Further to discussions in recent articles, the turn of the weather as the clocks go back, the skies go greyer, and the air gets colder sees an increase in accidents as a result of the winter weather.

And it’s not just the wetter roads and darker skies that lead to increases in all sorts of accidents.

According to a mirror.co.uk report, car owners have been warned that the autumn leaves, as pretty as they may be, are the cause of crashes due to the leaves affecting onboard computer systems that many modern cars are fitted with nowadays (source)
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Bad news for motorists! According to the AA, car insurance costs are rising faster than at any time over the past 15 years.  Average premiums have risen by 14% since last October 2008.

The increased cost of car insurance has been particularly brutal on young drivers, with premiums for third party, fire and theft policies rising by 17.6% over the year to an average quoted premium of £1,059 according to The Guardian.
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Unfortunately there are still people out there who take the wrong decision to jump behind the wheel of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol or narcotics; and it’s no secret that it’s a major cause of road traffic accidents around the world.

So what are the rules and legislation regarding being under the influence and on the road? It depends on the circumstances of course, but the gist Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 details clearly that a person found to be under the influence or alcohol or narcotics is guilty of offence (source – opens as a pdf).
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Stairs and steps can be dangerous; and with skyscrapers and larger buildings springing up all over the world as populations grow and cities expand, we could be set to see more unfortunate accidents of this nature occurring…

But accidents do happen, and it appears that not even the United Nations building in Vienna can escape an unfortunate stairwell accident occurring.

According to Sky News reports an unnamed 47 year old British man has fallen 120 ft to his death in a stairwell in the Vienna complex, although the cause of the accident is still yet to be determined. (source).
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Many of you may have been as shocked, as I was, to read the story about Mohammed Patel, the guy who has been staging accidents on behalf of vehicle owners so that they may make bogus claims from insurers – all for the great price of £500 a time!

In the last 3 years he has caused 93 crashes in the Greater Manchester area and each claim averaged at approximately £17,000.00.

Patel was making enough money for himself and his unemployed girlfriend to live a fairly luxurious standard of living. The courts heard that their home was filled with expensive furniture and they had holidayed in France and Barcelona recently.
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A £240,000 payout has been awarded to the holidaymaker whose banquet meal left her fighting for her life and with a seven year legal battle with tour operator First Choice, the mirror.co.uk reports.

Beryl Rushton paid £700.00 for a five star Christmas break in December 2001 at the Tropical Beach resort in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. After a second mouthful of a snapper fish steak, the holidaymaker was stunned to discover a large bloodied black worm in the centre of her meal which left her feeling sick, leading to an early night.
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A mother from Luton may have killed her 13-week-old son as a result of shaking him violently.

According to the BBC, the jury at Luton Crown Court heard that young Mohammed Zaid, who died in hospital on 1^st November 2007, was found following a post mortem to have suffered bleeding in his brain, spinal cord and both eyes.  The Prosecutor told the court that such evidence suggested a ‘violent death’ rather than illness.
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We have previously explored tennis elbow, but what about golfer’s elbow? No I’m not making medical conditions up it is another form of epicondylitis, medial epicondylitis to be specific. So, what is golfer’s elbow? Is there any difference to tennis elbow?

Where tennis elbow affects the outer part of the elbow, golfer’s elbow affects the inner part. The inner part of your elbow will be very tender to touch and movement such as lifting (especially with palms facing up) can be very painful.

Pain will be felt more when gripping tightly and also on wrist flexion. Wrist pain is a common symptom of golfer’s elbow.
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Despite numerous TV campaigns surrounding the issue of the importance of wearing your seatbelt many accidents are still far more serious than they should be just because people fail to wear their seatbelts!

What is the law surrounding seatbelts?

There are various groups dictating who must wear a seatbelt and who is responsible for the belt being worn and the following is a brief guide:
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Britain’s armed forces do a tough job; fighting in some of the harshest environments in the worst conditions, around the globe. The service men and women of the army place their lives on the line for Queen and Country every day.

The Ministry of Defence, as their employers, have as much responsibility for their safety and well being as any other employer in Britain. So can the MOD be negligent in their duty of care to the soldiers given the dangerous situations they place the armed forces within?
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