Car Accidents

Published on: July 30, 2010

Distracted Driving Summit to Be Held in September 2010

Second Distracted Driving Summit to Be Held in September 2010

Buoyed by the success of the first National Distracted Driving Summit last year, the US Department of Transportation has announced that a second summit will be held on September 21, 2010 in Washington DC.

It’s been an eventful few months since the first summit.During this period of time, several states, including Georgia, have made progress towards the banning of technological distractions at the wheel.In Georgia, we now have a ban on texting while driving for all motorists, and a ban on the use of cell phones while driving for motorists below the age of 18.The law is now in effect, and violators may be fined $150.

Published on: July 12, 2010

ATV Dealers Selling Adult-Sized ATVs to Children

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

ATV manufacturers make much of the fact that their vehicles are not “recommended” for children below the age of 16. They recommend that children only drive smaller-sized ATVs. They might want to send a memo to some of their dealers, however. An investigation by CBS Early Show found that many dealers see no harm in pushing sales of ATVs, even when they know that the vehicle will be operated by a child below the age of 16.

The CBS investigation found that five out of every ten dealers were willing to sell ATVs to undercover investigators posing as consumers, even when they were made aware that these all-terrain vehicles would be operated by a below-16 year old. In fact, one dealer in the exposé actually persuaded the “parents” to buy a large-sized ATV for their child, because he would be bored of a small-sized ATV within a week.

To Atlanta accident lawyers, these findings are very disturbing for two reasons –

Published on: July 9, 2010

Is Your Rental Car Safe to Drive

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An ABC undercover exposé reveals some shocking truths – the policies at most rental car companies are not designed to protect consumers from accidents involving recalled vehicles. Rather, these policies are aimed at getting cars out there, even if they are on the recall list.

The undercover exposé found that some of the biggest rental car companies, including Enterprise Rent a Car, Avis and Hertz don’t have firm policies in place against renting out recalled vehicles to unsuspecting consumers. Enterprise is one rental company that has been at the center of controversy over recalled vehicles. In May, the company lost a wrongful death lawsuit that had been filed against it by the parents of two sisters who were killed in an accident involving a rental car in California.

That car was a 2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser that had been recalled a few months earlier, but was rented out by Enterprise. Chrysler had linked that recall to a power steering fluid leak problem that could lead to loss of control of the vehicle. As the two sisters were traveling, the driver lost control of the car, and it burst into flames. The two women were killed instantly.

Published on: June 25, 2010

Older Drivers Not Necessarily Bad Drivers

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

More Older Drivers Doesn’t Necessarily Mean More Accidents

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has, in the past, warned about a growing population of senior motorists and the implications for highway safety. The agency had published a study nine years ago, expressing its concerns over the heightened risk of accidents with more numbers of elderly motorists on the road.

As it turns out, those concerns may have been completely misplaced. An updated report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows that although there are more numbers of elderly motorists on the roads, they are not necessarily being involved in more numbers of accidents. In fact, there has been a decline in the number of serious/fatal accidents involving elderly drivers over the past decade.

Published on: June 20, 2010

Reclining Seats Increase Risk of Injuries and Death in Auto Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It is not something that we give a second thought to while riding in someone’s vehicle. In fact, most of us have probably done it at some time or the other. We are talking about reclining the passenger seat when you’re in a moving vehicle, for some quick shut eye. However, a recent study indicates that you have an increased risk of injury in an auto accident if you seat is reclining.

Trauma care doctors at the Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center studied a pattern of injuries in passengers who were in reclining seats during an auto accident. The researchers found that no matter which part of the country these accidents occurred, passengers who were in reclined seats were much more likely to suffer head injuries, spinal cord fractures, leg injuries and severe chest trauma. In fact, the study found that when the passenger was in a partially reclined seat, his fatality risk shot up by 15%, and if he was in a fully reclined seat, his fatality risk spiked by up to 70%.

Reclining seats have long been touted by auto makers as an affordable piece of luxury. However, not many passengers are aware that their risk of death in an auto accident increases dramatically, if they’re in a reclining seat at the time of the crash. Automakers have always known about these risks. That’s why most of them mention these risks in the car’s user manual. Unfortunately these warnings, when they do appear, are always in obscure fine print, the kind that hardly anyone bothers to read. That lack of warning is very disturbing to Atlanta accident lawyers, considering the dramatically diminished odds of surviving an accident if you’re in a reclining seat.

Published on: June 19, 2010

Motorcycle Safety Tips for Summer – Avoiding Motorcycle Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Summer also happens to be motorcycling season across Georgia.Thousands of motorcyclists will take to the highways this summer and, unfortunately, many of them will be involved in a motorcycle accident. They can accept warm weather, clear skies, and unfortunately, also plenty of hostile motorists. There are several things that motorcyclists can keep in mind to help them to avoid an accident and serious injuries.

As Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers, we would like to stress the need for both motorists and motorcyclists to cooperate to prevent accidents this summer.One of the best things that a novice motorcyclist can do to minimize the risk of accidents and injuries is to take a safety training program before beginning motorcycling. Even if you have been an avid motorcyclist in the past and have spent a few years without riding, it’s highly recommended that you take a motorcycle training program to brush up your skills. These training courses provide excellent tips for avoiding accidents.

Wear protective gear. A helmet is an absolute must. Also wear protective leather clothing including jackets and boots.

Published on: June 18, 2010

Georgia’s Anti-Distracted Driving Efforts Likely to Decrease Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Governor’s Highway Safety Association has just released a report that outlines the different steps states have taken to combat distracted driving and thereby prevent auto accidents. The report will be of special interest to persons injured in auto accidents and their lawyers because Georgia has just passed a law that bans text messaging while driving for all motorists.

The report titledCurbing Distracted Driving: 2010 State Safety Programs details the activities and programs undertaken by various states to deal with the problem of distracted driving causing accidents. Georgia ranks very well in certain sections of the report. The state has included distracted driving as part of its Highway Safety Plan. However, Georgia does not collect data about distracted driving-related auto accidents. The National Safety Council estimates that approximately 28% of all accidents nationwide are linked to distracted driving.With statistics like this, it’s about time that Georgia also began collecting data about distracted-driving related auto accidents.

The report also contained the results of a survey conducted in 2008 by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia focusing on teen motorists. The survey found that only 28 % of teen motorists believed that talking on the cell phone while driving makes a difference to driving safety.A significant number of motorists in the survey, 57%, said that they had seen their friends talking on the phone while driving a car. However, only 19% had witnessed a friend texting while driving.

Published on: June 17, 2010

Sleep Deprivation as a Factor in Teen Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new study is raising questions about whether delayed school timings could decrease the number of auto accidents in which teenagers are involved. The thought is that helping teenagers get enough sleep at night would allow them to drive more safely the next day thereby decreasing the likelihood of auto accidents.

The study conducted by researchers in Virginia, compared two towns, Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. In Virginia Beach, classes started at around 7:20 AM, and the number of auto accidents involving teen motorists there was 41% higher than the number of auto accidents in Chesapeake, where the classes started at around 8:40 AM.

This wasn’t the first study that indicated that lack of sleep may be another contributing factor increasing a teen motorist’s risk of an accident. Last year, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, found that there was a reduction in teen auto accident rates by approximately 16.5% when school times were delayed by an hour.

Published on: June 3, 2010

Distracted Driver Survey Shows Range of Distractions

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There’s not much comfort to be had from the realization that people in other countries seem to be just as distracted behind the wheel as Americans are. The results of a survey released last week show that, across the world, motorists take the task of driving far too casually, and continue to indulge in activities that take their concentration away from the road.

The survey was conducted by Jabra, a unit of GN Netcom, and included respondents from Europe, North America and Asia. According to the survey:

· 28% motorists have sent or received text messages while driving (no surprises here)

Published on: May 27, 2010

Deadly Memorial Day Weekend in Georgia; 14 dead in Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Fourteen people have been killed in accidents across Georgia over the Memorial Day weekend, including fatal accidents in Cherokee County and Fulton County.

Reports coming before the Memorial Day weekend came to a close to Monday night, had more than 700 people injured in automobile accidents since the holiday began on Friday evening. Overall, Georgia State Patrol responded to more than 2,700 accidents up till 6 pm Monday.

Four of the people who died were traveling in Fulton and Cherokee County. In Fulton County, a motorcycle accident left the 37-year-old motorcyclist dead at the scene. Speed is believed to have caused the accident. A little while later a Honda and a Suburban crashed, killing the Suburban driver. In Cherokee County, a Ford Taurus veered off the road on Highway 20 and crashed into a tree. A driver and a passenger, both Emerson residents died at the scene, while another passenger was airlifted to hospital with critical injuries. Investigators believe driver error and weather conditions may have been a factor in that crash.