Texting – a seemingly harmless activity – appears to be far more dangerous than the general public thinks, especially when driving.

Sending text messages while behind the wheel can cause serious injuries and may even be deadly.

In Oxford, England, Phillipa Curtis was sentenced to 21 months in prison for texting while driving. The 22-year-old was texting her friends when she hit the car in front of her and killed Victoria McBryde.

Curtis rammed her vehicle into McBryde’s rear end, killing the 24-year-old instantly. McBryde’s mother and her personal injury attorney were upset that Curtis only received 21 month in prison. They feel Curtis deserves a longer sentence for her actions.

There appear to be mixed reactions about the incident, as many people claim they also text while they drive, and this type of incident could happen to anyone. According to phone records, McBryde allegedly was also texting and talking on her hand held phone prior to the incident.

According to a New York Times article, Britain has cracked down on texting and driving because of the serious injuries that have occurred. It is illegal in England to text or talk on hand held while driving a vehicle. Most European countries and a few states in the U.S. have banned the use of hand held phones while driving as well.

The new guidelines in British law state, “reading or composing text messages over a period of time” can be a distraction. The British courts have ruled that if the driver composes messages while driving the vehicle at any time, it could still be a distraction for the driver.

Even if the driver is not texting at the exact moment of impact; the driver could still be prosecuted if they composed a message during the duration of driving the vehicle.

Officials compare driving and texting to driving while drunk. Although a person may not be physically drinking an alcoholic beverage while they are driving, they are still affected by the alcohol previously consumed. The same idea holds true with texting, the New York Times reported.

British authorities claim any person using a hand held phone while driving who is involved in an incident involving death will receive severe punishment and jail time.

Many are finding this lax ideal of texting and driving a serious problem. In the future, other countries might follow suit and create severe punishments for drivers using their hand held phones while driving their vehicles.

England has made it a priority to stop future injuries or deaths as a result of texting and driving.

Megan Mullally - known for her role as Karen, the overbearing friend on the popular TV show Will and Grace - was in a car accident last week that left her with minor injuries, according to TMZ.com.

The actress was forced to cancel two theatrical performances as a result of the accident. She is currently performing in her play “The Receptionist” in Los Angeles.

Mullally was back on stage donning a wrist brace just four days after the two-car accident in Beverly Hills.

As of yet, no injury lawsuits have been filed, and according to TMZ.com, no party has been determined ‘at fault’ for the accident.

According to a study on car accidents and safe driving, most motor vehicle related accidents in the United States involve people aged 25 and younger. Injury lawyers typically handle court cases that arise from these accidents.

It might seem like no secret that personality can affect driving behavior, but could it be a reason for causing more car accidents than there would be otherwise?

People tend to drive faster if they have an aggressive personality, and aggression can be aggravated by anger. According to the study, personalities also varied depending on alcohol and drug use.

Most people know that alcohol and drug use not only affect your personality, but also your capability to drive a car, which makes it more likely anyway that an accident will occur.

For the full report about personality and driving, visit the Gulliver/Begg study.

You’ve been seeing the signs and digital road board postings for years - and you know how important it is to do it, yet despite the fact that 83 percent of Americans now wear their seatbelts regularly - the highest percentage ever, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - police officers still manage to ticket tons of drivers for not buckling up.

This Memorial Day weekend, traffic enforcement nationwide is cracking down - and they mean business. According to the Dallas Morning News, the police force is going to have an extra 20 officers patrolling the streets this weekend - and they’ll be looking hard for seatbelt violations.

Though often the cops are thought of as bad guys, in the case of this Click It or Ticket campaign, they truly are trying to save lives by issuing the violations. According to the NHTSA’s Click It or Ticket 2008 statistics, a projected 9,000 people will die in car crashes this year because they didn’t “Click It.”

On the other hand, 15,000 lives were saved in 2005 because of increased wearing of seat belts. Not only will you avoid a ticket if you buckle up, but you could prevent serious injury and death - just in case something unthinkable did happen.

If you are in a car accident wearing your seat belt and you suffer injuries, you might be able to collect money for your medical expenses and other personal injury expenses - assuming you aren’t at fault.

“Clicking” your seat belt will do a lot more than save your money - it will save your life. So buckle up this weekend when you now there are extra officers out on the road - and just remember: Click it, or ticket!

R & B Star Brandy is facing yet another lawsuit in connection with her 2006 automobile accident.   That accident resulted in the death of 38-year-old Awatef Aboudihaj, whose family is seeking $50 million in damages from the singer.  That case is scheduled for trial in April, 2009.

Now, Donald Lite, another party to the accident, has filed suit against both Brandy and Aboudihaj, claiming that each had failed to follow road regulations and thus contributed to the accident which left him with "serious and permanant" injuries. 

The singer was not charged criminally in connection with the 2006 accident.

A nationwide recall of botched tire valve stems has many drivers on edge—especially because these defective valve stems have led to deaths.

The valve stem is on every tire and is the little rubber piece that lets air in and out of the tire. The problem with the bad stems is that they can crack all around and lose air pressure in an instant. That causes the tire to “blow” and can result in deadly accidents.

The bad valve stems came from a plant in China and were installed on millions of American’s cars between September 2006 and June 2007.

Tech International recalled nearly 6 million valve stems; however as many as 30 million more bunk stems may still be on U.S. roads, according a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation. This is because Dill Air Controls hasn’t officially recalled its product—despite a lawsuit and federal investigation launched by NHTSA.

It’s suggested that all drivers examine their valve stems for cracks or leaks.

For more information on the tire valve stem recall, check out Consumer Report’s article on the matter.

Check out Total Injury’s product recalls section for more recall news.

While ATV vehicles are meant for recreational use, their dangers should not be underestimated. Earlier this month, a 30-year-old man was killed in an Illinois ATV accident with a tractor-trailer in Alexander County. Kevin A. Poppen was pronounced dead at the scene after he failed to stop his ATV at a stop sign and struck the right front tire of the passing tractor trailer, according to a story in today’s Southeast Missourian.

In detailing the need for safety when driving all-terrain vehicles, today’s Southeast Missourian story also cites some interesting statistics on ATV accidents:

• The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission attributes nearly 6,500 deaths over the last 23 years to ATV accidents. More than 2,000 of those deaths involved children under the age of 16. A child as young as six years old may legally operate an ATV vehicle under adult supervision. 

• Missouri was ranked 13^th in the United States with 46 ATV deaths from 2002 through 2004. Kentucky led with 106 ATV deaths in that time period. There were 210 reported Missouri ATV accidents in 2005 with 172 injuries and 18 fatalities, according to the state’s Highway Patrol.

Avoid personal injuries from ATV accidents by following all local statutes, driving diligently at appropriate speeds, wearing necessary safety gear including helmets, and supervising your children when on these vehicles.

A 55-year-old Iowa man was recently awarded $1.1 million by a U.S. District Court during his civil personal injury suit against a Grand Rapids railroad company.  

Reginald Booker worked as a carman for CSX Railroad for 24 years but had to leave the job when a hopper car fell off its jacks and nearly crushed him in September 2003.

Booker suffered serious nerve, vertebrae and pelvis injuries from the train accident, and now walks with a cane and a limp because of his disabilities.

The railroad car accident verdict originally awarded $1.4 million but was reduced 25% due to Booker’s own “contributory negligence” during this Iowa personal injury incident.

A Hampton County, SC judge rejected an appeal by Ford Motor Co. to overturn a $31 Million verdict in a 2001 automobile accident that left a 12-year old athlete and Olympic hopeful with head injuries so severe that he can not play sports again. Jesse Branham III spent three months in the hospital and was actively pursuing a dream to join the U.S. Olympic karate team.  Branham had been named among the nation’s best for his age group. In a 2001 accident, Branham was ejected from a 1987 Ford Bronco in a rollover accident. Branham’s father sued Ford Motor Co. for “knowingly manufacturing and selling a vehicle that was “unreasonably prone to roll over,” and was awarded $31 in damages against the automaker by a Hampton County jury in October.