Declarations

Motorcycle deaths

“Almost nine percent of all U.S. traffic deaths are attributed to motorcycle riding. In 2004 more than 4,000 people were killed in motorcycle accidents – an 89 percent increase since 1997 – and more than 76,000 were injured.”

Comments made by Jeffrey Coben, M.D., a researcher at West Virginia University, regarding states that do not require motorcycle riders and passengers to wear helmets and may be contributing to the unnecessary deaths, hospitalizations, and long-term disabilities. Traffic deaths last year reached the highest level since 1990, due to an increase in motorcycle and pedestrian fatalities. AP

Inmate murdered

“We did not arrest Moyle for failing to provide a proof-of-insurance card. He was arrested for not having insurance at all.”

The police chief in Elk River said an insurance violation was a good enough reason for his officers to lock up a man who was later beaten to death in the Sherburne County jail. A story in the Associated Press detailed how Carl Moyle, 28, was jailed after allegedly admitting to police during a traffic stop that he had no insurance. Police said that he had been convicted before for violating laws requiring drivers to have auto insurance. Police have said another inmate beat Moyle to death with a metal rail in his cell later that day. AP

Elephant in the room

“Information and communication technology (ICT) addiction has been treated by policymakers as a kind of elephant in the room — everyone sees it, but no one wants to acknowledge it directly.

Gayle Porter, an associate professor of management at the Rutgers University School of Business at Camden, N.J., comments on what he believes is the fast and relentless pace of technology-enhanced work environments that create a source of stimulation that may become addictive. While addiction to work has been a widespread phenomenon for some time, the Rutgers-Camden scholar suggests that employers may face legal liability for these addictions. AP