At least three people have been injured in an accident apparently caused by two cars street racing in DeKalb County.

The two cars set off a chain reaction accident on Interstate 285 that involved several vehicles. At least three people had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The two persons who were racing fled the scene of the accident.

Accidents involving speeding racing cars can result in serious injuries or fatalities. It’s extremely fortunate that the three people here survived this crash.

It isn't very hard to prove negligence when you have an accident caused by two cars racing on a public highway.  However, this can depend on finding eyewitnesses who saw the two cars racing and other factors.  The most important thing right now for investigators will be to locate the two absconding drivers. Locating hit-and-run drivers used to be an impossible task in the past. These were hopeless cases, and it was a rare success when police could trace the offending motorist. Investigators have gotten a little better at tracing hit-and-run motorists, but these cases still prove difficult to crack.

In the case here, an Atlanta injury lawyer will make finding the hit-and-run motorists responsible for the accident an important part of the case. There are also other options for compensation that you may have from your own insurer. Medical bills and lost wages may be covered by your insurer, even if the hit-and-run motorist cannot be located.

Killer Roads Report: Georgia Highways More Dangerous Because of Negligent Motorists

A report based on auto accident statistics by the Department of Transportation between 1994 and 2008 lists the most dangerous roads in the country by the number of fatalities that have occurred here. The top 20 is made up in a large part by cities in heavily populated states, like Texas and California.

According to the data, 23,640 people died on Georgia highways in auto accidents between 1994 and 2008.

·        21.5 percent of these fatal accidents involved a speeding motorist.

·        25 percent involved an accident with at least one drunk driver.

·        55.7 percent of the fatal accidents, involved persons not buckled up at the time of the crash.

We also drilled into county-wide statistics for Georgia, and came up with some interesting statistics.

·        The most dangerous highway in DeKalb County is I-285, with 95 accidents contributing to 104 deaths. Out of these, 25.3 accidents involved drunk driving, 18. 9 percent involved a speeding driver, and 41.3 percent involved failure to wear seatbelts.

·        The most dangerous highway in Gwinnett County is I-85, with 83 accidents during the study period. These contributed to 90 deaths.  More than 54 percent of these were linked to failure to buckle up, 38. 6 percent involved a drunk driver and 21.7 involved a speeding motorist

·        In Clayton County, the highest number of fatalities between 1994 and 2008 were recorded on I-75, where there were 48 fatalities from a total of 43 crashes. Here, seatbelt use seems to be an even bigger factor in deaths, with 60.4 percent of fatal accidents involving failure to buckle up. The rates of DUI and speeding were comparatively lower at 18.6 percent and 16.3 percent respectively.

·        In Fulton County, I-75 accounted for the highest number of fatalities, with 124 deaths from a total of 110 accidents. Here too, poor rates of seatbelt usage were a major factor in fatalities, with close to 60 percent of crashes involving motorists who were not buckled up.

It’s clear that motorist negligence including failure to wear safety seat belts, drunk driving and driving at excessive speeds, is contributing to the high death rates on these so-called “killer roads.”

The Atlanta accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto accidents in and around the metro Atlanta area.

Investigators looking into a fatal accident on Interstate 20 believe that bad weather could have been a factor in this crash. The victim, the mother of an 11-month-old infant, had been involved in a minor collision with another motorist. Both women were standing outside their cars when they were hit by a tow truck. The victim sustained serious injuries, and died at the scene of the crash. Investigators now believe that rainy weather could have been a factor in the accident.

With all the weather prediction technologies at our disposal and the precision of meteorological updates, it’s appalling that we continue to see weather-related accidents in Atlanta. We enjoy sunny weather for too much of the year, and the climate can be monotonously predictable, perhaps lulling motorists into complacency. The result is that several motorists and truckers continue to drive as they usually do, even during inclement weather.

Lack of experience with certain weather conditions can be no excuse to drive carelessly. As Atlanta auto accident lawyers, we find it frustrating to read about an increase in auto accidents when the weather gets icy, or when there are sudden showers. Part of your duty as a motorist is to drive not just taking into consideration the road and traffic conditions, but also weather conditions. It’s pure common sense that you need to drive more carefully during storms, strong winds, rains and icy weather conditions.

It doesn’t take rocket science smarts to figure out that you are more likely to lose control of a vehicle on slick streets, in poor visibility, or with heavy winds threatening to push your car off the roads. It’s 2010, and excuses about the weather are simply intolerable to Atlanta car accident lawyers.

Highway Safety Group has Traffic Safety Advice for Georgia

As personal injury lawyers serving auto accident victims in Atlanta and around Georgia, we know how better and stronger laws could prevent accidents and fatalities in our state. That has now been confirmed by a report from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

The group has released its Road Map Report, which reviewed states based on 15 basic laws that will contribute to lowered fatalities and injuries on American roads. These laws relate to adult occupant protection, teen driving, child passenger safety, drunk driving and distracted driving. The states were then rated based on their adoption of these recommended laws. The ratings were coded in

1.      Green denoting significant advancement toward adoption of basic safety laws,

2.      Yellow, denoting progress, but with several gaps in highway safety laws,

3.      Red, which denotes that the state has failed to adopt basic laws that could minimize fatalities and injuries in accidents

Georgia received a yellow rating, which means we still have to make progress in adopting the safety laws that would prevent injuries in auto accidents. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety recommends the following safety laws for Georgia:

·        Primary enforcement of seatbelt laws

·        Booster seat laws for children through the age of 7

·        Minimum age 16 for learner’s licenses

·        Nighttime restrictions on GDL without secondary enforcement

·        Passenger and cell phone restrictions on GDL motorists

·        Laws requiring installation of ignition interlock systems on all vehicles of DUI offenders

·        Text messaging restrictions on all drivers

The report says that failure to implement these has caused 1,493 accident fatalities in Georgia in 2008. 

Georgia state officials have chosen to ignore the risks from non seat belt use by pickup truck drivers. Besides, our ignition interlock systems are only required during the last 6 months of a DUI offender’s suspension period. It’s not surprising therefore that Atlanta drunk driving accident lawyers see so many fatal crashes involving repeat DUI offenders driving on suspended licenses. A total ban on text messaging while driving is another potential law that Atlanta auto accident attorneys would support. Last year, there seemed to be some momentum on the seatbelt and cell phone legislations, but unfortunately, it seems to have fizzled out. These laws could possibly save hundreds of lives in auto accidents. Georgia legislators, are you listening?

New Accident Risks Emerge as Automakers Amp up Technologies in Cars

Getting people to switch off their cell phones while driving has been hard enough, but 2010 promises even more distractions for motorists, and greater risks of accidents.  This year, automakers plan to roll out a number of cars with infotainment systems mounted on the dashboard. These systems include 10-inch plus monitors that allow users to access the internet, read restaurant reviews, look at 3-D maps, watch high definition video, and monitor fuel levels, most of this via touch screen technology.

Automakers insist that these systems are safe because the more distracting functions like internet access will not work if the car is moving. However, most of the other functions are available to use through touch screens. It’s part of a wider trend of vehicles coming equipped with all the features that we have come to accept in our smart phones. It also promises a massive headache for the Department of Transportation, and agencies around the country that are struggling to minimize cell-phone related risks. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has already made clear his displeasure at these new high-tech features, and has promised that he will discuss the issue.

This trend is wrong on so many levels, it’s hard to know where to begin. Atlanta personal injury lawyers believe that these developments signify the auto industry’s greed for profits, by cashing in on a tech-hungry public’s desire for the next fancy gizmo. At a time when automakers should be focusing on making cars that are safer for teen motorists and senior citizens, it has been hugely disappointing to see manufacturers loading cars with more gadgets that will increase the risk of distracted driving.

There is no reason why a motorist needs to read a restaurant review or access a web page while he is in his car. Those activities must be restricted to the home or office. Trying to convert your car into an extension of your home or office can have potentially devastating consequences. As Atlanta auto accident lawyers, we have appreciated the major safety strides auto companies had made in recent years, and yet, these new infotainment systems simple take all that good work 10 steps behind.

Accident prevention and safety has been on the minds of Atlanta auto accident lawyers this season. Weather conditions are bound to get harsher, and motorists are also going to have to deal with millions of holiday travelers in a week’s time.  The combination of bad weather and heavy traffic can be deadly. That is why when a group of elite truck drivers who have completed millions of miles of driving without accidents, doles out expert safety advice, we are all ears.

The advice comes to us via the American Truck Associations’ Share the Road program, which has professional truck drivers teaching the public about driving safely around 18 wheelers. There is no doubt driving a massive tractor trailer rig that weighs tens of thousands of pounds, requires greater skill and experience than driving a sedan. That is why we would highly recommend these truck safety tips for holiday travelers this winter.  

·        Always be aware of vehicles in front of you, and keep a sufficient distance between the two vehicles.  

·        When driving around a truck, know that the trucker may be unable to see you if you fall in his bind spots. Look for the trucker’s reflection in his rear view mirror. If you can’t see the trucker, then he can’t see you either.

·        Never cut in front of 18-wheelers. These large vehicles are much more difficult to bring to a stop in an emergency. Remember any failure of the truck can be disastrous for you.

·        Make sure that you are prepared for travel in bad weather. Have an emergency kit that includes non perishable food, water, flashlights, flares, tire repair kits and other essentials, and keep this in your car at all times.

·        Keep speeds down, and when you are driving during snowfall or a snowstorm, drop your speeds according to the weather conditions. Slamming on the brakes on slick streets in an emergency may cause your car to hydroplane, and lose control.

·        Always wear seatbelts, and make sure that all occupants in your car are buckled up too.

The Atlanta auto accident attorneys at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto and trucking accidents in and around the metro Atlanta area.

Stanford Law School professor Nora Freeman Angstrom has published an investigative report” Run of the Mill Justice” in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. She has scathing remarks for what she calls “settlement mills” - law firms that are involved in the mass resolution of claims. These firms base their business – it might be a stretch to call it “practice” of the law - on taking on high volumes of accident and injury cases and rushing to settle these with insurers, often for low amounts. There is minimal interaction with the client, and the principle is to rush though cases, with barely any of these cases ending up before a jury.

These mills get most of their clients from aggressive advertisements on billboards and television. Most importantly, a settlement mill is rarely interested in  taking a case to trial, and getting a fair value for the client. The report makes very interesting reading, and Angstrom does not hold back as she names law firms, including one in Georgia, that she characterized as having low jury trial rates.

It’s not often we hear a law expert openly calling out these settlement mills by name, and as Atlanta personal injury trial lawyers who believe in fighting for justice for every individual client, we agree with what she says. Not every accident case will go to a trial.  Very often, clients reach favorable settlements without having to go to court. However, if a case cannot be resolved during settlement negotiations, it’s important that your Atlanta personal injury attorney be equipped with the resources, skills, preparation and expertise to take your case to trial, and win.

A settlement mill may be fine when you’re dealing with a minor injury accident claim, and need to settle as quickly as possible. However, when you are involved in an accident where the injuries are serious enough to cause financial hardship in the future, your claim must allow for damages for pain and suffering, punitive damages if applicable, and other damages you may be eligible for. Rushing towards a hasty settlement with an insurer ensures that you are left with a bare minimal settlement that hardly covers your needs.

A tractor trailer accident in Spalding, Georgia last week left a mother and four children seriously injured.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the accident occurred as Cindy Lynn Fain was driving her minivan. A tractor trailer driver apparently ran a stop sign, and crashed into the passenger side of the van. Fain and her three children aged 2, 4 and 5 were seriously injured in the accident.  They have been transported to Atlanta hospitals.  Investigations into the accident are going on. The truck driver Solomon Debala, has been charged with failure to stop at a stop sign and other charges.

The huge potential for catastrophic injuries in an accident involving a tractor trailer is why there are federal regulations in place governing the conduct of truck drivers. Truckers must drive with greater care than drivers of passenger vehicles. There is simply no room for traffic violations when you’re in control of a massive rig.

Fortunately, Georgia’s laws allow errant truck drivers and their employers to be held accountable in an accident. In case of injuries, a truck driver can be named in a claim, although it’s his insurance company that may eventually make the payout. An Atlanta truck accident attorney will conduct an investigation into the accident, and this will also involve looking into the drivers’ safety record and history, among several other things. If there is a history of violations, then the trucking company can be hold accountable for its failure to eliminate bad truck drivers from its rolls. Trucking companies have a responsibility to hire truckers with safe records, and can be held liable when drivers break traffic rules, resulting in accidents.  

The Atlanta truck accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of tractor trailer, semi truck and big rig accidents in and around the metro Atlanta area.

NHTSA Proposes Stronger Side Airbag Standards to Save Lives in Rollover Accidents

As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we have had our complaints about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the slowness with which the agency reacts to urgent safety issues. However, we will also be the first to admit that the agency has done some stellar work recently, especially in the field of rollover crash prevention and minimizing injuries from these crashes.

Earlier this year, the agency announced that it would be requiring automakers to comply with stronger roof strength standards, o prevent the kind of injuries and deaths that result from roof collapses in a rollover. The agency has also been quick to catch on to the importance of devices like Electronic Stability Control technologies that can help prevent rollover crashes. Now, the agency is proposing stronger side airbag standards that will prevent the risk of side window ejections during a rollover. According to the Washington Post, the NHTSA could require automakers to install stronger side airbags that will prevent ejections even if passengers are not wearing seatbelts.

Rollover accidents are a somewhat recent phenomenon that peaked with the introduction of SUVs on our roads. These vehicles, along with pickups and vans, are more likely to be involved in rollover crashes. In 2002, more than 10,600 people died in rollover accidents.  The number of people dying in these accidents has declined in the past few years, especially as more cars now come equipped with Electronic Stability Control systems that prevent rollovers.

However, the NHTSA wants to bring those numbers down further. According to its data, every year 6,400 people die when they are ejected from the side window during a rollover. It’s these lives the agency wants to save with its new standards. Currently, many vehicles come with side airbags, but these don’t comply with the NHTSA’s proposed stronger new standards.

While there is little that can be done to suppress the public preference for sports utility vehicles and light pickup trucks, we can work to equip these vehicles with safety devices that enhance the occupants’ risks of surviving a rollover.

The Atlanta personal injury lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto and truck accidents in the metro Atlanta area and around Georgia. 

Doctors and lawyers are most at risk for auto accidents, at least according to a list of the most accident-prone professions in the country. The list was released by Insure.com and the Quality Planning Corporation, a company that validates policyholder information for insurers.  The company has collected and analyzed data about car accidents based on profession, and ranks doctors at No.1 on the list.  

Every year, there are:

1.      109 accidents and 44 speeding tickets for every 1000 doctors

2.      106 auto accidents and 37 speed tickets for every 1000 lawyers

3.      105 auto accidents and 72 speeding tickets for every 1000 architects

4.      102 accidents and 39 speeding tickets for 1000 real estate brokers

5.      99 accidents and 78 speeding tickets for 1000 enlisted military personnel

6.      98 accidents and 38 speeding tickets far every 1000 social workers

7.      99 accidents and 77 speeding tickets for every 1000 manual labors

8.      95 accidents and 40 speeding tickets for every 1000 analysts

9.      94 accidents and 51 speeding tickets for every 1000 engineers

10.94 accidents and 50 speeding tickets for every 1000 consultants

Other professions on the list that didn’t make it to the Top 10, included nurses, insurance agents, librarians, dentists, accountants, firemen, politicians, law enforcement personnel and salespeople.

The list seems to indicate that stress is possibly a bigger factor contributing to auto accidents than Atlanta auto accident lawyers know. Doctors and surgeons do work in high pressure environments. Other professions on the list, like military personnel real estate brokers and lawyers, also work in high pressure, high performance occupations that might increase their chances of being distracted and causing an accident. Besides, doctors who rank at number 1 on the list may also suffer from fatigue especially in the of medical residents.

The list makes for interesting browsing, but we still believe that most auto accidents are entirely preventable.

Six Injured in Gwinnett County Car Accident

Five members of a Georgia family have a lot to be thankful for, after they escaped what could have been a serious accident in Gwinnett County over the Thanksgiving weekend. The five and their taxi driver have sustained injuries.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the taxi was travelling on I-85 when it was hit by a dark-colored car. The car was also traveling south in the lane next to the taxi, when the driver lost control, and sideswiped the taxi. The impact caused the taxi to flip over. The driver and the five passengers were able to climb out of the taxi. The injured included at least 3 children, aged 9, 7 and 6. Fortunately, the injuries are not life threatening.

Police believe that the dark colored car, that drove right away, might have damage on the front or driver side. They are calling anyone with information on such a car to contact them.

The taxi passengers and driver were extremely fortunate.  As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we often see that injuries in rollover crashes can be extremely serious. In a rollover, passengers have a greater chance of being ejected from the vehicle. This can cause serious head and spinal cord injuries.

Occupants may also be at risk from a roof crush or collapse. Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it was revising its standards for roof strength in order to prevent the kind of serious injuries that result from roof crush and collapse. New vehicle roofs will have to withstand force that’s three times the curb weight of the vehicle, increased from the earlier limit of one-and-a-half times the curb weight.  The NHTSA believes that these new enhanced roof strength standards will save up to 135 lives annually.  

Multi Vehicle Auto Accident in Atlanta Kills One, Injures Five

A multi vehicle accident on Holcomb Bridge Road has left one man dead and five people, including a mother and four children, injured. The accident occurred on Thursday morning.  

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a pickup truck crossed a centerline, and struck a mini van and another car. The woman driving the minivan suffered serious injuries. The children in the van, aged between 10 months and 7 months, also suffered injuries although these were not serious.  It’s not confirmed if the woman was the mother of the four children.

The pickup truck driver was killed in the accident. Toxicology tests have been conducted on the pickup truck driver, to investigate why the driver veered off his lane and into an oncoming lane.

We will have to wait for the results of the investigation to find out why the pickup truck driver crossed into oncoming traffic. Intoxicated driving could be one of the factors, and this will be determined when the results of the toxicology tests come out, which won’t be for a couple of days. The driver’s medical condition could also be worth investigating. As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we sometimes come across accident cases, where a motorist had a heart attack or went into diabetic shock while driving. Drivers who suffer from sleep disorders may find themselves dosing off while driving, leading to loss of control over the vehicle.

Distracted driving can also be a factor when a motorist makes driving errors. In fact, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute showed that drivers who were text messaging while driving have a risk of an accident that’s 23 times higher than those who are not. That’s because texting requires a motorist’s eyes to be off the road and hands off the steering wheel, and this greatly increases the risk of a crash.

Thanksgiving season is upon us, and it’s time for the Turkey, the family get together, and the need for greater care while driving around Georgia.

The year’s biggest holiday is also its deadliest. Accident rates spike during the 102-hour period, killing and injuring several motorists and passengers.  Anticipating massive holiday travel, Georgia officials have kicked off the “Click it or Ticket” campaign.  The seatbelt enforcement campaign began on Monday, and will last through the holiday weekend. There will be severe patrols, and officers will stop vehicles to check for seatbelt usage. Enforcement will go on during the day and night.

Last year, 19 people died in Georgia during the Thanksgiving weekend, and 1,457 people were injured in a total of 3,815 accidents. According to the Governor‘s Office of Highway Safety, 136 lives could have been saved last year only if the victims had remembered to wear seatbelts.

There is a lot you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones safe as you travel over the holiday weekend

·        Remember that every motorist on the road is in a rush to get home or to a friend’s place for Thanksgiving.

·        Remember that many of these motorists will be returning from parties where they have had at least a few drinks. While the legal blood alcohol limit in Georgia is .08, it’s important to know that persons who can’t handle their drink well, may begin to feel light headed and reckless after just a couple of drinks. There will be plenty of such motorists on the road too, and they may be an accident risk even if their blood alcohol limit is below .08.

·        Buckle up, and make sure that both front and backseat passengers in your car are wearing seatbelts as well. Backseat seatbelt usage tends to be lower than front seat occupant and driver rates, because of a false sense of security that comes from sitting at the back. Accidents can happen even when you’re driving safely, and seatbelts can mean the difference between life and death.

The Atlanta personal injury lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of auto accidents in Atlanta and around the state of Georgia.

Volvo Announces Safety Goal for 2020 – Accident-Free Cars

Swedish automaker Volvo is based in a country where the transportation department boasts of the lofty goal that no person should be killed or injured using its road transport system.  Volvo has now taken that one step further and announced its goal for 2020 - No one should be seriously injured or killed in a Volvo.

As the New York Times Wheels Blog reports, Volvo’s announcement comes just in time for the release of its Volvo S60 in the country in 2009. The car features a new accident prevention system that includes crash warnings with full auto braking and pedestrian detection. According to the automaker, the car is configured to monitor the road using radar and a camera placed inside next to the rear view mirror. The radar detects objects and measures how far the car is from the object, while the camera simultaneously determines what kind of objects these are.  If there is a high likelihood of an accident, the driver will see a flashing warning light, and hear an audible warning. However, if the driver fails to slam on the brakes, the computerized braking system will automatically apply the brakes to bring the car to a stop and prevent an accident. While the Volvo XC60, now on the roads, also comes with a collision warning system, it comes with about half of the braking power that the new S-60 has. Volvo has made use of sensor technologies to engage complete braking power. 

Make what you will of this ambitious goal, but as Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we are very excited about the target that the automaker has set for itself. As the Wheels blog says, all the collision warning systems in the world will not prevent a truck from smashing into your vehicle, causing serious injuries or fatalities. Educating motorists, and setting stronger punishments for safety rule violations go a long way in preventing accidents. However, it’s a fact that nationwide, and in Georgia, we have been seeing a decline in the rates of accident fatalities. Safer automobiles have played a big part in bringing down these rates.

We need to set high safety goals in order to continue to see this kind of decline in fatality rates. Whether Volvo can truly live up to its promise of no one being killed or seriously injured in a Volvo is up for debate, but automakers must be encouraged to set higher standards to develop safer vehicles.  

Automakers Support Texting Ban to Minimize Risk of Car Accidents

Some of the country's biggest automakers have announced that they support a ban on texting and the use of handheld cell phone devices while driving, to prevent the thousands of auto accidents that are caused every year by these behaviors. The announcement comes just days before a summit on distracted driving begins in Washington.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers which includes General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler, says that it supports a ban on texting while driving, and also supports the use of voice-activated proprietary communication systems in place of cell phone use. For instance, Ford's Sync system allows drivers to make phone calls using voice activation systems. Sync also plays back text messages that you receive, thereby allowing you to have a conversation and “read” a text message without using your hands, or more importantly, taking your eyes off the road. General Motors has its proprietary OnStar system, which includes the Hands Free Calling feature.

The automaker's position has support from a study released earlier this year by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which showed that motorists using voice activated systems were at a much lower risk of being involved in an accident, compared to motorists using handheld or even hands-free sets.

The announcement by the automakers comes just days before a summit on distracted driving, convened by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The summit will be held on the 30^th of September and 1^st of October, and will include transportation officials, law enforcement officials, safety experts, and members of Congress. The Distracted Driving Summit is expected to evaluate technologies that can be used in place of cell phones, and these voice activated systems could feature on the agenda. Secretary LaHood has expressed his belief that once the summit concludes, we will have a concrete list of proposals that will help prevent auto accidents caused by drivers distracted at the wheel by their cell phones.  

Atlanta personal injury lawyers, who represent car accident victims in a state with some of the country's weakest cell phone-driving laws, will be watching the summit closely, and hoping that participants don’t disappoint.

Last week, we reported on a Gwinnett County police officer who resigned after his involvement in a drunk driving accident. In a similar crash, another off-duty Gwinnett County cop caused a multi vehicle accident in DeKalb on Saturday.

The accident which occurred early Saturday morning involved a Ford Explorer, a Mazda and a Chevrolet van. The three vehicles were stopped at a signal light when off-duty officer Kevin Sipple struck the Ford truck. The impact sent the Ford spinning, hitting the two other vehicles. Sipple and the Ford driver suffered non-life threatening injuries, and were taken to the hospital.  

Police say the accident could have been the result of a "medical issue," but they have not disclosed the nature of the condition.  

Can a Motorist's Medical Condition can be a Factor in an Accident?

Sudden illnesses can occur any where, and they can be especially devastating when they occur behind the wheel. A person can suffer from a heart attack, lose consciousness, or go into diabetic shock while he is driving. He can suffer from a seizure, or respiratory difficulties. Illnesses can occur suddenly, shutting off the motorist's ability to drive, and endangering his own life, as well as the safety of other motorists in the vicinity. The risk of an accident increases dramatically for someone who suffers from a sudden illness while driving. 

Besides sudden illnesses, chronic medical conditions can also impact a person’s driving abilities. For instance, persons who suffer from arthritis may find it hard to perform simple driving tasks, like turning to check traffic, or swerving in an emergency. Driving safely can also depend heavily on a person's hearing and vision abilities. Persons who are prone to fainting spells or giddiness may be at an increased risk of an automobile accident. Persons who suffer from stress, anxiety, nervousness or forgetfulness may also have their accident risk enhanced.  

It’s important that motorists self police themselves. Persons who suffer from diabetes or heart disease, for instance, must make sure that they take their medications on time and regularly to avoid an emergency situation while they are driving.

The Gwinnett County car accident attorneys at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of automobile accidents in Gwinnett County and across Georgia.

Holiday weekends typically see more numbers of accident- related fatalities, and this year's Labor Day weekend was no exception. Across Georgia, there were a total of 2,231 traffic accidents over the holiday weekend. These accidents ended in 8 fatalities and 614 injuries. Currently, there is no breakdown available of the fatality rate by casual factors, like failure to wear seat belts, drunk driving etc.

Throughout the holiday period, Georgia State Patrol cracked down on drunk drivers, and stepped up checks on speeding drivers and seatbelt law enforcement. The drunk driving crackdown was called Operation Zero Tolerance, and targeted intoxicated motorists through sobriety checkpoints, and concentrated patrols. Also, there were education and awareness campaigns conducted around the state. Georgia police also participated in the "Hands Across the Borders" initative to partner with enforcement officers from neighboring states, to crack down on drunk driving. Across the country, most states had their own version of Labor Day enforcement, to keep drunk drivers and speeders off the road, and prevent accidents.

The days leading up to, and just after a major holiday, are some of the busiest times on the highways and also some of the most dangerous. Thanksgiving Day counts as the single deadliest day of the US calendar. More accident fatalities occur on this day than any other day. Typically, alcohol-heavy holidays like New Years Eve and St. Patrick's Day tend to see higher numbers of alcohol-related car accidents.

Now that special enforcement patrols are off the road and the special sobriety checkpoints have been taken down, Georgia car accident lawyers would encourage motorists to continue to drive safely and buckle up.

As Georgia personal injury lawyers, we have been waiting for our state to set an example in terms of stronger cell phone-and-driving laws. While neither Georgia nor any other state has stepped up to the task, the National Transportation Safety Board   has moved to issue a ban on its employees using cell phones while driving.

Under the ban, NTSB employees will be forbidden from using handheld or hands-free cell phones while driving. With this, the NTSB becomes the first federal agency to have a complete ban on employees using cell phones behind the wheel. According to the NTSB chairwoman Debbie Hersman, there's enough evidence that cell phone use while driving significantly increases the risk of auto accidents.

However across the country, laws banning cell phone use while driving, have been meager at best. Seven states and the District of Columbia ban only handheld cell phone use for motorists. In Georgia, school bus drivers are banned from using cell phones, but that’s about it. Our state's cell phone laws are skeletal, but across the country, many of those states that have bans on handheld devices have seen mixed results from their laws. This has mainly been because in these states, the ban comes as a secondary enforcement, which makes the law harder to enforce.

There has been enough evidence to prove that any kind of cell phone use behind the wheel increases the risk of an auto accident. However, no state has enacted a complete ban on all kinds of cell phone use while driving. The ban by the NTSB is unique because it doesn’t differentiate between distractions arising from hands-free devices, and those related to handheld cell phone use

In a cell phone addicted society like ours, it will take strong legislative will and muscle to implement a complete ban on cell phone use while driving. Any such law may not only be highly unpopular, but may also prove to be a nightmare to enforce. Even so, as Georgia personal injury lawyers, we believe that any efforts towards implementing a complete ban on cell phone use behind the wheel will reap rich dividends in lives saved and injuries prevented, and that’s reason enough to try.

Car Accident Traced to Red Light Violation

A teacher in Cherokee County suffered critical injuries in a head-on car accident earlier this week. Debra Walton was on her way to school when a vehicle struck her car. According to Cherokee County Sheriff's officials, the car that struck Walton’s vehicle was driven by a motorist who ran a red light just before she struck Walton’s car.

Red light violations are a major cause of accidents in Georgia. According to statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, every year there are 260,000 auto accidents caused by motorists running a red light. Typically, people run red lights because they are inpatient, and would rather not have to wait for the light to turn green. Often, drivers may be distracted, and may fail to see a red light. For instance, a driver who takes his eyes for a few seconds because he is texting on the cell phone, or changing radio stations, may miss a red light with serious consequences.  Motorists are more likely to run a red light during rush hour times, or in congested traffic.  

Georgia allows so-called red light cameras to be used at intersections to monitor these violations. Besides Georgia, 20 other states and the District of Columbia also allow for red light cameras. Earlier this year, authorities in Duluth, Gwinnett County, reactivated the red light cameras which had previously been deactivated because of the high cost of their operations. In Duluth's experience, the red light cameras kept down violations and prevented accidents, but also resulted in fewer citations and lower revenues.  Most red light camera systems tend to be self paying, with collections from fines paying for operations and upkeep. However, when Duluth deactivated the cameras, it was found that the rates of red light violations spiked dramatically, as motorists realized there were no more cameras monitoring their behavior.

The Georgia auto accident lawyers at the Katz Law Firm represent injured victims of automobile accidents across Georgia.

A Public Service Announcement video created by a British police department features a dramatization of an accident caused by a teen motorist who's texting while driving. The YouTube video has gone wildly popular with over a million hits, but has also generated plenty of controversy because of its graphic content.

The video was made by the Police Department of Gwent in Wales, in response to the growing number of accidents linked to drivers texting at the wheel. It is gripping, and very graphic. This isn’t a sanitized "Don’t Text While Driving" message – there's plenty of blood everywhere, and the video does a great job of showing the consequences of texting at the wheel.

The video has gone viral, and has generated controversy for its graphic scenes. There have been concerns about whether teenagers, who the video targets, can handle the blood and gore that's on the screen. News media in this country too have featured the story, but as we write this, not one television station has agreed to air the PSA for American audiences.

As experts have said, we are currently at a crossroads of sorts. Our tolerance towards cell phone use while driving is exactly where the attitude towards drunk driving was in the eighties, or where seat belt non-usage was a decade ago. Our attitudes towards these issues have changed dramatically since then, and as a public, we are rightfully angry when motorists drive under the influence, or endanger their own lives but not buckling up.

We need to develop that same intolerance towards text messaging while driving, and, in fact, all kinds of cell phone use behind the wheel. Georgia has some of the most backward cell phone laws in the country.  We don’t even ban hand held devices, except for school bus drivers.

As Atlanta personal injury lawyers, we have aggressively warned of the dangers of texting while driving and even of talking on cell phones while driving. And we have seen the accidents caused by such negligence.