Today, the Idaho House of Representatives will be discussing legislation that has already passed the state senate that would allow individuals who have a concealed weapon’s permit to carry a gun on college and university campuses in the state. One of the arguments in favor of this legislation is that someone who is considering carrying […]
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Overcoming obstacles encountered in translating research into practice
Regular readers of the injury prevention blog will know I have commented on a number of occasions regarding the need to (1) share our research findings, and (2) translate research into practice and policy. Whilst this is the ideal, I also realise that there are many obstacles to this being the actual, another topic […]
How to Cite Social Media in Scholarly Writing
I have not posted anything for a week or so but came across this useful item for those who want to get it right when they get to the references section of a paper they are submitting to this or any other scholarly journal. It is timely because, increasingly, information is being used that comes […]
More on Driving under the influence of Marijuana
There was a fascinating article published on the issue of driving under the influence of marijuana this past Monday in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/health/driving-under-the-influence-of-marijuana.html?hpw&rref=science&_r=0 Marijuana and driving is an issue of increasing relevance as US states continue to legalize medical marijuana and Colorado and Washington State have now legalized recreational marijuana. The challenges associated […]
Maintaining the momentum
Alcohol-fuelled violence continues on Australian streets – Google this topic, and pages and pages of hits will appear. You will also note in these pages that this has become an increasingly alarming issue over the years, with much public outcry in recent times. The randomness of such violence, and the magnitude and variety of injuries – […]
Quebecers horrified by seniors fire deaths
At least 24 seniors in a private nursing home at L’Isle-Verte in eastern Quebec died when fire engulfed the mostly wooden residence. Many believe the deaths were preventable if several obvious measures had been taken. Most important (and most contentious) is the absence of a sprinkler system even though the provincial code requires them – […]
The next frontier in protecting children from recreational marijuana in Colorado
The U.S. state of Colorado operationalized the legalization of recreational marijuana at the beginning of this year. You can now walk into one of 34 marijuana dispensaries in the state and buy a diversity of marijuana products that range from just buds (which you smoke) to all kinds of edible products. The options go far […]
Proactive rather than ‘The Hindenburg’ response
I had a conversation recently with a colleague who is a tireless worker in the safety of pedestrians, and his comment regarding policy response resonated with me so much that I thought I would share it with you. He likened policy response to road safety to the Hindenburg Disaster of 1937 (see www.airships.net/hindenburge/disaster for more […]
Gun violence in movies
More on guns… There was a really interesting paper titled “Gun Violence Trends in Movies” recently published in Pediatrics. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/132/6/1014.full.pdf This study examined the presence of gun related violence in top grossing major motion pictures and concluded that gun violence in films has grown substantially. Not a huge surprise but what was interesting is that […]
A safer paper-based (!) bike helmet
Anna Lacey, reporter for the BBC Health Check, notes that the basic idea behind cycle helmets is to create a mini crumple zone to absorb some of the impact energy and give your skull and brain more time to slow down before coming to a stop. Those extra few milliseconds can reduce the amount of […]