Accident Prevention

Published on: April 26, 2017

Work Zone Awareness Week in Georgia

Earlier this month, Georgia officials joined hands with the Federal Highway Administration, OSHA, and various other local organizations to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Using the slogan Work Zone Safety Is In Your Hands, this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week aimed at educating construction workers about staying safe when in a zone, and encouraging motorists to be more careful when they travel through these areas. Across Georgia, special safety stand-down events were conducted at work zone sites. These events encouraged employers to halt work across construction sites for one hour to pay special attention to safety practices at their construction sites. Employers used the hour to review safety practices currently in place, and to discuss potential hazards that continued to pose a safety risk to workers.

National Work Zone Awareness Week is designed to bring attention to the safety of not just construction workers in these zones, but also motorists who are traveling through these areas. Accidents that occur at construction work zones often result in serious injuries or death.

Published on: January 26, 2017

Missing Accident Data Impedes Ability to Prevent School bus Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The horrifying fatal school bus accident in Chattanooga in November that killed five children has highlighted the frailties in the system that make it difficult to track accidents and take steps to effectively prevent similar deadly crashes.

In November, a bus left Woodmore Elementary School with approximately 37 students on board, crashed into a tree, and flipped over. Six children were killed, and several others injured, including six who were injured seriously enough to be rushed to the intensive care unit. The driver of the bus was arrested on charges of vehicle homicide. At least one of the children on the bus was a kindergartner.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), this year alone, there have been at least 700 accidents involving metro Atlanta school buses, or approximately 2 crashes a day. However, that data may be incomplete. Officials admit that the database lacks data on many accidents, and this makes it difficult for officials to track accident rates, pinpoint causes, and take steps to eliminate these accidents. Those steps include retraining school drivers, strengthening training and safety standards, and identifying accident trends in particular areas. Better accident data could also help identify dangerous drivers, who can then be removed from the system.

Published on: May 5, 2016

NHTSA Uses Naming and Shaming Tactics to Fight Texting While Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When it comes to preventing distracted driving, all of the onus is on motorists. While there are laws in place to punish distracted drivers, these are often difficult to enforce or incorporate mild punishments, and are therefore not as effective as needed. Far too many motorists are very comfortable with texting while driving.

It is these types of motorists that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is targeting with a new social media initiative. As part of the effort, NHTSA’s official Twitter account has been naming and shaming Twitter users who reference distracted driving or using cell phones while driving in a flippant way.

The agency’s Twitter feed has garnered a lot of attention in recent weeks for its very targeted, specific, and clear messages to Twitter users who joke about texting while driving, or seem nonchalant about the dangers of distracted driving. In one message, the agency sharply scolds a Twitter user who seems blasé about the dangers of using the SnapChat app while driving. In another, it offers words of appreciation and praise for a user who seems very clued-in to the dangers of distracted driving.

Published on: June 15, 2015

Tire Care Critical to 15-Passenger Van Safety

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

All motorists need to pay attention to tire safety. However, in the case of 15- passenger vans, the need to take precautions to prevent tire failures and blowouts is even more severe. That’s because these vans are very likely to be involved in a potentially fatal rollover during a tire blowout.

The design of the 15-passenger van makes it much more susceptible to a rollover. These vehicles have a higher center of gravity that places them at a higher risk of flipping over during an accident. According to some statistics, 15-passenger vans with between 10 and 15 occupants on board are approximately 3 times more likely to be in a rollover accident than vans that have a maximum of five occupants. The design which is longer and taller places these vehicles at a high risk of a rollover.

When you take a van that already has these design deficiencies, and add bad tires to the mix, the consequences can be disastrous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is specifically calling on owners of these vans to pay special attention to tire safety this summer. These vans are typically used very heavily during summer by church groups, sporting clubs, youth groups, summer camp operators, and other organizations for trips.

Published on: April 2, 2015

Volvo Introduces Night Spray Paint to Make Bicycling Safer

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Bicycling at night is a major accident risk. However, a new glow-in-the-dark spray paint that has been introduced by Volvo will help bicyclists stand out in the dark, and reduce their accident risks.

You don’t often see automakers coming up with products that are designed to help bicyclists and pedestrians, but Volvo appears to be the exception.In the past, it has come up with automobile design innovations to help reduce the risk to pedestrians and bicyclists. Now, the automaker has gone one step further, and introduced a new night spray paint designed to be sprayed not just on a bicycle, but all accessories. Simply spray the paint on the bicycle, on your bag, and your clothes. The paint is invisible, and cannot be seen in the daytime. However, during nighttime, and in the glare of car headlights, the paint begins to glow.

Seasoned bicyclists know that it’s important to be visible while riding at night. For years now, bicyclists in Atlanta have stuck reflective tape to their clothes, bag and bicycles to increase their visibility at night time. However, the spray-paint goes one step further than reflective tape by making bicyclists glow-in-the-dark and much harder to miss.

Published on: March 3, 2015

Highway Safety Group Recommends Stronger GDL Laws, Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Laws for Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Highway accident fatalities in Georgia have been on the decline over the past few years, but the state could make more progress towards keeping more motorists safer on its roads. That is the opinion of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, an organization that rates all 50 states each year on their highway safety performance.

The report ranks states in three color-coded categories – green, yellow and red. Green signifies the best performance and indicates that the state has complied with most of the group’s recommended highway safety laws, and yellow signifies that while the state has made some progress in complying with these laws, there still remains a lot more work to be done. Red is the worst rating on the scale and is only given to those states that have failed to enact important safety laws.

This year, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety gave Georgia a Yellow rating for its performance in complying with critical safety laws that help prevent accidents.The group ranked states based on the state’s compliance with laws related to child restraint use, seat belt use, drunk driving prevention, distracted driving prevention, graduated driver licensing laws, motorcycle helmet laws and others.

Published on: January 28, 2015

Company Introduces Inflatable Motorcycle Vest to Prevent Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Motorcyclists are often seriously injured when involved in a crash. The most deadly of those injuries are head injuries. However, other injuries, including those that affect the person’s neck and back may also leave a rider or passenger severely injured. One company has introduced an inflatable vest that will help reduce the risk of motorcycle injuries in an accident.

The inflatable vest has been developed by Spidi, and the vest is called the Neck DPS Airbag Tex Vest.According to Spidi, wearing the lightweight vest provides additional protection to riders and passengers who may be involved in a fall or collision.

The vest has a double cushion that wraps itself around the neck region, reducing the risk of serious or fatal injuries in an accident. Wearing the vest also allows the motorcyclist to roll on the ground after impact, thereby reducing the potential for serious injuries when the person lands on asphalt. The vessel inflates in .2 seconds after a rider is thrown from their bike, and inflates with carbon dioxide from a canister. It is fairly lightweight at 420 grams. The vest can simply be remove after use, and recharged.

Published on: December 8, 2014

White House Names December National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When most people think of the holiday season, they imagine cookies, presents, and parties. It is a time to spend with family and friends, celebrating love and togetherness. Unfortunately, the holiday season is also a time of increased danger on the roads. With inclement weather and more drivers on the roads, traffic accidents are common at this time of year. In addition, one of the major causes of accidents during the holidays is drugged and intoxicated drivers.

The White House is observing National Impaired Driving Prevention Month this December. While the perils of drunk driving are well known, drugged driving can be just as dangerous. Even prescription drugs can impair perception, reaction time, judgment, and motor skills. In an extensive survey done by the National Highway Traffic Safety in Administration in 2007, one in eight nighttime, weekend drivers tested positive for illicit drugs. In 2012, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 10.3 million adolescents and adults admitted to having driven under the influence of drugs within the past year. In 2009, one in three fatally injured drivers with known drug-test results tested positive for drugs.

Seventeen states, including Georgia, have adopted zero tolerance or “per se” statutes that make it a crime to operate a vehicle while having alcohol or a drug in the body. Law enforcement officials and researchers believe that this type of statute is the most effective in dealing with drugged drivers. Georgia’s law makes it illegal for a person to operate a motor vehicle “under the influence of any drug to the extent that it is less safe for the person to drive.”

Published on: October 8, 2014

Network of Employers for Traffic Safety Kicks Off Drive Safely Work Week 2014

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Unless you are a bomb squad technician or a professional stuntman, driving is probably the most dangerous part of your job. In fact, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death on the job and the second-leading cause of unintentional fatal injuries off the job. To raise awareness of the hazards and to promote safe driving practices among employees, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) has designated October 6 through 10 as its annual Drive Safely Work Week.

While traffic collisions obviously have a huge impact on the individuals involved, they also affect their employers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the annual economic cost of car crashes in the U.S. is $277 billion. NETS seeks to reduce these costs by having employers encourage driver safety among employees as part of their corporate culture.

The theme of this year’s Drive Safely Work Week is “Driving your safety culture home.” The campaign is designed to help employers incorporate safe driving into their corporate safety culture. In particular, the campaign is encouraging employers to set company policies regarding seat belt and mobile device use. This seems like a good place to start: a recent study by the National Safety Council found that cell phone use causes 26% of car accidents. And despite seat belts’ well-known effectiveness in saving lives, many adults still do not wear them.

Published on: April 14, 2014

FMCSA Proposes Truck Driver Drug and Alcohol Test Database

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Commercial truck drivers are held to a much higher standard when it comes to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs when compared to the average motorist. This makes sense, since the stakes are much higher when it comes to commercial semi-truck drivers. Now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has proposed the establishment of a database that will contain information about driver drug and alcohol tests with the goal of preventing drivers with a substance abuse problem from slipping through the cracks and finding employment in the industry.

The FMCSA recently proposed the establishment of a Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which would function as a database containing information about controlled substance and alcohol test results of commercial truck drivers. All commercial driver license holders would be included in the database.

Under the proposal, commercial motor carriers, employers, medical review officers, substance abuse professionals, as well as third-party agencies would be required to report drug and alcohol test results to the database. These persons would also be required to submit information involving alcohol or drug test refusals, negative return-to-duty test results, adulterated and substitute drug test results as well as other kinds of data that relates to driver alcohol and drug use.Additionally, labs that provide commercial motor carriers with drug and alcohol testing services would be required to report information about testing activities and results.