For many 16-year-olds, receiving their drivers' license means more than just the freedom that driving allows; it is an outward sign by the community that they are becoming young adults capable of handling the independence and safe decision making that come with drivers' licenses. However, a new study indicates that this perception may be initially unfounded.

The study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and conducted by University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, indicates that in their first month of driving, new teen-motorists are involved in car accidents at a significantly higher rate than at other times. The study demonstrated that in their first month of driving, teens are 50 percent more likely to be involved in an accident than they would be after a year of driving. Additionally during the first month, teen-drivers are twice as likely to be involved a crash as they would be after two years of driving.

As the senior population expands, issues related to aging are becoming more prominent in the public consciousness. One urgent concern relates to an alarming increase in reports of elder abuse. People reported over one million cases of elder abuse nationwide in 2010. In addition, according to the National Crime Prevention Council, five unreported cases of elder abuse occur for each reported case. New Jersey has the highest number of reported cases in proportion to the state's senior population. In 2010, 176,000 reports of elder abuse were filed, which translates to 11 percent of New Jersey's seniors.

State Laws Concerning Elder Abuse

New Jersey law defines elder abuse as "the willful infliction of physical pain, injury or mental anguish, unreasonable confinement, or the willful deprivation of services which are necessary to maintain a person's physical and mental health." This definition encompasses a broad array of mistreatment, including physical and sexual abuse, neglect and financial abuse or exploitation. More often than not, the one perpetrating the abuse is a relative. Under New Jersey law, it is a crime for those who have a duty to look after an elderly person to neglect to care for that person or prevent others from providing necessary care.

Public health advocates and medical malpractice attorneys have long referred to it as the "July effect" - claims of a perceived spike in medical errors during the summer months due to changeover in medical trainees at the end of the academic year. For patients who are treated in July, that means an increased chance of a negative medical outcome after surgery, maternity or other procedures.

A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine ultimately concluded that mortality rates and errors increase and efficiency decreases in the summer due to year-end staff turnover in hospitals. After examining studies published from 1989 through 2010, the authors determined that the "larger and higher-quality" studies they examined demonstrated as much as an eight percent increase in patient death rates during July.

States from coast to coast are locked in debate over laws mandating helmets for motorcyclists. Bikers argue that the choice should be theirs and that education is more effective at preventing accidents. Proponents of these laws counter with their favorite argument: the public burden theory.

That theory goes something like this:

• Motorcyclists ride unsafely and have a high accident rate
• They go to the hospital and require expensive medical care for their injuries, which could be avoided if they had only worn a helmet
• When the bill comes, their insurance is insufficient to cover their medical expenses
• The American public has to pay for the remaining medical bills

There's only one problem with the public burden theory: It's completely false. A study on motorcycle accidents and insurance found that bikers actually relied less on public money than other motorists who were injured in accidents. Considering the tiny percentage of American health-care costs that are attributable to motorcycle accidents - a mere .00004% in 2006 - motorcyclists don't seem like such a burden after all.