Story Archives of 'safety'

What do you get for the woman who has everything? How about a Taser with an MP3 player built-in?

New lines of personal Tasers come in pink, blue and silver, and are about the size of an electric razor. They're a hot new gift item, and Taser parties are beginning to replace the Tupperware parties of more innocent times. A personal Taser can offer a lot of protection to those who brandish it, but critics like Silja Talvi say they cause more problems than they solve. She recently wrote about Tasers for In These Times magazine, and she spoke with us on Word of Mouth.

Four days after Vice President Dick Cheney shot his hunting partner while bird hunting, he has publicly discussed the incident. He spoke with the cable news station Fox earlier today/Wednesday.
New Hampshire officials say similar episodes occur here about three times a year. New Hampshire Public Radio's Dan Gorenstein found out how the state handles what it calls hunting related shootings.

Every year lots of people get lost or injured hiking in New Hampshire, endangering themselves and sometimes rescue teams too. We?ll look at statewide efforts to better educate hikers on safety, including a new program being rolled out this month. Laura's guests are Rebecca Oreskes, Recreation and Wilderness Leader for White Mountain National Forest, and Lt. Dan Bogardus, Leader of the Specialized Search and Rescue Team for NH Fish and Game.

The moose season opened Saturday, but even for non-hunters, this is a time of year to be especially alert for the big animals. It's the moose mating season, called the rut, and bull moose have only one thing on their minds (small as they are) This can be especially dangerous for drivers. In the North Country, Rebecca Brown reports that an emergency room doctor has some tips for avoiding potentially fatal moose-car collisions.

Some people worry that talking and driving is making America's roads more dangerous. New York State recently banned hand-held cell phones while driving, and many other states are looking at bans. But not everyone's convinced that talking on the phone and driving is any more risky than eating and driving or fiddling with the radio. They say driver education is the answer, not more laws. Laura talks with George Getz, with the Libertarian party based in Washington DC, and Fran Bents, Vice President of Dynamic Science Inc., and General Manager of Research, Science and Technology division there. Original air date: 2-27-01