Nov 23, 2019 | Driving, Recovery
Painkillers can be useful for reducing pain you experience after injury. However, as you might know, there’s been a lot of concern about opioid dangers and risks. Knowing these dangers can help you see what misuse of these pills could lead to….
Opioid Dangers: Potential Health Risks
How opioids work
To best understand opioid dangers, you might want to better understand how these medications work. These pills work differently than your over-the-counter pain relievers. Over-the-counter choices interfere with pain signals sent by your nerves. By doing so, your brain thinks you’re in less pain, and you feel some relief.
Stronger, prescription choices work by binding to opioid receptors in the body. As they do this, they block off pain signals sent from the brain. At the same time, they also release large amounts of dopamine. Therefore, not only you feel less pain, you also feel much better overall.
Addictions risk
Seeing how these pills works shows just why addiction is one of the largest opioid dangers. The issue with these pills is just how good they can make a person feel. Having that dopamine rush can make taking more and more of the drug appealing, in order to keep that high going on for longer. In turn, this leads to addiction.
However, even taking the medication properly can lead to dangers. As you continue to take these pills, the receptors in the body can get “burnt out” from constant use. This is what’s know as developing a tolerance. Due to this tolerance, you might need to take more pills to get the same effect, which is risky.
Other health effects
Opioid dangers aren’t just limited to addiction development. They can also negatively effect other parts of the body as well. For instance, the brain tends to be one of the first major areas impacted by long-term use. Things such as confusion, drowsiness, and slower breathing can be symptoms related to opioids.
Another area that can also be at-risk is the digestive system. Issue with nausea and vomiting are common with those who abuse opioids. Plus, you might have issues with digestion, even the the point where you can’t keep food or water down.
Oct 9, 2019 | Driver Safety, Driving
The fall months can bring with them a host of potential risks to driver. Among these risks includes potentially having to experience high wind driving. Driving in extremely windy conditions can be tricky, but there are some ways you can improve your safety while on the road…
High Wind Driving: Potential Driver Risks
Slow down and keep control
Speed plays an important role in keeping you safe during high wind driving. Powerful crosswinds make it harder to you to keep your car pointed straight on the road. If you’re going too fast, then it’ll be harder to correct any changes brought on by the wind. Therefore, it’s important to manage your speed and take things slower than usual.
You’ll also want to make sure you keep a stable amount of control over your car. That means you’ll want to keep both hands on the steering wheel, especially if you’re driving a heavier car or truck. These days, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends keeping your hands at 9 and 3 o’clock on the wheel.
Watch for debris
Another danger of high wind driving is airborne debris. Powerful wind can kick up a wide variety of dangerous things, such as branches and bricks. Some of the strongest winds can even knock over full trees and cause heavy damage to buildings, which can end up falling onto the roads. Therefore, you need to keep an eye out for any debris which could pose a threat.
Some of the most dangerous debris which people tend to miss are falling power lines. Combine this with the fact that high winds often accompany heavy rains, and you could end up with power lines hidden under flooded roads. Try to look out for power lines while you’re driving, and avoid any areas where it appears they’ve fallen.
Avoid stopping in dangerous spots
If high wind driving feels like it’ll be too risky, you might just want to stay off the road. However, it’s important to make sure you stop in a safe spot. For instance, you don’t want to stop on a bridge, as your car could get blown off due to the winds. Instead, try to find a nice and secure structure you can take cover in.
Aug 30, 2019 | Driver Safety, Driving
The Carolinas are similar in a lot of aspects. When it comes to vehicle inspections, however, they are totally different. North Carolina requires an inspection, South Carolina does not. If you have a vehicle that has not been taken care of, getting an inspection sounds like a scary proposal. And by scary, we mean expensive and time consuming. If you care doesn’t pass inspection, some states won’t allow you to register it. Meaning you won’t be able to legally drive it.
Vehicle Inspections: Pros and Cons
Pros of Vehicle Inspections
- For starters, and most importantly: safety
- Safety is the largest reason for vehicle inspections. In addition to the safety it provides for you and passengers, it provides safety to the public. Riding on roads with cars that have poor maintenance history can increase the chances of accidents. For example, rust makes the metal of a car weaker. If your car is rust, it could be unsafe during an accident.
- State Income
- Money collected from fees for vehicle inspections go directly to the state. Larger state budgets help all aspects of the state-level economy.
- Emissions
- Vehicle inspections check a car’s emissions levels. In addition to the other safety benefits, emissions help keep smog levels down. Smog can contribute to a variety of health problems, especially breathing and other respiratory issues.
Cons of Vehicle Inspections
- Pricey
- For some low income families, getting a vehicle inspection sparks an economic panic. Because low income families are usually the ones driving older cars, they have a higher chance of not passing inspection. A failed inspection can lead to a large cost of repairs.
- Not to mention, bribery runs wild in this industry
- In many states, they are required to drive legally. However, South Carolina is not one of those.
- If you are familiar with inspections, you’ve probably heard that people “know a guy” who can pass your car. By taking this route, you’ll miss the point of inspecting your car. By passing cars that shouldn’t pass in exchange for a gift (money or otherwise), the safety of the driver and others is being compromised.
- Repairs
- Lastly, if you take your car to a shop for inspection and it needs several things done before passing, the shop can make you feel obligated to get the repairs done then and there. Unfortunately, some shops take advantage of the situation vehicle inspections leave you in.
Jul 20, 2019 | Driving, Motorcycle Accident
Buying a motorcycle is a life-long dream for a lot of people. It usually doesn’t pan out because someone in your life, like your mom, is insistent that you don’t get one. However, if you’re someone who’s making strides to get their first motorcycle, you’ll have to make a few decisions. One of those decisions will be whether or not to buy a new or used bike. To make the decision harder, there are pros and cons for each choice. Deciding is ultimately up to you, but knowing the good and bad of both options will definitely help.
First Motorcycle Purchase: Picking Your Poison
Riding
When thinking about getting your first motorcycle, it’s necessary to consider your skill level. Even though your skill level is important to which type you buy, it isn’t the most important deciding factor. This is because skill level can be improved. There are bike training classes around that can help you with this. If your skills improve faster than you thought they would, there’s less of a reason to buy a bike that isn’t as high tech.
Price
Price is a big one when deciding on what type of bike your first motorcycle should be. Obviously, a new bike will be more expensive. On top of that, will you need to pay for training lessens? If so, a new bike will be hard to pay for. On the other hand, if you buy a used bike, what happens if it’s totally busted? Consider if you have enough time and money to pay for all the parts that will get your bike running. If it will take a lot to get your bike up and on the road, compare prices.
Your Other Skill Level
When buying a used bike, there is a good chance that it will need to be repaired. Whether you can do the repairing is the question. If you think your used bike will only need light repairing and you can do the job-great! However, what happens if it turns into a big job and you don’t have the skill set for it? Of course, you can always go to a mechanic but it may be too expensive. If you’re getting your first motorcycle, you don’t want it sitting in the garage because you can’t ride it.
Getting your first motorcycle is such an exciting time but it comes with decision-making. Deciding on what to get-new or used- can be a tough choice. Of course, you’re the only one who can make that choice. Make sure to thoroughly look through the good and bad.
