In the past when I'd come upon a work zone and have to slow down, I'd get as irked as any other driver. Like everyone else, I'm often in a hurry.

But after researching for this post last week, something changed in me. I learned some statistics that made me want to slow down in a work zone.

The Federal Highway Administration reports that every year, more than 40,000 people are seriously injured in work zone-related crashes, and more than 800 people are killed. Did you know that most of those injured or killed are drivers and passengers?

This is the 10th annual National Work Zone Awareness Week, which kicks off at the start of the construction season to attract national attention to drive carefully through highway construction and repair sites.

Most deaths and injuries in work zones are caused by rear-end collisions. Many collisions occur before the construction work zone begins, where lanes close and cars merge. Drivers cutting in at the last minute cause sudden stops, and inattentive drivers going too fast aren’t ready for traffic to slow or stop.

And most work zone accidents don't occur at night during a storm—they mostly occur in daylight, on a clear or cloudy weekday.

Some basic "Safety Tips to Live By":

• Pay Close Attention. Signs and work zone flaggers save lives.
• Don't Tailgate.
• Keep Up with the Traffic Flow.
• Minimize Distractions. Avoid changing radio stations and using a mobile phone while driving in a work zone.
• Be Patient. Remember that work zone crews are improving your future ride.
  

To help you be patient, check out a database where you can search for road construction projects in the U.S. and Canada. You'll finally know what that work zone you pass everyday is for, and when it's scheduled to be completed.

And for some fun: help name the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse mascot (voting closes at 10 AM EDT today).

Do you have any work zone stories to share?

When my youngest sister, Dana, was 4 she was in her bedroom listening to a record on her kiddy record player.  The record player’s electrical plug was not pushed in all of the way and my sister got the idea to place a hanger on the metal prongs of the plug.  I was in the living room watching cartoons, but I heard a very loud crack and the hallway lit up with a bright flash.   Surprisingly, my sister was not hurt at all, but the hanger was burnt through and the plug and outlet were scorched black.   The irony of the story is that my father was a master electrician who worked around very high voltage equipment for a living.   Needless to say he didn’t allow my sister to again use anything involving plugs, outlets, or hangers until she turned 33!

I was again reminded of the power of electricity, this time in the form of lightning.  Last week, while I was on vacation a man was struck by lightning and died near the condo my family rented.   While I did not witness the event, I decided to research and pass along information about the dangers of lightning and lightning safety.

According to FEMA, 300 people are injured and 80 people are killed each year by lightning in the United States. Most lightning victims survive, but people struck by lightning are often plagued by a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms.   Your chances of being struck by lightning are estimated to be 1 in 600,000.   You can reduce these odds by following safety precautions.   As we approach the season where more people are outside and exposed to the possibilities of thunderstorms and lightning, it is important to educate yourself about lightning safety.   Here are some links to help you do that:

• USA.gov Lightning Safety
• Online Tornado FAQ
• What Happens When people and Lightning Converge
• Survivor Stories
• Lightning, What you Need to Know Now
• FEMA - Thunderstorms and Lightning

Kids often spend a lot of time outdoors, so it is important to educate your children on what to do should they get caught outside during a thunderstorm.   Here are some helpful links:

• Mr. Plug Fun Book
• FEMA Kids’ Page
• National Weather Service Kids’ Page
• JetStream Online School for Weather
• Types of Lightning

I am always interested in the science behind things and events.  If you are interested in meteorology and the scientific aspects of lightning, check out these resources:

• Science Behind Lightning
• Where Lightning Strikes
• History and Mystery of Lightning
• Electrical hurricanes
• Lightning Strikes an Odd Pattern

Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back...there is NO WAY that at the age of 16, the state of Pennsylvania should have issued me a driver's license.

Even though I have a clean driving record accident-free driving record, I look back at some of my driving habits/youthful decisions in general, and I can't help but cringe.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 5,000 U.S. teens die each year in car crashes. The rate of crashes for 16 year-old drivers is almost 10 times the rate for drivers 30-59.

Ford Motor Company is attempting to do something about this. Starting in the 2010 Focus, Ford will offer a feature being called "MyKey." The key contains a computer chip which is activated when inserted into the ignition. Parents can program the chip to control certain parts of the car in an effort to make driving safer for teens.

Some of the options?

• Ability to limit the volume of the car's stereo system. (As a 25-year-old who morphs into a rock-star when behind the wheel, I can see how this can be a total bummer for a teen. But, looking back to some of the music I listened to in high school- not that big of a deal.)
• Capacity to block the speed of the car from exceeding 80 mph. It's thought that having 70mph as a cut off would be too limiting to allow for exceptional circumstances- such as speeding up to avoid an accident.
• Setting a continuous beeping alert when the driver's seatbelt isn't connected. (I've never ever understood people who don't wear seatbelts. It's so habitual for me that I don't even think twice about it.)
• Capability to set a chime if the teen exceeds 45, 55, or 65 mph. (Can the chimes be set as ringtones? I kid...)

On the surface, I think this is a potentially good feature. I'm interested to see how effective MyKey is over the next few years. As a teen? I'd be infuriated. Life would be over as I knew it! Kind of like that time the parental units put the kibosh on me missing a few days of school to go to Disney World with a friend. I somehow still managed to become the successful Consumer Information Specialist that I am today.

What MyKey can't prevent is cell phone use in the car, which I think is a much bigger problem, not only for teens but adults as well. Funny though, that was never an issue for me as a teen driver seeeing as my "cell phone" was the 35 cents I kept in the glove compartment to use a pay phone in case of emergency.

What kind of parameters would you like to set for your teen driver? Do you think devices like this will make the roads safer?

Did you know that the number one cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers may be lurking in your home? The culprit—elevated levels of radon—is estimated to be found in nearly one out of every 15 homes in the United States, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some 20,000 people will die this year due to breathing too much radon without even knowing it. Among smokers, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas found in nearly all soils. It can leak through cracks into your home, where it can get trapped and build up. You can't see radon, and you can't smell or taste it. Any home can have a radon problem—new and old homes, well-sealed and drafty homes, and homes with or without basements.

The EPA and the Surgeon General of the United States have recommended that all houses be tested for radon. I thought that my house had a radon tester, but while researching this post, I learned that it’s just a monitor—which sports the recommendation to test for radon every two years.

Luckily, many states offer free or discounted radon test kits; you can check your state’s program on EPA’s map. Radon test kits are also available by calling 1-800-SOS-RADON (1-800-767-7236), and from some local or state American Lung Associations and home improvement stores.

If you have elevated levels of radon in your home, professionals can help fix the problem, often for about the same cost as other common home repairs.

For more facts on radon, visit EPA's general information, its citizens' guide to radon, and its consumers' guide to radon reduction. Pueblo.gsa.gov also offers information on the deadly gas, and the National Institutes of Health and USA.gov offer useful links to more information on radon.

Today’s our first day of school, and two questions come to mind. Where did summer go? And why, why, why are there no seat belts on school buses!?!

When I was a little kid, my parents weren’t required by law to strap me into a car seat, but over the years we’ve learned a lot about safety. Whenever I get into a car I always buckle up, and my kids are properly restrained as well. So if I’m a criminal if I don’t buckle up my kids in the car, how does the school district get off? Why does the danger end when they climb the steps of the big, yellow school bus? I don’t get it.

I’ve done a little reading on the subject, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that school buses are one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States. Tragically, in the U.S. more than 42,000 people die in traffic crashes every year, and on average, six school age children die in school bus crashes. A 2002 report by the National Academy of Sciences looked at fatalities that occurred as kids were transported to and from school and the report says that only 2 percent are associated with official school transportation, compared to 22 percent due to walking/bicycling to or from school, and 75 percent from passenger car transportation to or from school. In fact, statistics show that the area around (outside) the bus is far more dangerous than being inside the bus, so be sure your kids know how to stay safe around the bus.

Still, I find these statistics only somewhat reassuring. I noticed that these reports are only addressing fatalities in school buses and ignoring injury. Maybe I have a wild imagination, but I would expect that in the event of a crash, those little children fly around in the bus like popcorn!

If school bus safety bothers you like it bothers me, do what I did and contact your elected officials and let them know that you think it’s an important issue.