Nevada-based author Dana Sullivan, a frequent contributor to Your Baby Today, Fit Pregnancy and Parenting magazines wrote an article that parents should be aware of.  I thought it would be of interest to my readers.

The article is titled “The Top Five Mistakes Parents Make with Car Seats.”  It talks about the importance of reading and following directions when using a car seat.  Sounds simple, but a lot of people don’t do it.  Here are the top five mistakes parents make with car seats, according to Julie Prom, a certified child passenger safety expert:

1. Buying the wrong seat for a particular car.  Some seats fit better in certain cars than others.  But the only way you’ll know which seats work best in your car(s) is through trial and error.  If possible, months before your baby is born, go to a baby store and ask to install several different models in your car until you find one that fits. “I tell people to do this before they start looking at cribs,” says Prom. “A safe car seat is one of the most important purchases a parent can make for her baby.” You can also call your hospital or fire department, or visit the SafeKids website, to find out when and where the next car-seat safety check will be held in your area.
2. Facing baby forward too soon and/or using a seat that doesn’t fit properly. Infants should be in the rear-facing position, in either an infant carrier (a seat with a carrying handle) or a convertible seat (a seat you can turn forward when your baby is big enough) until they are one year old and weigh at least 20 pounds, whichever comes last.  If your under-one-year infant is so tall that his/her head reaches the top of the infant carrier, you need to switch her into a convertible seat, but keep her facing rear.  Many convertibles accommodate children in the rear or forward position until they weigh about 35-40 pounds.
3. Not tightening the car seat enough.  Make sure the seat doesn’t move more than approximately one inch from side to side or front to back.  Read the car seat manufacturer’s instructions so you know where to thread the seat belt, and your vehicle’s manual so you know whether you must use a locking clip to secure the seat belt.  Be sure to install the locking clip next to the latch plate.
4. Positioning the harness height incorrectly.   Read the car seat’s instruction manual to determine the proper harness height. Some harnesses should sit level with your infant’s shoulders, others should be set just below. You will need to adjust the harness height as your baby grows.
5. Not tightening the harness enough.  Adjust the harness so you can’t slide more than two fingers between the harness and your baby.  And, make sure that the chest clip is at your baby’s armpit level to keep the harness in place.

Read the entire article here:

http://articles.directorym.com/The_top_five_mistakes_parents_make_with_ car_seats_Nevada-r903051-Nevada.html

Sincerely,

Adam S. Kutner

“The good in gas prices”

I saw this article in the Las Vegas Sun last week and after reading the headline, said “How can this be? With a gallon of gas reaching $5 a gallon how can anything be good in that! Well, it turns out there is….

“The high cost of gasoline may be killing the economy, but also it may be saving lives.

Fewer drivers are using state highways, and fewer people are dying on those roads.

In May, just about the time gas hit $4, the state Transportation Department’s traffic counts at 21 sites in Clark County were down 6 percent overall compared with the May 2007 counts. Only three of the sites posted traffic increases, and at an average of about 1 percent.

“When you’ve seen this report … over last 10 to 20 years, it’s been consistent increases every year,” said DOT spokesman Scott Magruder. “We had even seen the tripling of traffic on some roads over a period of 10 years. So any reduction not attributed to a new road or highway is very significant.”

Over roughly the first half of this year, the number of deaths on the highways and city roads has declined dramatically since early 2007.

As of June 22, Metro had seen a 32 percent drop in traffic fatalities, 61 since Jan. 1, compared with 90 in the same period of 2007.”

The article goes on to accredit stricter traffic enforcement by the Metro Police and better diving to the fall in traffic related deaths.

Read the entire article at http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/01/good-gas-prices/

Sincerely,
Adam S. Kutner

It’s with great excitement that this weekend marks our firm’s 14^th anniversary.

It seems like it was just yesterday that I hired my first employee. I had just come from working with a prestigious personal injury attorney and was ready to step out on my own. Clark County’s population was just over 970,000, half of what it is today. Between my law experience and my work as an insurance defense attorney, I knew the business model I wanted to create to help the hundreds of Nevadans each month that need first-class representation. I’m happy to say that we’ve succeeded!

14 years and 50 additional employees later, our firm is one of the largest personal injury law firms in Clark County. It’s not about the size, but about the people that we’re able to help. Our last count showed us having represented more than 17,000 men and women of Southern Nevada with their personal injury cases.

I know it’s difficult when you become a victim in one of these cases. I promise we do our very best to not only get you the best settlement possible, but to treat you with the respect and dignity that you deserve. We also do our best to minimize the anxiety that you’re going through and work as fast as we possibly can to get money in your pocket.

It’s been an honor to represent many of you over the past 14 years and I hope we can continue to do the best work we can on your behalf.

Sincerely,

Adam S. Kutner