The National Safety Council observes April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. As reported in prior publications, distracted driving increases the likelihood of motor vehicle accidents and injuries.

Football Helmet Recall by the Xenith Corporation High school football season is about to get underway and one of the underlying concerns we all have is the risk of head trauma that students can suffer in practice and in games. In 2013 the Institute of Medicine (now, the National Academy of Medicine) analyzed a variety of studies on head trauma in a variety of high school sports. They estimated that high school football players suffered 11.2 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices. They also estimated that college football players suffered a rate of 6.3 concussions for every 10,000 games and practices. They admit these estimates may be conservative.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed by Congress in 1990. As you may know, the ADA prohibits discrimination based on disability. Although most people are aware of the ADA's impact in the employment setting, it also prohibits disability-based discrimination in state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.

News reports over the past months were filled with accounts concerning terrorist attacks and other unsettling events. Recently, gunmen in Pakistan attacked Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, shooting eighty people. Unfortunately, there is no reason to believe that this trend will disappear as the year continues.

National School Bus Safety Week is supported by many sate and local agencies. The intent is to raise the issue of bus safety awareness for both school communities and the public at large.

Exertional heat stroke is one of the three leading causes of sudden death in sports. The period between 2005 - 2009 had more heat stroke deaths than any other five year period in the prior 35 years. There were 18 deaths from 2005 to 2009. From 2010 to 2014 (still being tracked) there are now an estimated 20 to 22 deaths.

As we approach another season of outdoor activity, it's a good time to look over the playground equipment used in your school or campus day care programs. Winter weather can take a toll on equipment and surfacing. Snow, ice, wind and damage done during snow removal can ruin surfacing and damage canvass and plastic components.

Wright Specialty policyholders have coverage for employment discrimination through the Educators Legal Liability (ELL) policy. As with all insurance policies, insureds must comply with certain conditions in order to maintain insurance coverage. Timely claim reporting is a requirement and it is critical, specifically in the context of employment discrimination claims.

Currently, more than 17 million people in the U.S. participate in In-Line Skating, (also called rollerblading) In-line skates have been around for centuries, but only became commercially available in 1987. In-Line Skating surged in the 1980's, but dropped off after 2001 and, recently, has seen resurgence in participation.

Most of the country is experiencing the first blast of prolonged frigid temperatures. When extreme cold arrives, so do questions about cancelling outdoor recess, lunch or physical education.The primary safety concern during extreme cold weather is the risk of frostbite. Frostbite is the freezing of skin and damage to underlying blood vessels due to exposure to the extreme cold. Frostbite occurs when the skin temperature reaches and stays at or below 23 °F degrees. Although students are rarely outdoors for an extended period of time, frostbite can occur to exposed skin within 20 - 30 minutes with modest wind and temperatures in the teens.