New York state to add signs alerting drivers to "text stops"

In New York, it's better to pull over and tap a message on a phone if you don't want to get pulled over and ticketed for texting while driving.

That's the message Gov. Andrew Cuomo and highway officials are sending to motorists after announcing 300 signs will be placed on state roadways directing drivers to "Texting Zones."

The blue-and-white signs point drivers to 91 existing areas where drivers can pull off the road and safely send messages while the car is parked.

"Distracted driving is a major problem in this state and it is a problem that is getting worse and it is a problem that costs us lives," Cuomo said in a statement to Yahoo News. "One out of 5 accidents today is attributable to distracted driving. Five times more fatalities from distracted driving than from drunk driving, believe it or not."

“With this new effort, we are sending a clear message to drivers that there is no excuse to take your hands off the wheel and eyes off the road because your text can wait until the next Texting Zone,” he added.

The governor also announced a 365 percent increase in tickets issued for distracted driving in summer 2013 compared with summer 2012. New York State Police handed out more than 21,000 tickets in the crackdown. New York is one of 41 states that ban texting while driving.

A national study by AT&T in March noted that more adults admit to texting and driving than teens: 49 percent of adults surveyed, compared with 43 percent of teens, said they engaged in the habit even though 98 percent of the adults that were questioned knew the habit was a dangerous practice.

A similar study in 2011 from the Centers for Disease Control found that 31 percent of adults aged 18-64 admitted to having read or sent text and email messages while driving.

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Doctor: Ohio man revives 45 mins after heart stops

WEST CARROLLTON, Ohio (AP) — A man whose heart stopped beating for 45 minutes credits his faith for being alive and says stunned doctors who declared him dead aren't sure what happened.

The body of diesel mechanic Tony Yahle was being prepared by nurses to be seen by his family Aug. 5 when he began to show signs of life, doctors said. He fully awakened at the hospital five days later.

Yahle, a 37-year-old West Carrollton resident, has been a topic of conversation since, said cardiologist Dr. Raja Nazir.

"In the last 20 years, I've never seen anybody who we have pronounced dead ... and then for him to come back, I've never seen it," Nazir told the Dayton Daily News (http://bit.ly/1516ptK). "Actually, I've never heard of it."

Yahle says it's a miracle and that doctors couldn't find any defects in his heart. Their last guess was that it was all the result of a possible viral infection, he said.

Yahle's teenage son said he spoke to his father shortly before he revived, the newspaper reported Tuesday.

"I pointed at him and said, 'Dad, you're not going to die today,'" said 18-year-old Lawrence Yahle. "I stood there for a few more seconds. I was about to walk back to comfort the family, and that's when he started showing signs of a heartbeat."

The teen said he "went from hopeless to hope in an instant."

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Doctor stops accepting insurance, lowers prices and posts costs online

File photo of doctor's exam room (Thinkstock)

A family practice doctor in Maine is refusing all forms of health insurance, including Medicare, in order, he says, to provide better service to his patients.

Dr. Michael Ciampi told the Bangor Daily News that he wants to practice medicine without being dictated to by insurance companies.

On April 1, Ciampi lowered his prices and posted the costs online. For example, an office visit in which patients discuss "one issue of moderate complexity or 2-3 simple issues" costs $75. When Ciampi accepted insurance, the visit would run $160, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The fact that Ciampi lists the prices, he says, means no surprises for his patients.

Say you're an established patient who can't make it to the doctor's office but wish to speak to him over the phone? A 10-minute conversation will run you $20. Each additional five-minute block will cost you $10. A minor surgery, like the draining of a boil will cost between $100 and $150.

Dr. Ciampi told the paper that some patients have left his practice, but that all seem to understand what motivated him to make the change.

Via the Banger Daily News:

Insurance companies no longer dictate how much he charges. He can offer discounts to patients struggling with their medical bills.

He can make house calls. "I’m freed up to do what I think is right for the patients," Ciampi said. "If I’m providing them a service that they value, they can pay me, and we cut the insurance out as the middleman and cut out a lot of the expense."

Ciampi told the paper that he collects payment at the end of each session (he doesn't send bills), and he sees each patient himself. Patients with insurance can submit their receipts for reimbursement, if the insurance company allows for that, according to Ciampi's family practice site.

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Iowa officer stops speedy SUV, helps deliver baby

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa City police officer pulled over a speeding SUV — then helped the driver and his passenger deliver a baby.

When Officer Kevin Wolfe stopped the vehicle Sunday night, the driver jumped out and yelled, "Sir, we're delivering a baby right here, right now!"

Wolfe tells Cedar Rapids TV station KCRG (http://bit.ly/16urS2z ) that by the time he reached the passenger door of the SUV, the baby's head and arms were already out. He assisted in the final stages of the delivery and wrapped the child in a blanket before escorting the family to a hospital.

The episode was captured by Wolfe's dashboard camera.

Police spokeswoman Vicki Lalla (LAH'luh) says Wolfe didn't issue a speeding ticket and so did not take down the parents' names.

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Information from: KCRG-TV, http://www.kcrg.com

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