Articles Posted in Accident Prevention

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The federal administration has kickstarted the rule-making process that would require drunk driving car accident prevention technology on all new cars.

This welcome announcement was made by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which recently  announced that it has started work on the rule- making process that would require  impaired driving prevention systems on all new cars.  These  systems  that work to prevent drivers from operating a vehicle include technology that measures the amount of alcohol on a person’s breath and prevents him from operating the engine if it detects a certain amount of alcohol in his system.  This  technology is very similar to the ignition interlock systems that are currently used in several states, including Georgia, as penalties for repeat drunk driving offenders.  Other  technologies that will be reviewed  include camera systems that can monitor eye movements in order to identify if a driver is impaired or driving under the influence of alcohol.

At this point, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiative   would  allow  regulators to collect data about the various systems that are currently in place in automobiles and their impact in reducing the incidence of driving under the influence of alcohol.  If things reach their preferred conclusion, we could have drunk driving auto accident prevention sensors, cameras or other systems in all new cars as a standard feature.  There is no doubt that this could significantly help reduce the number of car accidents caused by impaired drivers.

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A coalition of stakeholders is recommending that vehicles come equipped with speed limiters that would help motorists drive at safe speeds and reduce the number of auto accidents caused by speeding.

The Road to Zero Coalition is a group of stakeholders including automakers, regulators, safety experts and other organizations that are committed to not just envisioning, but also bringing about a scenario with minimal car accident wrongful deaths by the year 2050.  Progress towards reducing the number of car accidents has been slow, and has, in fact, reversed over the past few years as fatality numbers have soared across the country.  The  situation became even more dire during  the pandemic as the number of car accident wrongful deaths across the country skyrocketed  during this period of time.  Speeding is being blamed as one of the primary reasons for the increase in car accident deaths not only in Georgia, but across the country.  Experts believe that motorists who became use to speeding on empty roads during the lockdowns have not yet adjusted to larger traffic volumes following the end of the  pandemic and easing of travel restrictions.  This has contributed to a spike in the number of people being killed in car accidents.

These car accident wrongful deaths are very preventable because they are mostly due to human error.  Speeding, for instance, accounts for approximately 30% of all car accident deaths in the country.  Curtailing speeding, therefore, is on top of the priority list for the Road to Zero coalition which recently called for the use of Intelligent Speed Assistance systems on all cars.  These  systems can alert the motorist when he or she is travelling at speeds higher than the posted speed limits. The system makes use of GPS software and other technology in order to identify the posted speed limits on the route and sound audible alerts if the driver  does not apply the brakes.  In some cases, the system can even intervene to reduce speed limits automatically by reducing power to the engine in case the motorist fails to act by applying the brakes.

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A decades-old law that was meant to manage fuel shortages is coming under the spotlight in states like Georgia,  as experts consider ways to reduce the number of pedestrian accidents around the country.

The  so-called “right- on-red” law allows motorists in   Georgia and  several   other states to make a right turn at an intersection even if the light is on red as long as the intersection is clear.  The  law provides American motorists with a unique privilege, and comes as a result of a law that was passed in the 1970s  as the country grappled with fuel shortages. That was when an oil embargo  pushed oil prices to record levels, necessitating  the passing of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975.  Some  other states  had passed similar right to turn laws a few decades earlier.

The  laws continued to remain in place even after the oil embargo ended and fuel prices returned to normal.  It is  a privilege that  American motorists now do not even think twice about, and it is only now in the face of skyrocketing pedestrian accident deaths that experts are asking if it is time to retire a law that is possibly  at least partly responsible for the increasing number of people being killed in  pedestrian accidents, especially at intersections.

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Recent  studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety find that some technologies may be especially beneficial in identifying distracted drivers and preventing car accidents. Distracted driving is one of the main causes of auto accidents involving serious personal injuries.

The  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the findings of two new studies that show that roadside cameras are very beneficial in helping identify motorists who are using cell phones while driving. The study found, in fact, that these cameras were almost as beneficial as  in – car monitoring systems that are designed to identify whether motorists are distracted by cell phones when at the wheel.  The  study also found that in – phone apps that measure and collate data about cell phone use while driving are also extremely beneficial in helping identify driving behaviors that  are  likely to result in car accidents.

Currently  much of the data  that we have on cell phone-related behavior by motorists at the wheel come from roadside surveys conducted every year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.  The  data in this survey comes from cameras that are used by the federal administration to monitor driving behavior from morning to evening during a few weeks every summer.  Obviously,  the kind of data that results from a survey like this is fairly limited since it is   only collected over a certain period of time every year.  There  are also limitations on the number of people that can be identified or monitored using this technology.

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When an individual has been convicted of drunk driving, they often are required to have an ignition interlock device placed on their cars. These devices prevent a person from starting a car until they have passed a breath test for driving. States have passed compliance laws that strictly require individuals who have had an ignition interlock device installed in their vehicle after a DUI offense to comply with these devices. The devices can only be removed once the person has shown to have complied with the devices for a defined period of time. These compliance laws seem to have much higher success than other methods of preventing repeat offenses and reducing the risk of alcohol – related car accidents.

Those  findings come from a new study conducted by the Governors Highway Safety Association. The report focused on the effectiveness of compliance- based removal components in ignition interlock device laws.  Currently, all states, including Georgia, have some form of ignition interlock device laws which require that they get devices installed in their vehicles that prevent them from operating their vehicle if their system contains more than a certain amount of alcohol.  At  least 33 states have compliance- based removal laws in place that clearly define conditions that must be met for an exit from the interlock device requirement.  Georgia, unfortunately, does not have a compliance- based removal component as part of its  ignition  interlock device laws.

The  Governors Highway Safety Association focused on two states that   have compliance – based removal laws and two states that do not have such laws.  The study established that states that have compliance -based laws have  much lower recidivism rates  for drunk driving compared to states that do not have such compliance laws in place. The Governors Highway Safety Association researchers say that there is no way to absolutely confirm that these higher recidivism rates in states that do not have compliance -based removal laws were related to the absence of these laws and that other factors could also play a role.  But  they also stress that compliance -based  removal laws do  provide an extra layer of protection that can prevent these auto accidents. The researchers  are encouraging states like Georgia to review their ignition interlock laws to identify deficiencies and correct  these in order to make these laws more effective.

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When a proposed new rule by the federal government becomes final, most cars in the United States will come with automatic emergency braking systems that will significantly reduce the risk of car accidents.

The  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed a rule that would require the installation of automatic emergency braking systems on nearly all cars and pickup trucks in the United States.  The rule will require that all light passenger cars and trucks that weigh 10,000 pounds or  less come with these systems  after the publication of the final rule.  The rule will also require that automatic emergency braking systems recognize pedestrians at night.

After a period of 3 years from the final publication of the rule, all vehicles in the country will be required to have these systems. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a significant number of lives will be saved every year as a result of the widespread adoption of the technology.  It is specifically believed that 360 lives will be saved in car accidents every year and more than 24,000 injuries will be prevented as a result of the use of the technology.

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Auto Accident  prevention systems like front crash avoidance  technology and lane departure warning systems play a significant role in protecting motorists and passengers.  However,  when there is any malfunctioning or problems reported with these systems, repairs can be challenging to complete.

The  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is reporting on a recent analysis of the repairs of auto crash prevention systems in automobiles.  Many of these systems including rear view camera systems and blind spot detection systems can play a tremendous role in helping keep motorists safe and preventing car accidents.  However,  when motorists take these cars in for repairs after the technology malfunctions or because the system is giving an error message, or  after an auto accident,  they find that repairs are not always satisfactory.  According to the study, many motorists continue to face problems with the technology even after repairs have apparently been completed.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study surveyed approximately 500 drivers.  Most  of the drivers in the study had taken in their car for repairs after experiencing problems with the safety technology in their automobile.  In  some cases, the problems appeared after an auto accident while in other cases, the repairs were the result of a recall or the result of a recommendation by the automobile repair shop. Repair issues were more likely to be seen when the car had been involved in a car accident.  Incomplete repairs were also much more likely to be seen in those cases in which the windshield replacement was required as part of auto repairs.

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More  lives could potentially be saved in  auto accidents involving minivans every year if these vehicles came with stronger and more efficient seat belt warning systems.

A  new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlights the fact that far too many minivan models simply do not have effective and efficient seatbelt reminder systems in place.  This  is even more alarming when you consider that these vehicles are mainly purchased by families with young children.

The  minivan is the ubiquitous symbol of the young American family.  For  decades,  Americans with young families have been buying minivans for their very specific travel needs.   However, failure to use proper restraint systems has disastrous consequences for America’s children.  In  2020,  more than one-third of children below the age of 12 killed in car accidents were not properly restrained at the time.

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While many states like Georgia have enacted laws targeting the prevention of car accidents caused by distracted driving,  some states have found more success in the use of these laws than others.  A new study finds that the secret to the success of these laws lies in their nature as well as the words used to define them.

Georgia’s laws that ban the use of cell phones while driving specifically prohibit a motorist from using his or her hand to hold a cell phone or other device while driving a vehicle.  A new study conducted by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds that laws that are specifically worded to prevent motorists from using their hands to hold a cell phone or other device might be more successful in preventing  these behaviors and reducing the risk of car accidents caused by distracted driving,  compared to laws that do not have such specifically designed language.  The most successful laws, the study finds, are those that limit the use of hands to hold a cell phone for just the barest minimum possible interaction.

Many states have found it challenging to draft laws to reduce distracted driving. Part of the challenge has been the fact that over the past decade, cell phones have gone from being devices that people used to call people and have phone conversations with them and to send text messages, to mini personal computers.  Cell phones now act as cameras and GPS systems, and most Americans use them as payment portals.  Most of us check emails on cell phones rather than on computers.  In an environment like this, it becomes challenging to define the kind of activities that are prohibited while using a cell phone.

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Senior pedestrians are at a higher risk of being involved in auto accidents  when they are out walking.  However, a new study finds that simple improvements to road design can help significantly reduce the risk for older pedestrians.

Seniors between the age of 65 and 74 have some of the highest pedestrian accident rates.  In 2021, more than 700 pedestrian accidents involved persons in this age group.

In the study, researchers specifically focused on walking safety for seniors above the age of 65.  They thoroughly reviewed four years worth of crash data involving elderly pedestrians involved in car accidents, and found in their analysis that specific changes made to road design could help lower the risk for senior pedestrians.

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