A friend of mine just rode in a holiday toy drive for children on a pretty cold Sunday. He had to ride an hour or so to Philadelphia. I know he dressed warmly but I’m sure it was chilly. Chilly became cold once he got on the highway at 65 mph or more. It reminded me of an important lesson I learned early in my riding: Beware of the cold on a long ride.
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Causes of New Jersey Motorcycle Accidents, and How to Avoid Them
If you ride a motorcycle, you know the joy and sense of freedom it can bring, but you’ll also want to take extra care to keep yourself safe on the roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motorcyclists are 29 times more likely to die in a motor vehicle crash, and four (4) times more likely to be injured, than the occupants of passenger vehicles. In 2019 alone, 84 people were killed in motorcycle accidents on New Jersey roads.
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New Jersey’s Safe Passing Law Aims to Protect Cyclists and Pedestrians on the Road
The COVID-19 pandemic may have halted or reduced travel for many in New Jersey, but the end of the year also came with a surprising and sobering statistic: the number of fatal accidents involving cars in New Jersey rose in 2020 despite the pandemic.
Last year, 587 fatal accidents were reported across the state, up from 558 in 2019. Fatal accidents involving pedestrians have also risen, and so have fatal accidents involving cyclists. Eighteen cyclists lost their lives on New Jersey roads last year, up from only twelve the year before.
In response to these alarming numbers—and the long-term work of certain local bike safety advocacy groups—the New Jersey state legislature recently passed a bipartisan bill to increase the safety of New Jersey’s bikers and pedestrians. This bill, now known as the New Jersey Safe Passing Law, was signed into law by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Thursday, August 5th.
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Disposables are Making Vaping Harder to Detect Among Teens
Although the vaping company Juul has experienced significant fallout – both in terms of market value and public opinion – since information about their marketing tactics came out in 2019, vaping has yet to see a meaningful decline among teens, which rose a staggering 78% between 2018 and 2019 according to the American Cancer Society.
Juul has been identified as a catalyst for much of the current teen vaping habit, but teens have moved on from Juul pods to other products. According to Meredith Berkman, co-founder of the advocacy group Parents Against Vaping E-cigarettes (PAVE), “Juul is almost old school … It’s no longer the teen favorite.”
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JUUL’s Efforts to Recruit Influencers
Miley Cyrus. Bella Hadid. Sophie Turner. These are just a few celebrities who are known for their vaping habits. But these habits aren’t just a personal choice – they fit into a larger picture of vaping companies using celebrities and influencers to appeal to young consumers.
Although the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009 places strict regulations on how tobacco products can be marketed, the vaping industry has raised questions about marketing in the digital era.
JUUL Faces New Lawsuit Over Marketing Tactics
Marketing to youth has long been part of the tobacco industry’s strategy to keep a steady influx of customers. However, since the Joe Camel lawsuit in 1997, tobacco companies have increasingly been under fire for targeting underage consumers. Most disavow these intentions, but from time to time, a company will draw attention to these kinds of tactics. Most recently, the vaping pioneer, JUUL, has been pinpointed.
Despite assertions that they had never marketed their products to children or teenagers, a recent New York Times article reports that JUUL purchased ad space on youth-centered websites like Nickelodeon, the Cartoon Network, Seventeen magazine, and educational sites for students as young as middle school.
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Smoke and Mirrors: Juul Litigation Focuses on Misdirection, Misinformation
Amidst growing lawsuits and a call for a ban of vaping by the American Medical Association, journalists from the LA Times have reviewed over 3,000 internal records from leading vape company Juul and discovered that their proprietary formula was based on 40-year old nicotine research pioneered by R.J. Reynolds, the manufacturer of Camel cigarettes.
Scrutiny of the popular vaping brand has been increasing. Since 2018, Juul has been the subject of concerns from numerous research and regulatory bodies regarding their claims to offer a less addictive alternative to cigarettes. Most notable include a warning letter from the FDA stating that the company violated federal regulations because it hadn’t secured federal approval to promote and sell its products as a healthier option. According to the FDA letter, Juul’s claims include referring to its products as “99% safer than cigarettes, “much safer” than cigarettes, “totally safe,” and “a safer alternative than smoking cigarettes.”
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Former Exec Accuses JUUL of Knowingly Selling Contaminated Pods
Siddharth Breja, former SVP of Finance at Juul, filed a multi-claim lawsuit against the company alleging that Juul sold contaminated liquid pods with total disregard for the “law, public safety, and public health.” Breja claims Juul sold 1 million of the mint-flavored, contaminated pods, as well as pods that were expired or nearly expired. He also claims he was fired as a whistleblower for warning against the “illegal” activity. The claims include:
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Putting a Face on Vape Lung Injuries and Deaths
To date, the CDC has reported over 1200 cases of rapid onset “Vape Lung” disease, including over 26 deaths. While the exact cause is not yet identified, all cases are linked vaping.
The outbreak inspired several states to institute restrictive bans on the sale of e-cigarettes, including a full ban by Massachusetts (recently overturned by the courts).
It is important to keep focused on those being injured by vape products during this interminable FDA paralysis period.
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Vape Lung Outbreak Inspires E-Cigarette Bans Across the Country
While the FDA continues to do nothing to protect consumers from the health risks associated with vaping, the States of America are exercising their independent powers to protect their residents. Their actions are in response to the CDC’s recent report of over 1200 cases of rapid-onset lung disease caused by vaping, including over 26 deaths. The youngest victim was a 17-year-old boy in New York.
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