Boosters are better than they used to be at fitting lap and shoulder belts on 4 to 8-year-old kids to restrain them in a crash - so parents don\'t have to search as hard for a good fit for their child and vehicle. Most belt-positioning boosters, though, don\'t offer consistently good fit in all vehicles. This is the bottom line in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety\'s third round of booster evaluations.
Researchers assessed the safety belt fit of 72 boosters, assigning the best ones the top ratings of BEST BET or GOOD BET because they correctly position belts on average booster-age kids in most vehicles. The worst performers are ones the Institute doesn\'t recommend because they do a poor job of fitting belts. A good booster routes the lap belt across a child\'s upper thighs and positions the shoulder belt at midshoulder.
Only 3 vehicles of more than 100 evaluated by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have child restraint installation hardware that earns a good rating for ease of use, while more than half have hardware that is poor or marginal.
The Institute's new LATCH ratings will serve as a resource for families looking for a vehicle that makes it easy to transport their children safely. They also are intended to encourage vehicle manufacturers to pay attention to this equipment and make improvements. Properly installed, age-appropriate child restraints provide considerably more protection for children in crashes than safety belts alone. However, observational studies have found that parents and caregivers often fail to secure them tightly or make other installation mistakes.
LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, is intended to make it easier to install a child seat properly. It works: Child restraints installed with LATCH, rather than with vehicle safety belts, are more likely to be installed correctly, research has shown. But in many vehicles, LATCH hardware could be better. Parents are more likely to install the seat correctly when the LATCH hardware meets certain key ease-of-use criteria.
The list of winners of the Institute's TOP SAFETY PICK award is longer than ever this year, with vehicles in nearly every size category the Institute evaluates earning accolades. From minicars to sedans to pickups, consumers have a record number of choices among 2012 models.
In all, 69 cars, 38 SUVs, 5 minivans, and 3 pickups earn TOP SAFETY PICK. The award recognizes vehicles that do the best job of protecting people in front, side, rollover, and rear crashes based on ratings in Institute evaluations. The ratings, which cover all 4 of the most common kinds of crashes, help shoppers pick vehicles that offer the highest levels of crash protection. Because the federal government now requires all 2012 and later passenger vehicles to have electronic stability control to help drivers avoid loss-of-control crashes, ESC no longer is a requirement to win as it was in prior years.
The winners’ circle includes 18 new recipients for 2012, while 97 models that previously qualified for the 2011 award carry over to 2012.
Today, more than six thousand pancake lovers from around the globe gathered in Monument Circle in Indianapolis, Indiana for a pancake fundraiser hosted by IHOP Restaurants and Kiwanis International. Thousands of Kiwanis volunteers, in town for their annual convention, and members of general public enjoyed free IHOP pancakes and coffee. Two dozen IHOP cooks prepared the pancakes made from more than 240 gallons IHOP’s famous buttermilk pancake batter, which were accompanied by 189 gallons of maple syrup, 94 pounds of butter and 625 gallons of coffee.
The celebratory event raised funds through voluntary donations to help eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus through the Eliminate Project. It was the first in a series of events planned by IHOP Restaurants as part of its “Summer of Smiles” campaign that celebrates individuals and organizations which have devoted countless hours to making others smile through their philanthropy. The celebration coincides with the family-friendly brand’s launch of a new ‘smiling’ logo and its 57th Anniversary.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7428053-ihop-summer-of-smiles-pancake-party/
http://www.karinabradley.com
http://www.karinabradleymusic.com
If you like Lady Gaga...you'll love Karina Bradley.
Philadelphia Pop Star Karina Bradley just released her first Major Music Video for her hit single “Dance Floor Diva.” Dance Floor Diva is the first single off of her upcoming album. Karina Bradley has exploded on the music scene; in 2009 Karina Bradley was featured in several music videos and starred in Philadelphia Rappers, Freeway and Jakk Frost’s “We Run This Thing” music video. Karina has in less than a year created a massive buzz online, she recently broke more than 2.5 Million Views Online. Now she is headed for the mainstream. With her hit music video for “Dance Floor Diva” she will be creating a TV campaign in the North East targeting stations like MTV, VH1 and Fuse.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/karinabradley/42207/
In the face of the most perilous challenges of our time the nations of the world seem paralyzed. The problems are too big, too interdependent, too divisive for the nation-state. Benjamin R. Barber demonstrates how city mayors, singly and jointly, are responding to transnational problems more effectively than nation-states mired in ideological infighting and sovereign rivalries. Featuring profiles of a dozen mayors around the world. If Mayors Ruled the World presents a compelling new vision of governance for the coming century. Barber makes a persuasive case that the city is democracy’s best hope in a globalizing world, and great mayors are already proving that this is so. Learn more about this book here, http://bit.ly/1ehalk2 Political
Do you know the three most important tips when it comes to caring for your tyres? For more detail you can check it to our website www.tyrepower.com.au/. Learning and implementing general tyre maintenance will help extend the life of tyres. Driving style is a key component. A conservative driving style will ensure even tread wear and prolong tyre life. Tread wear is an issue that not all drivers are aware of. Follow these simple tips so you can check the tread wear on your tyres and replace them before they become dangerous to drive on. Once a tyre has less than 1.6 mm of tread wear it is no longer roadworthy and must be replaced. This video shows you how to measure tread wear and what signs to look out for. Parking is also a key element of tyre care. High impact contact with kerbs and other barriers or structures may damage your tyres. If in doubt about any aspects of tyre care, tread wear or when to replace tyres, contact your nearest Tyrepower store for expert and friendly advice.
Following a long winter, most people are excited to get outside and enjoy the warm temperatures that accompany the spring season. In an ironic twist, the warm temperature brings an increased risk of ice balls falling from the sky in the form of hail. Damage to homes and cars as a result of hail cost State Farm policyholders more than $2.4 billion in 2014. Hail is one of the most frequent causes of property damage. While hail storms most frequently impact the Great Plains and Midwest, every state in the nation is susceptible.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7452831-state-farm-weather-preparedness/
What Could Be Better Than Living In a Fairy Tale World?
“Imagine the sweetest and most delectable fairy tale book illustrated with pages
and pages of magnificent cakes, complete with characters composed and comprised
of delicate details like fairy wings, all manner of flowers, dragons and mermaids and so much more.
Not illustrations of cakes, but pictures of nearly eighty “sugar sculptures,”
as author and illustrator Crystal Walters described her creations. It sounds incredible,
but it’s one of the most unique concepts for a fairy tale book that you will ever encounter.
John Kelly, Detroit Free Press
I Wish I Were a Fairy Tale http://bit.ly/CakeFairyTale
Media contact: Scott Lorenz, Westwind Book Marketing, scottlorenz@westwindcos.com Children's book
Hybrids have a safety edge over their conventional twins when it comes to shielding their occupants from injuries in crashes, new research by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, shows. On average, the odds of being injured in a crash are 25 percent lower for people in hybrids than people traveling in nonhybrid models.
The new finding is more good news for green-minded drivers who don’t want to trade safety for fuel economy. Not so long ago, car buyers had to choose between the two because fuel-efficient cars tended to be smaller and lighter. Now, consumers have more options than ever when it comes to picking an environmentally friendly — and crashworthy — vehicle.
For more information, go to: www.iihs.org
Flooded vehicles have finally stopped arriving at the Royal Purple Raceway east of Houston. Some 23,000 now await processing and retitling to be auctioned off for parts or to be scrapped. That is just one of several insurance industry salvage locations where more than 422,000 insured vehicles damaged by Harvey have been taken for processing. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), these totals surpass the number of claims that resulted from Hurricane Katrina (approx. 300,000) and from Superstorm Sandy (250,500).
In addition, more than 215,000 claims have been filed following damage to vehicles from Hurricane Irma in Florida.
These insured vehicles will be processed and rebranded with a salvage title and sold at online auctions to dismantlers who will save usable parts or have the vehicle crushed and sold for scrap.
To view the multimedia release go to:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/76652512-nicb-reports-record-number-of-hurricane-flooded-vehicles/
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Economic Research Service reported earlier this week that more than 50 million Americans, including 17 million children, live in hunger. The 2009 report on Household Food Insecurity in the United States illustrates how the issue of hunger is affecting our country. To raise national awareness among adults about the growing problem of hunger, Feeding America and the Ad Council today announced the launch of a new series of national public service advertisements (PSAs) featuring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and other actors, designed to motivate Americans to get involved in the fight against hunger.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/47168/