Donnette

Car accidents that cause injuries have happened virtually since automobiles were invented. The first recorded accidental injury occurred in 1869. An Irish woman named Mary Ward was thrown out of the steam-powered carriage she was riding in when it hit an especially deep rut in the road. She was immediately crushed by one of the wheels, her injuries causing an instantaneous death. Her cousin had actually been the inventor of this new type of vehicle, in a cruel example of irony.

Over the last 25 years or so, car accident injuries resulting in deaths have declined an impressive 50% worldwide. This is due primarily to increased emphasis by both governments and car manufacturers on safety, including the standard use of air bags to reduce the number of severe injuries and deaths caused by front and side car-to-car collisions.

Sadly, the United States is one of the few nations where injuries and fatalities caused by cars have increased over this same period. Experts suggest that this has several causes, including an increased number of motorists overall, a steady increase in the number of large trucks and SUVs sold, and a sharp rise in the numbers of people using cell phones and other technological gadgets while driving their cars.

Another common cause of car accident injuries is rubbernecking. This is the term for slowing down (sometimes suddenly) to look at an unusual situation happening on the road (or nearby). Often, people do this to check out car accidents, which can cause other motorists farther back who are not paying close attention to fail to slow down or stop in time. Rubbernecking is the #1 cause of all rear-end car accidents and, in particular, whiplash injuries, in the United States.

Car accident prevention designed to reduce injury and fatality numbers focuses on technology and changing human behavior while behind the wheel. Modern cars and trucks are equipped with air bags, and proximity and drift monitors are becoming more common as well. Both emit loud tones to alert the cars driver that the vehicle is entering a dangerous area. In Europe, this has been shown to reduce accidental injuries from both car-to-car collisions and single-car accidents.

Changing driver behaviors to reduce car accidents is a tougher nut to crack - especially in the United States, where car ownership is embedded in the culture. People spend so much time in their cars today that it results in a sense of invulnerability. The subsequent lack of defensive driving is one of the reasons why accidental injuries from car collisions in America are bucking the worldwide downward trend.

Perhaps surprisingly, U.S. states with less restrictive speed limit laws actually have a slightly lower incidence of car accidents that cause injuries or deaths. This can partially be explained by a lower number of cars on the road per capita vs. some of the states with lower speed limits. However, even when adjusted for this effect, the statistics still show a slight edge to states with higher limits. Advocates of stricter enforcement of posted speed limits may be pursuing the wrong strategy, if the goal is the prevention of car accident injuries.

A better approach to accident prevention should probably focus on two areas that lead to many serious auto accidents: driver distractions and age. Cell phones are becoming the biggest distraction, and more and more states are banning their use by the driver while the vehicle is in motion. Even if you live where it is permissible, its an extremely bad idea! Recent studies have shown a clear connection between phone use and car accidents.

Driver age has an interesting correlation with car accidents that cause injuries and deaths. At both ends of the spectrum, ages 16-20 and 70+, a much higher percentage of accidents occur than with other age ranges. Accident prevention based on the drivers age is not easily implemented, but calls by the public and advocacy groups are on the increase. Some suggestions include mandatory driver education courses, annual driver examinations to reassess abilities, and even a magnetic sticker or decal on all cars driven by a person falling into either age demographic. The latter entails the idea that alerting other drivers will increase their defensive driving attention, reducing the frequency of accidents.

John Schwartz http://www.tonneau-covers-1.com (all rights reserved)

John Schwartz is a professional writer and web site publisher. For truck accessories and related information, check out his site at http://www.tonneau-covers-1.com today.

While these images are understandable, you should realize that like most things, metal outdoor furniture has come a long way. There are now significantly more materials that make up metal outdoor furniture, more styles, a better selection, and quality.

Rather than think of metal outdoor furniture as a poor option for outdoor furniture, let's take a look at why it is now a great option for your outdoor living spaces.

First, let's take a look at the construction methods of today's metal outdoor furniture. To put it simply, metal is fashioned into furniture in one of four ways: extrusion, casting, forging or welding. So, what does this mean? Extrusion is how the aluminum sun chairs of your past are formed. Basically melted metal is forced through long pipes and forms long narrow tubes of metal, sometimes solid, but often hollow. Casting metal is how dutch ovens are usually made, and this type of metal forming involves a cast, shaped like the finished product that molten metal is poured into. After the metal has solidified, it is taken out of the mold. Cast pieces are almost always solid. Forging, is a process in which metal is heated and hammered into shape. This is the process that produces the "wrought" metal furniture. Welding is also used in this process, welding basically takes pipes and various solid pieces of the metal and joins them together by welding or bolting.

Now that we know how metal outdoor furniture is formed, let's take a look at some of the common materials used in these processes. The most common metal outdoor furniture is made from iron or aluminium, although the use of steel, especially stainless steel, is growing. Iron is common, but not the best choice. It is a chemical element that is naturally malleable and rusts easily, so for outdoor use it needs a lot of maintenance. Modern iron outdoor furniture pieces will have a rust-resistant finish or coating that protects against chipping, scratching and corrosion, so if iron is the material you want for your outdoor furniture, be sure it has a rust proof finish. There are a variety of finishes available such as primer and paint, powder coatings and galvanizing. Iron is a great metal outdoor furniture choice for windy spots since iron is heavy and solid. Most iron furniture is made of wrought iron, so look for solid metal rather than hollow tubing, and better quality is welded, rather than bolted, together. Iron furniture requires more maintenance than other types of metal furniture.

Aluminum is another popular metal for metal outdoor furniture. Aluminum is a silvery, lightweight and easily worked metallic element. It has the advantage that this type of metal never rusts. Most aluminum furniture of the past was made with hollow tubing, and because of its inability to withstand wind, it got a bad name, however, you can get cast aluminum, which is better used in outdoor dining or sitting areas. Aluminum is great if you can find a quality piece of furniture. So, look for the following, joints should be welded rather than bolted. It should have a powder-coated finish. Powder coating is a process in which colorful polyester powders are applied and then baked onto the frame, it makes it more durable, and can add color to the furniture. If the piece you buy has an aluminum frame and vinyl webbing, look for vinyl that has been processed with mildew inhibitors and ultraviolet stabilizers.

Steel, is your next option for metal outdoor furniture. Steel is a hard tough metal, that is an alloy of iron. The alloys produce hardness and resistance to rusting. Galvanized steel has been plated with zinc; stainless steel has been alloyed with chromium and is virtually immune to rust and corrosion. When purchasing steel outdoor furniture, be sure that it is either stainless or powder-coated and that any hardware used is also rust-resistant.

Metal outdoor furniture is a great choice for those outdoor living spaces if you can choose wisely, and know how to properly take care of it.

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