Accident Prevention

Published on: May 31, 2022

Georgia DOT Extends Connected Vehicle Pilot Program to More Areas

Drivers on Georgia’s roads and highways have no doubt seen them – the overhead warning signs of traffic problems up the road. Road signs and warning signs are play an important role alerting drivers of upcoming dangers on the roads. The Georgia Department of Transportation has decided to extend a data gathering program involving connected vehicles to more areas around the state.

The program is the latest phase of an initiative that was launched in 2019. The initiative is a collaboration between the Georgia Department of Transportation, Panasonic, Kia Motors and The Ray, a transportation tech company. The aim of the initiative was to gather data using vehicles connected to each other along limited stretches of highway. The first phase of the program involved four Georgia Department of Transportation vehicles that were connected with each other and collected data as they traveled frequently on routes along an 18 – mile stretch of interstate 85.

However, the program has now been expanded to cover rural areas and a greater number of vehicles. In this phase, the program will involve 7 Kia vehicles that are part of the connected vehicle environment. The aim is to collect real time traffic data as these vehicles travel every day. The difference between this phase and the previous phase is that the 7 Kia cars are being driven by employees who will be going about their daily lives and work routines, traveling to work and on errands, all the while gathering important data about the effectiveness of connected vehicle programs in ensuring motorist safety. The potential for data gathering is, therefore, huge in this phase.

Published on: May 11, 2022

These Traffic Safety Signs Actually Increase Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There is no shortage of road signs on Georgia’s roads warning drivers of construction, traffic patterns and accidents. Traffic safety signs warning Atlanta drivers to avoid drunk driving or stay within speed limits can help remind motorists about the need for such safe driving practices. However, not all traffic safety signs in Georgia have a positive effect on reducing motorist accident risks. In fact some may have the opposite effect.

A recent study actually found that traffic safety signs that display the number of fatalities that have occurred on that stretch of road or in the city recently could actually have a detrimental effect on motor safety. Many states now have these traffic safety signs that provide the tally of the number of fatalities recorded in the area. They are meant to catch a driver’s attention, and imprint on a motorist the need to drive safely at all times. They are meant to warn drivers about the very real risks of being involved in a serious accident. Unfortunately, these traffic signs could actually be having a detrimental effect on motorist safety. The study found that the signs caused a slight increase in the number of accidents on these roads.

The results of the recent study published in the Science journal found that when signs displayed a tally of the road traffic accident deaths to motorists, it actually resulted in a slight increase of 1.35% in the number of traffic accidents recorded on the six-mile stretch after the sign. When it came to the 5 -mile stretch after the accident death count sign, the accident rate actually increased by 1.52%. The researchers believe that the impact of these signs is equal to increasing the speed limit by as much as 5 miles an hour, or reducing the number of highway safety troopers by 6 to 14%. The researchers were also able to calculate the number of accidents related to these traffic safety signs, and say that in the state of Texas at least, the death tally sign campaign resulted in 2,600 traffic accidents and at least 16 traffic accident deaths in one year alone.

Published on: May 7, 2022

NHTSA Runs Campaign to Prevent Distracted Driving Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Distracted driving has become more and more problematic over the years. Fatal distracted driving accidents are more likely to involve motorists between the ages of 18 and 34. It is this demographic that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration targeted recently in a campaign against distracted driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s nationwide distracted driving campaign ran between April 4 and 11 this year. The campaign was called U Drive. U Text. U Pay and it focused on reminding drivers about the dangers of using electronic communication devices like cell phones at the wheel. Most motorists think that the most dangerous thing that they could be doing with a cell phone while at the wheel is texting or talking on cell phone. The truth is that there are a wide variety of other very distracting tasks that a motorist can perform while at the wheel. These can include reading and replying to emails, uploading photos and videos on social media and taking selfies while driving. All of these are very distracting activities that can significantly increase the potential for a deadly accident.

You do not even have to be engage with your cell phone throughout the time you are driving for the risk to increase significantly. Merely taking your eyes off the road or your hands off the wheel for a few seconds can be sufficient to cause a disastrous crash.

Published on: May 4, 2022

Fundamental Change in Attitudes will be Key to Reducing Traffic Accident Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Many American cities, including our very own Atlanta have adopted the Vision Zero goal of reducing traffic accidents to the minimum over the next few decades. However, while the goal is laudable, the reality is that most American cities have struggled in their efforts in meeting this goal.

The Vision Zero goal is a commendable one, and has become very popular with cities around the world. Atlanta has its own version of the Vision Zero goal. According to the Atlanta Department of Transportation, the Vision Zero goal is a systems-driven approach to reducing traffic accident fatalities through measures like speed management and better street design. There is no denying that there can be no progress made in reducing traffic accident facilities to the absolute minimum unless we take into consideration the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

In most European countries that have adopted Vision Zero, the program has been successful. According to this Blomberg report, Oslo, the capital city of Norway is a prime example of what can happen when transportation agencies and the population come together with a single goal in mind – to minimize fatal accidents that are entirely preventable. Fatal accidents in Oslo are so rare that they result in a full-blown investigation and not just a police report when they occur.

Published on: April 26, 2022

Call for Regulators to Require Emergency Braking Systems that Work at Night

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Faulty car brakes can cause horrific accidents usually resulting in serious injuries. Federal regulators are working on new laws in the next couple of years that would require auto manufacturers to install automatic emergency braking systems in their cars. Safety advocates, however, are calling on regulators to require manufacturers to install systems that work in all light conditions, including at night.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made it clear that it will be working on completing rulemaking by 2024, requiring auto manufacturers to install pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems in all their automobiles. These systems work at detecting pedestrians in the path of the car. There is significant research that shows the efficacy of these systems in helping protect pedestrians against accidents. For instance, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has conducted research that clearly shows the benefits of pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems in helping motorists to avoid pedestrians. Collisions with motor vehicles are a major cause of injuries and fatalities in pedestrian accidents every year.

The researchers found that the systems significantly help prevent collisions in the daytime. There isn’t significant data pointing to the effectiveness of the systems at night, however. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling on federal regulators to pressure automakers to install pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems that work both in the daytime as well as at night. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, it has found in its studies that these systems can be enhanced to make them very effective during low visibility conditions like night-time as well.

Published on: April 23, 2022

Used Car Buyers Less Likely to be Aware of Accident Prevention Technologies

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The recent shortage of available cars for purchase has made it difficult for consumers to get their vehicle of choice. Ideally, one would want to get the safest car available to protect them in an accident. However, the average American driver is much more likely to be aware of all the features on his large screen television than the car uses to get around safely every day. This lack of knowledge is even more glaring among used car buyers who often have little knowledge about the accident prevention features that their car includes.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found recently in a study that buyers of used cars do not have all information about the technologies in their vehicles. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a survey of drivers who had bought automobiles between 2016 and 2019. The survey group included more than 400 owners who had bought their new vehicles in a showroom, while the rest consisted of motorists who had bought used cars.

The survey found that buyers of both old and new cars were not completely aware of the safety features that their vehicle included. Just about two-thirds of new car buyers, for instance, were aware of information relating to the adaptive cruise control feature on their cars. This feature includes all the conveniences of traditional cruise control, but also slows and speeds up depending on the distance with the car ahead, thereby reducing the risk of a fender bender or accident. However, this feature needs to be turned on to be effective.

Published on: April 12, 2022

NHTSA Plans to Update Rating System for New Vehicles

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Car accidents are one of the leading causes of serious injury and even death every year. Safer vehicles play a key part in helping prevent a large number of fatal accidents every year. The federal administration is considering upgrades to its rating system for new vehicles so customers can make safer and informed decisions about the vehicles they drive.

Statistics show that more than 3,000 people die on American roadways every month. Many of these deaths occur in accidents that are preventable through better vehicle design. Safer auto design used to be a key element in safety efforts a few years ago which is why we had important safety legislation like laws strengthening roof strength in order to prevent the kind of serious injuries that result from rollover accidents. That lead to a cut in the number of fatal rollover accidents recorded every year. However, there doesn’t seem to have been as much legislative focus on vehicle safety design or changes to the existing system that make it possible for customers to buy safe cars in recent years. This could also probably explain, at least in part, the increasing number of traffic accident fatalities recently. According to new statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, those numbers increased to record highs this year. The agency is currently planning an update to its star rating system for new vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five star rating system known as the New Car Assessment Program will be upgraded to better reflect the various new technologies that are now included in automobiles to prevent accidents. In particular, the plan is to include four new safety technologies including blind spot prevention and intervention, lane departure warning systems and pedestrian accident-avoidance technologies in new vehicles. The plan also includes more updates to the current testing procedures for new vehicles as well as stronger criteria for driver assisted safety systems.

Published on: April 1, 2022

Adaptive Headlights Will Now be Allowed in the US

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Driving at night or in inclement weather in a car with poor visibility due to headlights can be very dangerous and a recipe for a car accident. However, for decades, federal laws have prevented high beam and low beam lights in a car from being operated at the same time. That comes to an end soon as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scraps the old standard, thereby allowing adaptive headlights to become common in automobiles.

While most other types of car components and tech, including seat belts, have adapted and evolved over the years, headlight tech has remained the same. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 determined that both high beam and low beam lights could not be operated together. That prevented the widespread adoption of technology like adaptive headlights which are found in other countries that do not have such restrictions.

The technology consists of dozens of cameras that can provide different types of lighting depending on the road conditions and can direct the flow of the lighting with precision. That means that high beam and low beam lights can be deployed simultaneously to extend visibility in all directions without blinding other drivers.

Published on: February 23, 2022

National Roadway Safety Strategy Aims to Reduce Accident Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The federal administration is moving ahead in its plans to reduce the number of Americans being killed in traffic accidents every year with the announcement of a new strategy with the same objectives.

The Department of Transportation has published its National Roadway Safety Strategy with a goal of reducing the number of people killed in traffic accidents. 95% of transportation-related accidents in the country occur on our roads and highways. The Department of Transportation estimates that 20,160 people died in transportation related accidents across the country in the first six months of 2021. That was an increase of 18.4%, compared to the first six months of the previous year. These numbers do not include the thousands of injuries that have occurred in these accidents, leaving victims severely or permanently injured, and burdening families with medical and other expenses.

In 2019, according to the Department of Transportation, Georgia ranked in the top 25% of states in number of fatalities with a total of 1,491 fatalities occurring in the state in transportation related accidents that year. Georgia is also close to the top of the list when it comes to the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled with a rate of 1.12 roadway traffic fatality deaths for every 100 million miles travelled.

Published on: February 13, 2022

How to Avoid Accidents Caused by Stressed Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It’s no secret that stress levels have skyrocketed in people over the last couple of years, and one of the effects of this increase can be seen in the spike in the number of car accidents across Georgia last year, many of which have resulted in serious injuries.

The unusual circumstances of the pandemic have only exacerbated pre-existing stress and anxiety levels of Atlanta motorists. In addition to the stress caused by work, family, or children, motorists now find themselves having to deal with uncertain prospects and a sluggish economy. All of these factors can contribute to reducing a driver’s ability to drive safely. Driving can be a stressful affair, especially if you are driving at night or on busy routes. Driving on unfamiliar roads can also increase stress levels. All of these factors are compounded in drivers who are already dealing with other forms of anxiety, causing them to become irritable, anxious and unable to focus on the task of driving.

Here are some ways that you can reduce stress while driving. While these tips may not help to alleviate stress caused by work or external factors, they can help you maintain optimum concentration levels at the wheel.