Is Halloween Really More Dangerous for Pedestrians?
Halloween is full of a lot of fun activities. There are haunted houses, costumes, scary movies, and decorations. More people are walking on the streets and riding bikes than on any other day of the year, and unfortunately, drivers do not always adjust their driving to account for the increase in pedestrian traffic. Sadly, the…
Read MoreNorth Dakota Set to Vote on Legalizing Recreational Marijuana
North Dakota’s been working on its marijuana-related laws for a few years. In 2016, voters overwhelmingly approved Measure 5, which legalized the use of medical marijuana, and tried a ballot for recreational weed a couple years later. That one failed for being a bit too wide-reaching, and a 2021 effort to legalize marijuana legislatively passed…
Read MoreMinot Railroad Train Accident Causes Another Fatality: Is It That Common?
Just outside of Minot, a 68-year-old Foxholm man was struck and killed by a railroad train in the early morning hours on a late August day this year. Very few details are available as of right now, but it is clear that the accident involved a pedestrian and train. The train accident that killed the…
Read MoreHow Roundabouts Are Keeping the Community Safer
Roundabouts (also known as traffic circles or rotaries) are supposed to make drivers, passengers, and even pedestrians safer as they travel through an intersection. By eliminating stop signs and/or red lights, they eliminate the start-and-stop traffic that could cause accidents. With a smooth, flowing traffic pattern, these roundabouts also do away with the risk of…
Read MoreAre Truck Drivers’ Hours-of-Service Rules Unrealistic?
On June 1, 2020, the Federal Motor Safety Administration revised their regulations for truck drivers when it comes to their hours of service. There is now a 60/70 rule which means that truckers cannot drive for more than 60 hours in seven consecutive days or 70 hours in eight consecutive days. Once they hit that…
Read MorePotential for Radiation Exposure in the North Dakota Oil and Gas Industry
North Dakota has the second largest oil reserve in the country. The oil and gas fields boost the economy of the state and produce jobs for thousands of hard-working people, but oil and gas production can be dangerous, exposing workers to injuries and deaths. Oil production also generates large amounts of industrial waste requiring disposal,…
Read MoreHow Safe Are Lyft and Uber Rides?
Residents of North Dakota scheduling rides through Lyft and Uber expect safe, convenient transportation. Most of these rides end with the driver safely delivering the passenger to the requested destination, but Uber’s Second U.S. Safety report on “critical safety incidents” released in June 2022 again shows hundreds of passengers died in fatal traffic accidents and…
Read MoreFailure to Follow Ambulance Regulations Creates Delay
North Dakota is a big, beautiful state with plenty of space to enjoy. But when illness or sudden injury require hospitalization, covering the distance between the patient and a medical facility as quickly as possible becomes the primary objective. When residents need ambulance transportation to a hospital or to transfer between hospitals, they need to…
Read MoreFDA Warns Consumers: High Dose UVC Light Sanitizing Wands Cause Radiation Burns
Although UVC wavelength light has been used safely for disinfection for many years in medical settings, advertising and selling UVC light for home use became popular during the pandemic, and many people purchased the product. Unfortunately, since the UVC frequency used by many of the new wands is dangerously high, the wands can give users…
Read MoreWhat Is the “Safe Routes to School” Project?
In early June, Minot kicked off a new program intended to increase safety for school children. Mostly funded by the federal and state government, the “Safe Routes to School” project intends to add new structures like new concrete sidewalks, accessible pedestrian ramps, and curbs while the children enjoy their summer break. According to KFYR TV,…
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