, and a growing number of them access the Internet on their cellphones while driving, according to a new annual survey by insurance company State Farm." The disturbing numbers are despite years-long national campaigns against texting while driving, which is now illegal in 39 states and the District of Columbia. The study shows 68% of drivers ages 18-29 reported texting while driving, up from 64% last year. That compares with 34% of all drivers who reported texting while driving, up from 32% a year ago. "There were even sharper increases in the equally risky behavior of surfing the Internet while driving: 48% of young drivers reported accessing the Web behind the wheel, up from 43% last year. Those figures exclude programming a GPS device." Read more.
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Study: Texting is Habitual, Automatic Behavior for Some Drivers
 A new study from the University of Michigan highlights the difficulty that some drivers face when they try to quit a well established habit of texting behind the wheel. Researchers found that texting while driving is predicted by a person's level of habit - more so than how much someone texts. When people check their cell phones without thinking about it, the habit represents a type of automatic behavior, or automaticity. Researchers found automaticity, which was the key variable in the study, is triggered by situational cues and lacks control, awareness, intention and attention. This study, which identifies the role of unconscious thought processes in texting and driving, is different from other research that has focused on the effects of this behavior. Thus, the current study investigates the role of habit in texting while driving, with a focus on how - rather than how much - the behavior is carried out. Read more. |
FDA: Company Knowingly Shipped Tainted Peanut Butter
The AP reported that the FDA said New Mexico-based Sunland Inc., which was linked to the recent salmonella outbreak in products containing peanut and almond butter, continued to distribute those products "even after testing" revealed they were contaminated. Sunland, which is the "nation's largest organic peanut butter processor," issued recalls for "hundreds of nuts and nut butters in September and October after one of its products, Trader Joe's Valencia Creamy Peanut Butter, was linked to 41 salmonella illnesses around the country." In an update released last week, the FDA said "that government inspectors found 28 different samples of salmonella in Sunland's plant." Observational documents posted on the agency's website also show that FDA inspectors recorded "unclean equipment and uncovered trailers of peanuts outside the facility that were exposed to rain and birds," and they noted that the plant personnel were not using proper food-handling procedures. |
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AAJ Launches 'Take Justice Back' Campaign
 A new AAJ initiative, Take Justice Back, "highlight[s] why the 7th Amendment and civil justice is important for everyday folks." The initiative's "web site will provide resources to educate yourself on civil justice issues, tort reform, 7th Amendment right to jury trial, and the concerted effort by special interest groups to erode your right to trial." Additionally, people can share their stories "with Take Justice Back to hold wrongdoers accountable and help make the case for a strong civil justice system." Learn more.
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Social Media Affects Legal Cases
The NY Times reported on the growing role social media is playing in legal circles. For example, "in civil cases, lawyers routinely dig up Facebook photos of people claiming to have a back injury dancing atop bars or revealing posts from supposedly faithful spouses." Kenneth Withers, the director of judicial education and content for The Sedona Conference, a nonprofit law and policy research organization, is quoted as saying, "In the world of electronic information, the amount of potentially relevant information in discovery has exploded," and social media has added to that explosion.
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About Our Firm
 At The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, justice is our mission. Our firm is well known and well respected for its ability to handle personal injury, wrongful death, and professional malpractice cases in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Call today or visit us on the web at www.stephenreck.com.
The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, LLC
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Newsletter Archive
New to our mailing list? To read our prior newsletters, click here. | | |
State Trooper: 1 in 20 Drivers are Distracted
A veteran state trooper told WTNH News 8 that 1 in 20 drivers are stopped for distracting driving behaviors, and the problem is increasing. Read more.
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Recall Central
To read about recent recalls and product safety news from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, click here.
Get the latest recall information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration here.
The Dept. of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service regulate meat, poultry products and processed eggs. Check their recalls here.
Click here for Food and Drug Administration recalls, market withdrawals and safety alerts.
For updates on the peanut products recall click here. |
| Obama May Get to Shape Future Supreme Court
Reuters reported that now that President Obama has been re-elected to another four-year term, he may have the opportunity to appoint more justices to the US Supreme Court. As Reuters notes, the retirement of one or more justices in the next four years could allow Obama to preserve the Court's ideological balance or move it significantly to the left. Four of the nine justices are in their 70s, and a retirement by one of the more conservative justices would open the door for a major shake-up in the Court's ideological composition.
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Don't Drive Distracted!
It Kills
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Proudly Serving Connecticut and Rhode Island
The trial attorneys at The Law Firm of Stephen M. Reck, LLC represent individuals in all types of personal injury cases throughout the state of Connecticut and the state of Rhode Island, including, in Connecticut: New London County, New Haven County, Middlesex County, Hartford County, Tolland County, and Windham County; and in Rhode Island: Bristol County, Kent County, Newport County, Providence County, and Washington County.
Referrals Welcome
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