At duimap.org, you can use a convenient map to find out where the most DUI traffic accidents occur in your area. That way, you can sidestep the danger by planning a new route or keep an extra eye out when you’re on a road that’s notorious for having drunk drivers.

[photo: rodeworks]

Think you have a password that’s really hard to crack? You may not want to use it more than once. Turns out, some websites have “back doors” that allow unscrupulous people who work for the website to see your username and password. And, some of these folks are plugging that information into other websites—like banks, Paypal accounts and Facebook—to see if they work there, too. The safe solution: Use a different password for each of your online accounts.

[photo: CarbonNYC]

Keeping tabs on your health by eating right, exercising and busting stress isn’t the only way to live longer. It’s also important to…
* Skip an indoor lightning bolt. Stay away from the toilet, sink and bathtub during thunderstorms. If lightning hits close to your home, a deadly charge can jump through the plumbing and zap you, according to the National Weather Service.
* Avoid a car accident with a dashboard mount. Reaching for an unsecured object—like your cell phone, sunglasses or iPod—as you drive makes you eight times more likely to swerve out of your lane, a Mayo Clinic study shows.
* Escape a fire by checking smoke alarms. The most common reason a house fire results in serious injury: no early warning. While most homes have smoke alarms, nearly a third have no working batteries, reveals a Morehouse School of Medicine study.
* Protect your health by dodging cigarette smoke. Think only smokers have a higher risk of heart disease and cancer? Not so! Secondhand smoke is also harmful since it contains the same deadly toxins that smokers breathe in, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

[photo: atomicjeep]

If the weatherman calls for thunderstorms, leave your MP3 player at home. The metal on these devices is a powerful conductor of electricity, which means even a nearby lightning strike can send a surge of electricity straight up your headphone cables and zap you, causing serious injury, according to a report in The New England Journal of Medicine.

 Tip: Turn off your cell phone in a thunderstorm. Holding it next to your ear when lightning strikes nearby can shock you, too.

[photo: Larry Johnson]

Think your toddler will be safer going down the slide on your lap or the lap of an older sibling? Not so. A recent analysis of children’s injuries shows that one in four leg fractures in young kids occurred when they were on a slide—and all these injuries happened when they were on someone’s lap, reports the Journal of Pediatric Orthopedics. Why the added risk? “If a toddler is riding by himself and gets his leg stuck against the side of the slide, he can stop himself pretty easily,” explains study author John Gaffney, M.D. However, the added weight of another person creates greater velocity and momentum, making it harder to stop. To be safe, let your child go down the slide alone or, if she or he is too young for that, use different playground equipment.

Received an email from “uscourts.com” or another government-sounding address alerting you that you missed jury duty and instructing you to open an attached subpoena or risk going to jail? Don’t click on it! Doing so instantly downloads a virus onto your computer that steals your passwords and online banking data and sends it directly to the thieves who sent you the email, warns Oregon Attorney General John Kroger. Bona fide jury duty summonses—and summonses for missing it—are delivered only by U.S. mail, never by email or phone.

[photo: Toasty Ken]

Tired of begging your kids to do things that are good for them—such as brushing their teeth, taking their vitamins, buckling up in the car or drinking their milk? Tel Aviv University have found the problem—and the solution! In their recent study, they found that kids aren’t motivated when you tell them about the long-term benefits of doing daily good-for-you tasks—for instance, avoiding cavities, being healthy and staying safe in an accident. However, they discovered that kids will do what you want when there’s an immediate fun benefit—even a small one! So, if you need them to brush their teeth, get a toothbrush that lights up or a fruit-flavored toothpaste. Have trouble getting them to take their vitamin? Let them pick one shaped like their favorite cartoon character. They won’t buckle up in the car? Attach a toy to their seatbelt. They won’t drink their milk? Get them a silly-shaped straw to sip it through!

[photo: azrainman]

Scientists from the University of Trieste in Italy deciphered a secret code in your dog’s tail: A wag to his right means he’s excited to see you. A wag to his left, however, signals he’s anxious and it’s better to back off. The researchers explain that different sides of the brain govern different emotions, producing the particular wag.

Would you believe? Like left- and right-handed humans, dogs have a predominant paw, too. Males are usually left-pawed, while most females are right-pawed.

You’ve heard that flushed and thrown away medications end up in our drinking water. But, holding onto expired or unused prescription and OTC pills and liquids is a medicine mishap waiting to happen. Now many pharmacies and government agencies participate in take-back programs; simply drop off unwanted meds (your pet’s, too) and they’ll be sent to environmentally-safe disposal centers. Find your nearest participating program by logging on to earth911.com; type in “medication” and your zip code and you’ll be given a list of area locations.

[photo: aussiegall]

Less than one-half of one percent of all car accidents end in the water. Still, in the off chance it happens to you, knowing what to do can save your life. First, don’t wait for help—you usually have under two minutes to get out and rescue crews won’t be able to reach you in time. So, start by unfastening your seat belt. That may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many times rescuers have to do that for people, says auto expert Lauren Fix, author of Lauren Fix’s Guide To Loving Your Car, Everything You Need to Know to Take Charge of Your Car and Get On with Your Life. Then, before the electricity shorts out, roll down the window and climb out. If the car has already begun to sink, climb into the back seat and break the rear window to get out. “Because the engine is the heaviest part of the car, the front is the first to sink, so you’ll have more time if you escape from the back.” Window won’t roll down? Don’t try to open the door; not only is it difficult to do, which will waste precious seconds, opening it causes water to rush in, which can make the car flip over. Instead, kick out a side window—which, unlike the windshield, will shatter upon impact—and aim for its weakest spot: the upper corner.

Tip: Make a quick exit with the ResQMe keychain, which has a spring-loaded metal spike that breaks your car window and a stainless steel blade that cuts jammed seatbelts if you’re trapped in your vehicle. ($16.80 for two, amazon.com) 

[photo: au_tiger01]