BATTLE OF THE BOWLS
While we all know we shouldn’t look at our smartphones while we drive, let alone text while we’re behind the wheel, most of us have probably done so recently. You might figure it’s no big deal, especially if you swear you’re “only looking at it for a second.” But the truth is that our smartphones are far more than a harmless little distraction on the road. The effects that smartphones have on the brain have become well known since they first became the go-to cell phone model around a decade ago. Every time your screen lights up, you get a dopamine release, similar to what happens when someone does drugs — which means you can actually get addicted to your smartphone. So, no matter how prudent you try to be when you’re behind the wheel, it will be difficult to resist when your phone beckons for you to check your notifications. That might be part of the reason why, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving drunk. That addictive quality is why smartphones can distract you so entirely. They distract you visually, meaning that they get you to look away from the road. They distract you manually because you have to use either one or both hands to check your notifications and respond to texts. And finally, they distract you mentally because you have to think about what you’re typing or looking up rather than what’s on the road ahead of you. All of these factors led the state of Alabama to ban texting while driving in 2012, becoming the 38th state to do so. However, even with laws in place to prevent the accidents that might follow, a 2018 study found that 43% of teen drivers in Alabama text while driving, and the number of distracted-driving fatalities in our state hasn’t gone down since 2017. Driving distraction-free starts when you make the choice to do so. But if you’re ever in an accident where the other driver was distracted before the collision, give Shuttlesworth Law Firm a call today at (205) 322-1411. We’ll make sure you’re compensated fairly for your injuries and losses. USING YOUR SMARTPHONE WHILE DRIVING IS DEADLY
December and January are prime months for college football greatness. Each year, the top teams in the nation duke it out in more than 40 bowl games during this two-month span. In its 130- year history, the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) bowl games have changed a lot, but the competition is just as fierce now as ever. The origin of bowl games has nothing to do with football. On Jan. 1, 1890, the Valley Hunt Club in Pasadena, California, adorned their horses and buggies with flowers and paraded around the city before squaring off in athletic competitions that included polo, greased pig catching, and chariot races. By 1902, the organizers for the Tournament of Roses saw potential in America’s fast-growing collegiate football leagues and scheduled the much-anticipated Tournament East-West game between the nation’s top two teams on Jan. 1. That game was a dud, though. Michigan University toppled Stanford University 49-0, and Stanford forfeited the game with just eight minutes left on the clock. Admitting defeat, organizers went back to their athletic competitions of yore until 1916, when Washington State took on Brown College in the second Tournament East-West game. In 1923, this competition was dubbed the Rose Bowl. The name “bowl” comes from the shape of the Rose Bowl Stadium, and other collegiate leagues across the nation have adopted their own versions. The widely accepted original bowl games include the Rose Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, and the Sun Bowl, and each is played on New Year’s Day. Over time, the number of bowl games grew, which resulted in teams with as few as five wins claiming titles in smaller bowl games. Experts began to ponder how to determine the “true” national champion when there were so many championship games. In the 2014–2015 season, the NCAA sought to answer that question. The championship semifinal games between the top four teams are rotated each year between pairs of the six top bowl games. The winners of the two semifinal bowls then face off in a college football championship. The other bowl games are still played and unofficially determine runners-up. While bowl games may take on a different flair this season, the time- honored tradition of friendly competition and bragging rights is still just as powerful today as it was 130 years ago in Pasadena. ROSES, CHARIOTS, AND A COLLEGE FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPION
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