Many U.S. parents don’t use child safety seats when they take ride-share vehicles like Uber or Lyft with their young children, a new study finds. “Our results are concerning, as ride-share services are increasingly popular,” said senior study author Dr. Michelle Macy, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital…  read on >  read on >

If you must travel during the spring break, be sure to follow recommended COVID-19 pandemic safety measures, an emergency medicine doctor advises. Millions of people are packing airports, while only one-quarter of the U.S. population has received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, noted Dr. Lewis Nelson, director of the department of emergency…  read on >  read on >

Here’s a silver lining to having to strap a mask across your face when you go out in public: That mask may also help guard against severe spring allergies, an expert says. Many patients with spring allergies are doing well this season because they’re spending more time indoors and wearing a mask when they go…  read on >  read on >

Despite the fact that Americans have been driving less during the pandemic, pedestrian deaths per mile in the United States spiked 20% in the first half of 2020, new research shows. The culprits? Increases in speeding, distracted and impaired driving, and other dangerous driving behaviors, researchers said. Factoring in a 16.5% reduction in vehicle miles…  read on >  read on >

Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday often marked by one (or more) too many drinks. But experts warn that simple holiday fun can quickly turn deadly when alcohol is involved. The U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) offered these reminders about the dangers of alcohol overdose and urged everyone to drink…  read on >  read on >

Ohio’s lockdown early in the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decline in traffic crashes, injuries and deaths, but numbers ticked up once the stay-at-home order ended, a new study finds. Like many other states, Ohio had a stay-at-home order prohibiting nonessential travel from March 9-22, 2020. Compared to the same stretch in 2019, Ohio’s…  read on >  read on >

It’s that time of year when flowers and trees bloom freely and pollen makes the lives of many miserable. But new research reveals a hidden risk: It could also make you more vulnerable to COVID-19 infection. COVID-19 infection rates waxed and waned with pollen counts in 2020, according to tracking data gathered across 31 countries…  read on >  read on >