Preventing Dog Bites

Teach children basic safety around dogs and review regularly:

• Do not approach an unfamiliar dog.
• Do not run from a dog and scream.
• Remain motionless (e.g., "be still like a tree") when approached by an unfamiliar dog.
• If knocked over by a dog, roll into a ball and lie still (e.g., "be still like a log").
• Do not play with a dog unless supervised by an adult.
• Immediately report stray dogs or dogs displaying unusual behavior to an adult.
• Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.
• Do not disturb a dog who is sleeping, eating, or caring for puppies.
• Do not pet a dog without allowing it to see and sniff you first.
• If bitten, immediately report the bite to an adult.

A CDC study on fatal dog bites lists the breeds involved in fatal attacks over 20 years (Breeds of dogs involved in fatal human attacks in the United States between 1979 and 1998 ). It does not identify specific breeds that are most likely to bite or kill, and thus is not appropriate for policy-making decisions related to the topic. Each year, 4.7 million Americans are bitten by dogs. These bites result in approximately 16 fatalities; about 0.0002 percent of the total number of people bitten. These relatively few fatalities offer the only available information about breeds involved in dog bites. There is currently no accurate way to identify the number of dogs of a particular breed, and consequently no measure to determine which breeds are more likely to bite or kill.
Many practical alternatives to breed-specific policies exist and hold promise for preventing dog bites. For prevention ideas and model policies for control of dangerous dogs, please see the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Task Force on Canine Aggression and Human-Canine Interactions: A community approach to dog bite prevention . *

this information originally posted  at :  By CDC

If I make a claim on my own insurance can my rates increase due to the claim?

TITLE 33. INSURANCE
CHAPTER 9. REGULATION OF RATES, UNDERWRITING RULES, AND RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

O.C.G.A. § 33-9-40 (2007)

§ 33-9-40. Prohibition of motor vehicle insurance surcharges relating to accidents in which insured not at fault
No insurer shall surcharge the premium or rate charged on a policy of motor vehicle insurance or cancel such policy as a result of the insured person's involvement in a multivehicle accident when such person was not at fault in such accident.

HISTORY: Code 1981, § 33-9-40, enacted by Ga. L. 1986, p. 1184, § 1; Ga. L. 1987, p. 3, § 33.