Under the new federal standards being implemented across California, pedestrians will be assumed to cover 3.5 feet per second instead of four feet per second. In a150 foot intersection, this means drivers will get an extra six seconds of walking time. The law was approved last year and is expected to become California policy within two years. The policy has already been put into place at some intersections in San Jose and San Francisco.

In 2008, California had 620 pedestrian deaths and 13,405 pedestrian injuries. The fatality rate for pedestrians is above the national average. These changes are good news to aging Californians and individuals with health problems.

However, not everyone is happy with the new policy. Because pedestrians will have extra time to cross, red lights will last longer for drivers, which will lead to more congestion, particularly on expressways. In addition, at intersections with a lot of pedestrian traffic, equipment will need to be changed at an average cost of $12,000 to $20,000 per intersection. The cost for expressways could be $2 million each, which does not include maintenance costs.

To read more about the new California pedestrian policies, click here.

Wear a helmet! It's the smart thing to do!

According to a study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motorcycle helmet use rose from 63 percent in 2008 to 67 percent in 2009. Helmet use has been increasing steadily each year since 2005, when only 48 percent of riders wore helmets.

Helmet use in states that required riders to wear helmets also increased between 2008 and 2009, from 78 percent to 86 percent. States that require helmet use consistently have a higher percentage of riders who wear helmets than those that don’t. The study also found that helmet use is continuing to rise in rural areas, while urban areas saw a 15 percent drop in helmet use.

According to the NTHSA, helmets are estimated to be 37 percent effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcycle riders and 41 percent effective for motorcycle passengers. This means that for every 100 motorcycle riders not wearing helmets who were killed in a crash, 37 of them could have lived had they been wearing helmets. Helmets are estimated to have saved the lives of over 1,800 motorcyclists in 2008. However, 537 motorcyclists were killed in California alone in 2008, and many of those deaths could have been prevented with proper helmet use.

As of 2008, 20 states required helmet use by all motorcyclists. Other states either had no helmet requirement, or only required certain riders to wear helmets.

Before you jump on your cycle and head for the hills take a few moments to make sure your machine is ready. Check your tires for wear, damage and air pressure. Check your oil and don’t forget your radiator fluid if you have a water-cooled engine. It is wise to follow the lead of airplane pilots and follow a pre-ride checklist. Every time.

As tempting as it is to just throw on a light jacket and go you should take the time to put on appropriate motorcycle gear. I see so many motorcyclists riding in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops that I have to wonder if they have ever seen severe road rash. Everybody knows that a full-face helmet, leather or Kevlar fabric jackets and pants, and boots designed for motorcyclists are the safest thing to wear. Most accidents happen close to home, so don’t get lazy because you are just going on a short ride.

Once you are on the road, you should follow a few common-sense rules. Keep in mind that most drivers do not see motorcyclists. I’m not sure why that is the case, since a motorcycle’s headlight is always illuminated. But you must assume that you are hard to see and act accordingly. Wear bright clothing with reflective fabrics to improve your visibility.

The most common motorcycle accidents I see involve oncoming cars making left turns in front of motorcyclists. You should be particularly cautious when you enter an intersection. Unsafe lane changes are also common, particularly on freeways. Try to avoid riding in any vehicle’s blind spot and keep an eye out for sudden vehicle movements.

Your two tires provide the only contact between your motorcycle and the road. Because of this you need to be alert to potholes, fluid spills, sand, gravel, highway sealant (tar snakes), railroad tracks and other road-surface hazards that can upset your motorcycle or reduce your traction.

Take a riding course to refresh your skills. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation offers basic and advanced courses that will make you a better and safer rider. The most accomplished riders I know make a habit of regularly attending rider courses and participating in track days. Just as pilots need a certain number of hours per month to keep their skills sharp, we motorcyclists need to ride enough to stay proficient. There is no substitute for hours in the saddle.

Health Insurance Company Executives Continue to Cancel Policies After Illness Strikes

Testifying before Congress yesterday, executives of UnitedHealth’s Golden Rule Insurance Company, Assurant Health and WellPoint, Inc., parent of Blue Cross of California confirmed that their companies would continue to engage in post-claim underwriting practices on individual health insurance policies.

This discredited policy of collecting premiums and waiting until an insured person incurs expensive medical bills to cancel the policy for alleged misrepresentations on the application causes unnecessary suffering to many people who have acted in good faith. Often the discrepancy, if any, is the result of an innocent mistake unrelated to the illness requiring medical treatment.

The ethical course of action for the insurance company would be to perform an investigation of insurability at the inception of the policy or within a reasonable period, say within 60 days after the application date. This would allow the company to review medical records and ensure that the applicant’s representations are accurate. This is a very small burden for the insurance company to bear.

Instead, some insurance companies have decided to delay their due diligence until calamity strikes and policy claims are made. It is not uncommon for an insurance company to rescind the policy after giving authorization for treatment. This places their insureds in the untenable position of owing large sums of money for medical care they thought was covered.

The fact that these insurance companies refuse to limit rescissions to those instances where there is evidence of intentional misrepresentation or fraudulent conduct by their insureds makes it clear that they place their own financial interests above the well-being of their customers.