Photo of rafters makes waves

Several readers responded to a photo in the July/August issue of AAA Midwest Traveler (“Keep Cool”), taking exception to a photo that depicted five boys in a raft splashing in a shallow stream. These readers were concerned the boys were not wearing personal floatation devices (PFDs).

The photo’s caption urged the wearing of PFDs, and these additional tips from the Missouri State Water Patrol should be heeded for float trips and other water recreation:

• Federal law requires a wearable PFD be available for every person on board a vessel, regardless of its length.
• Children younger than 7 years must wear the PFD at all times.
• A person riding on a personal watercraft must wear a PFD. For more information, visit www.boated.com.

Pedestrian deaths drop but remain deadly issue

While the number of pedestrian fatalities has declined in recent years, there is still one such death every 107 minutes, and Halloween remains one of the two deadliest days of the year for pedestrians, a new report has found.

The National Pedestrian Crash Report, compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), analyzed trends in pedestrian deaths to help protect those who walk near roadways. While the probability of a pedestrian crash has declined in the last decade, the probability of pedestrians dying in the crashes that do occur has increased.

The Midwest has contributed to the decrease in pedestrian deaths over the last decade, but there were still 138 pedestrian crash deaths in Illinois in 2006, 76 deaths in Missouri, 73 in Indiana and 23 in Kansas. Other findings of the report include:

• About two-thirds of pedestrian deaths are in urban areas;
• The most deadly season for pedestrian fatalities is autumn, and Jan. 1 and Oct. 31 are the two most deadly days of the year;
• The older age group (over 64) has a much greater possibility than other age groups to be killed in a crash;
• As a pedestrian’s blood alcohol concentration increases, the chance of getting killed in a crash increases.