Work-life balance means different things for different people depending on their occupation and personal circumstances. With the use of smart phones, many individuals have adopted a work-life integration model in which they are almost constantly available via phone, text, or email. This can be quite distracting, and contrary to common courtesy and etiquette. July happens to be National Cell Phone Courtesy Month, and therefore a great time to brush up on basic rules of thumb for cell phone use in business and for personal matters. Etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore offers these useful tips:

1. Be all there.

Simply put, your focus should not be on your cell phone, messages, or emails during an important business meeting or conversation. This applies to situations across the board including legal conversations, courtroom visits, and medical office visits.

2. Keep it private.

If you don’t want others to overhear the conversation you are having on your phone, find a private location or reschedule the conversation for a later time.

3. Follow the rules.

Be respectful of your surroundings, and aware of whether or not phone use is acceptable or appropriate in those situations. Special considerations apply in movie theaters, libraries, hospitals, in educational settings, and of course courtrooms.

4. Excuse yourself.

If you are expecting a phone call, inform those you are with in advance. This will prepare them for the interruption of your meeting, conversation or time together. Keep in mind that face-to-face interactions should take precedence over phone conversations.

5. Focus on driving.

While all of the above tips are important, this one is potentially a matter of life or death. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) has found that the longest duration of time in which drivers take their eyes off of the road is directly the result of text messaging, browsing, and dialing. VTTI also found that text messaging doubles the risk of a motor vehicle crash. While behind the wheel, it is critical to focus on driving and avoid distraction through the use of a wireless device.

We hope that these cell phone etiquette tips along with other safety guidelines will be useful. With distracted driving as the cause of so many fatalities and serious injuries, we can not emphasize enough how important it is to follow the final tip of focusing on driving. It is possible that you or someone you know may have been involved in a distracted driving accident, or might be at some point in the future.

The attorneys of Brownstein & Nguyen are experienced in representing distracted driving automobile accident cases in the Atlanta area. With over 20 years of representation in personal injury, the reviews and testimonials speak to the skill and integrity with which Brownstein & Nguyen represent their clients. Contact the personal injury lawyers at Brownstein & Nguyen today at (770) 458-9060 for a free consultation and review of your case.

June is National Safety Month and coincides with the end of school and the beginning of summer. This makes summer swimming safety particularly important, as kids find welcome relief in pools, ponds, and puddles across the greater Atlanta area. Sadly, they may find themselves in distress and parents must often cope with grief due to a lapse in basic water safety precautions.

At Brownstein & Nguyen, we offer these water safety tips in an effort to reduce the number of potential clients in need of legal services by one of Atlanta’s preeminent personal injury lawyers.

Swim in Water; Drink Water

Diane McKinsey, a pool lifeguard certified by the International Lifeguard Trainer Program, works at a water park. She has one piece of water safety advice for parents: please don’t drink alcohol.

Too often, she says, alcohol interferes with adults’ summer water safety awareness. Under the effects of alcohol, parents often lose sight of their children and tragedy can result. Says McKinsey, “If you and your kids are going to swim in water, then drink water — nothing stronger.”

Be Water Wise

The National Safety Council (NSC) points out drowning as the leading cause of death among children 1 to 4 years of age.  NSC recommends parents be extra vigilant around water, including paying attention to boating safety tips as well as general water safety tips.

• No child is drown-proof
• Lifeguards are not babysitters
• Undertows exist in all bodies of water—pool suction fittings and drains can trap a child underwater
• Even strong swimmers should wear life jackets—The NSC provides many additional boating safety tips at its safety-conscious website
• As a parent, you are your child’s best protector, so get trained for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)
• If your child is out of your sight, first check bodies of water before looking elsewhere.

Teach Your Children Well

From three-year-olds to adults, all swimmers should learn basic summer water safety. The NSC recommends all swimmers learn:

• Not to swim alone
• To be prepared for an emergency
• To avoid diving into unknown bodies of water
• Never to push others into water or jump on others already in water

If through accident or another’s negligence, you find yourself needing a lawyer because of a water-related mishap, contact the personal injury lawyers at Brownstein & Nguyen.  Protect your rights and those who depend on you.

The National Safety Council seeks to help save lives and prevent injuries at work, at home, and on the road. Each June, the National Safety Council recognizes National Safety Month. This year, the non-profit organization has coordinated a campaign for the month of June centered around the question, “What do you live for?” Take a few moments to reflect and answer the question for yourself.

Image via nsc.org

What is it that keeps you going? Is it your family? A career? A hobby? Now, think about daily interactions with potential risk factors that could cause injury. These risk factors may come into place at home, in the workplace, in your vehicle, or in your community. There are often simple steps that can be taken to address risk factors and prevent injuries at home, in the workplace, and on the roads.

Let’s say that you chose your family to answer the question of what you live for. If you are the parent of a teenager or even a preteen, this is the perfect time to begin conversations about the risks involved with driving. The National Safety Council gathers research and data regarding risk factors and what causes accidental injury and death while behind the wheel. According to their data, “Half of all teens will be involved in a car crash before graduating from high school. Many of these crashes will be simple fender-benders, but too many others will claim precious young lives. Parental involvement can significantly reduce teens’ crash risk.”

Checklist via nsc.org

Simply knowing the facts, taking proactive steps toward accident prevention, and having open conversations with young drivers can help reduce and prevent injuries and deaths. In an effort to help guide conversations with your young driver, take a look at the transportation checklist provided by the National Safety Council.

At Brownstein & Nguyen, we want to help you and your loved ones be safe and avoid injuries. However, should you or a loved one become injured in metro Atlanta, Georgia or elsewhere, we are here to help.

Living in the Atlanta metro area means summers of heat and humidity are a fact of life. Atlantans adjust to life with these discomforts, however. After all, modern conveniences including air conditioning in our homes, workplaces and automobiles help make life much more comfortable.

Image via Flickr.com

Fortunately, in modern day Atlanta most automobile owners bear through the commute and traffic conditions in comfort with air conditioning. However, they may be completely unaware that the humidity and a crucial safety feature in their vehicles – airbags – may be putting them and their passengers in danger.

Recent news stories indicate that the Takata airbag recall has reached historic proportions. In an effort to save lives, since 1998 federal law has required airbags to be installed in all vehicles sold in the United States. Yet, this very safety feature, intended to keep drivers and passengers safe, is putting many people at risk.

Japanese airbag manufacturer Takata is a major supplier of airbags for numerous makes & models of vehicles sold in the United States and around the world. These airbags have been identified as being extremely dangerous because the inflators can explode when the airbag is deployed in a crash, puncturing the bag and preventing it from properly restraining vehicle occupants. In addition, shards of metal from the exploding gas canister may be projected at passengers or drivers, turning the very device that was meant to protect into a potentially lethal threat.

To date, exploding inflators in Takata airbags have been the cause of six deaths and hundreds of injuries. These deaths have all occurred in vehicles manufactured by Honda, and it appears that this extremely dangerous situation is more pronounced in geographic areas with high humidity. Other vehicles affected by the recall including certain models and years manufactured by Ford, GM, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Infiniti, Lexus, Saab, Chrysler, Dodge, Pontiac and BMW.

It is essential that all automobile owners research their specific make and model to determine what type of airbags are in their car. Visit Safecar.gov to input a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and determine if your vehicle is included in the recall.

If your vehicle is affected by the Takata airbag recall, time is of the essence. Take the vehicle to a dealership as soon as possible so the airbags can be replaced with safer alternatives.

If there are questions regarding legal rights and the Takata airbag recall, do not hesitate to contact Atlanta personal injury law firm Brownstein & Nguyen.

Many people believe that using a hands-free dash mounted device or earpiece while driving is safer than using a traditional hand-held cell phone. In fact, the National Safety Council (NSC) has found that “[e]ighty percent of American drivers believe hands-free devices are safer than using a handheld phone.” However, during April’s Distracted Driving Awareness Month the National Safety Council is undertaking a public education campaign to share research proving the brain is still distracted from driving while engaged in a hands-free conversation.

This is definitely something that everyone needs to be aware of. In 2013, over 3,100 individuals were killed in distracted driving crashes. In addition to fatalities, numerous critical and serious injuries associated with distracted driving occur each year. Common injuries from such crashes include broken bones, spinal injuries, and back and neck pain as a result of whiplash.

Commit to Safe Driving

The NSC suggests that all drivers commit to stepping beyond making the commitment to drive hands-free, and instead commit to driving cell phone free. The NSC #callskill campaign covers three important points for drivers to keep in mind when committing to refrain from cell phone and device use while driving:

1. Eyes on the road

2. Hands on the wheel

3. Mind on driving

Unfortunately, because distracted driving is the cause of so many fatalities and serious injuries it is possible that you or someone you know may have been involved in a distracted driving accident, or might be at some point in the future. Atlanta personal injury attorneys Brownstein & Nguyen are experienced in representing automobile and truck accident cases in the Atlanta area. With over 20 years of personal injury representation, the reviews and testimonials of Brownstein & Nguyen speak for themselves. Contact the personal injury lawyers at Brownstein & Nguyen at (770) 458-9060 for a free review of your case.