Georgia Injury Law Blog

Published on: February 28, 2025

Calls For More Research into Effects of Marijuana on Car Accident Risks

There has been plenty of evidence – driven research into the effects of alcohol on a person’s auto accident risks, but not nearly as much effort has been put into investigating the impact of marijuana or cannabis on a person’s driving abilities. There is a significant likelihood that the use of marijuana may increase the risk of car accidents since it may slow reaction time.

Millions of Americans use marijuana. According to some statistics, in 2023 more than 61 million Americans admitted to using marijuana at least once in the past year. Those numbers have been rising steadily over the years. In 2013, only about 7% of adult Americans admitted to using marijuana. By 2023, approximately 15% of all Americans admitted to using marijuana. Many states have also legalized the use of marijuana, and have found a significant impact on their car accident rates since the legalization of the drug. While Georgia does not have laws that allow the use of marijuana, the state does see thousands of car accidents every year caused by people who are driving under the influence of cannabis.

Researchers say that with the growing use of marijuana across the country, it is important to investigate the amount of the drug that a person can have in his system before it begins to affect his driving abilities. There is much that we know about the impact of alcohol on a person’s driving abilities and this is the reason why we have laws that make it illegal for persons to operate a motor vehicle when they have more than the allowed blood alcohol concentration. In all 50 states, including Georgia, that limit is 08. There has been no such intensive research into the amount of marijuana that can seriously affect a person’s driving abilities.

Published on: February 25, 2025

Do Reflective Clothes Increase Risk of Pedestrian Car Accidents?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

For decades, pedestrian safely experts have advocated the wearing of reflective pieces of clothing in order to make pedestrians more visible to motorists. However, new studies seem to suggest that these reflective clothes make pedestrians not -so – visible to accident prevention technologies.

Reflective clothes are recommended for pedestrians to make them visible to motorists in low visibility conditions. If you are out walking at night, you should be wearing neon – colored or reflective materials on your clothes that can help motorists see you. That also goes for bicyclists and highway workers, especially at night and in other low visibility conditions. In fact, experts also recommend that bicyclists stick reflective tape on their vehicles to make them even more visible in the dark. All of these measures have always been considered an effective way to prevent auto accidents.

However, a new study seems to suggest that these reflective clothes could actually render these people invisible to automated crash avoidance systems. Collision avoidance technologies are available on a majority of American cars now with most automakers now offering vehicles that come with these technologies. In the new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, researchers studied the effect of cars that come with accident prevention technology and their ability to identify pedestrians walking at night. The researchers used dummy pedestrians in the study, with some of these dummies wearing standard black clothing while others had reflective clothing on. The researchers found to their surprise that the technology caused the vehicles to slow down when the dummy was dressed in black clothing and actually failed to slow down the automobile when the dummy was dressed in reflective clothing.

Published on: February 20, 2025

Study Confirms Link Between Sleep Apnea and Increased Car Accident Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new study confirms a direct link between sleep apnea and an increased risk of being involved in car accidents. Of course, car accidents are a major cause of catastrophic personal injuries.

The study was published recently in the journal Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person’s respiratory airways are blocked several times during the night. The muscles of the throat can become relaxed while the person is asleep, blocking the flow of oxygen into the lungs. This can cause the person to wake up over and over again, and can contribute to decreased and disturbed sleep. Persons who suffer from sleep apnea may find themselves very fatigued and drowsy the next day because of the interrupted sleep the previous night.

In the new study, researchers focused on more than 2.8 million people who suffered from sleep apnea. The study sample included at least 700,000 persons who used CPAP machines to cope with their symptoms and another 12,000 people who had undergone surgery to correct their symptoms. The researchers found in their analysis that out of the persons who had surgery to correct their sleep apnea, approximately 3% ended up being involved in a car crash. Among the persons who used CPAP machines, at least 5% were involved in auto accidents. Approximately, 6% of the persons who took no treatment at all for their sleep apnea were involved in car accidents. Being untreated for sleep apnea was linked to a higher chance of being involved in a car accident with people who underwent no treatment for sleep apnea having a 21% higher risk of being involved in car accidents.

Published on: February 10, 2025

Slip and Fall Accident – Related Brain Injury Statistics

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Older males have a three times higher risk of suffering a traumatic brain injury, mainly in slip and fall accidents. That information comes from an analysis of 2021 brain injury data which also found that certain racial demographics also have higher rates of brain injury.

The analysis was based on data from the National Vital Statistics System which found that there were approximately 69,473 deaths due to brain injury in 2021. Men bore the overwhelming brunt of these personal injuries with a majority of persons who suffered fatal brain injuries being adult males above the age of 75. Men are as much as three times more likely to suffer a fatal traumatic brain injury compared to women. That makes a lot of sense when you consider that slip and fall accidents are one of the top causes of brain injury in the United States.

The analysis also found that demographic groups like American Indians or Native Alaskans have a much higher risk of suffering traumatic brain injury compared to other racial groups, with the two most common causes being suicides and slip and fall accidents More than 37,000 traumatic brain injury-related wrongful deaths in the analysis were the result of slip and fall accidents, auto accidents, being hit on the head by an object and other such traumatic incidents.

Published on: January 31, 2025

Georgia DOT Working to Prevent Car Accidents This Winter

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

With treacherous weather and road conditions this winter, the Georgia Department of Transportation has been working overtime to keep roads safer for motorists and to help drivers understand the various auto accident risks they face while driving.

Driving conditions in Georgia have become progressively worse in December as winter has set in, making roads slippery and covering them with treacherous black ice. Black ice is a very dangerous condition that often results in auto accidents every winter. Transportation officials are warning motorists to look out for black ice, especially as they travel over bridges and overpasses. Look out also for fallen trees or power lines, due to stormy and windy conditions this winter.

The Georgia Department of Transportation also wants motorists to know that department dump trucks will be dumping salt and gravel on icy roads. If you see one of these trucks, avoid following too close to the truck. The tires might kick up gravel that could actually shatter your glass, injuring you or your passengers. Instead, leave a gap of at least 100 feet between your vehicle and the truck.

Published on: January 2, 2025

Speeding Exacerbates Pedestrian Personal Injury Risks of Taller Vehicles

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Earlier research indicated that it might be the taller height of large vehicles like SUVs that make them a bigger personal injury threat to pedestrians than mere vehicle weight. Now, newer studies confirm that speeding only exacerbates those risks to auto accidents involving pedestrians which often result in severe and catastrophic personal injuries.

According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, speeding increases the risk that a sports utility vehicle or a pickup truck poses to a pedestrian. Exactly how much of a risk depends on the height of the vehicle. Taller vehicles that are speeding are much more likely to cause grave or fatal injury to a pedestrian when they are in a collision with them.

The size of an automobile can be a significant factor in the severity of the injuries that a pedestrian suffers in a car accident. However, the weight of the vehicle may not be as relevant since all vehicles, including smaller passenger cars, are heavier than pedestrians. What seems to significantly increase the severity of the personal injury risk to pedestrians is the height of the vehicle. Taller vehicles with a taller hood, for example, like large – sized SUVs, are much more likely to cause serious personal injuries to pedestrians because the pedestrian is more likely to suffer personal injuries to his upper body or head in such auto accidents. These are some of the most devastating injuries, and are very likely to result in catastrophic damage or wrongful death.

Published on: December 26, 2024

Focus on Older Driver Safety This Winter

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

This December, traffic safety organizations have been drawing attention to the car accident risks facing senior motorists. These risks often result in severe personal injuries from auto accidents.

A number of national and local organizations recently marked the week between December 2 and December 6 as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. The aim of the commemoration was to draw attention to the various safety threats affecting the auto accident risks of older drivers above the age of 65. This is one of the most at-risk motorist groups out there with significant health -related car accident risks that potentially affect their driving abilities.

The national population of older drivers has increased significantly over the past decade. According to the AARP, the population of motorists above the age of 65 increased by almost 30% between 2012 and 2021. The car accident rate for senior drivers of this age group increased by more than 4% between 2021 and 2022. The number of car accident wrongful deaths involving motorists above the age of 65 increased from 7,515 in 2021 to 7,870 the following year.

Published on: December 17, 2024

Are Teen Drivers Now Safer Than Before?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Teen drivers have traditionally been regarded some of the most inexperienced and dangerous drivers out there. Here’s how Gen Z may be challenging that narrative.

New data shows that Gen Z, or the generation born between 1997 and 2012, may be some of the safest teen drivers in several decades. According to the data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Gen Z teens who received their licenses in 2012 -the first Gen Z teens to receive their licenses – were less likely to be involved in car accidents compared to driver’s license holders in previous generations.

This is in spite of the fact that Gen Z is one of the most technologically adept generations, and has grown up with 24/7 access to smartphones and technology in cars. With all the technology and distractions available in a car, you would think that teen drivers are now the most distracted of all drivers, and, therefore, some of the most dangerous on the roads. The data actually finds that that may not be true at all, at least relative to the accident risks of previous generations of teen drivers. This generation of teenage driver seems to have lower accident rates compared to previous generations of teenage motorists.

Published on: December 11, 2024

Plan Ahead to Avoid Drunk Driving Car Accidents This December

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The month of December sees some of the highest numbers of drunk driving car accidents in the year, thanks to the Christmas and New Year holidays. No wonder then that December is marked as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month.

Data suggests that the number of drunk driving car accidents on our roads is actually increasing every year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, based on data from 2021, alcohol -related car accident numbers in December were the highest that they have been in 15 years.

All 50 states have laws in place that prohibit driving under the influence of alcohol. In most states, the legally acceptable blood alcohol concentration limit is 0.08. In fact, many agencies including the National Transportation Safety Board have gone on record calling for a further reduction in the blood alcohol concentration limit to .05. In spite of these laws against drunk driving, however, far too many motorists feel comfortable driving after having consumed alcohol, and those numbers increase in the month of December.

Published on: November 29, 2024

Naps can Improve Motor Learning after Brain Injury

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New studies find that persons who have suffered traumatic brain injury and are undergoing rehabilitative motor skills therapy, may benefit from short naps after their therapy sessions. Traumatic brain injuries often occur from car accidents, motorcycle accidents, trucking accidents, slip and falls as well as due to construction site accidents.

The results of the study were published recently in the Journal of Sleep Research. The researchers focused on the role of short naps during rehabilitation therapy for persons who have suffered traumatic brain injury. Many persons with brain injury struggle with motor tasks after their personal injuries.

The study involved the participation of 32 subjects with a brain injury. The participants were required to take short naps of about 45 minutes duration after their therapy sessions. Their performance was monitored using a number of parameters including MRI imaging. The researchers found that there was enhanced performance after the participants napped, with improvements including quicker retrieval of learned sequences.