Atlanta motorists

Published on: August 10, 2009

Atlanta Teens Get Crash Course in Accident Risks of Distracted Driving

Atlanta Teens Get Crash Course in Accident Risks of Distracted Driving

The nationwide focus on distracted driving was also in place in Atlanta yesterday as teenage drivers got a crash course in the increased risk of accidents when they are distracted behind the wheel.

The distracted driving training course was organized by Allstate, and was one of 42 events organized across the country to prove the dangers of poor concentration while driving. Teenagers were encouraged to drive around the training course while experiencing several distractions in the form of fellow passengers and loud music. The teens were made to send text messages on their phones, snack while driving and indulge in other distracted behaviors. The results of the training program, as Atlanta personal injury lawyers, would have expected, were not too surprising. The teens found it hard to navigate the training course.

Published on: August 7, 2009

Deadly Motorcycle Accident in Atlanta Kills One Person

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A multi-vehicle accident on Interstate-285 in DeKalb County on Wednesday left a motorcyclist dead, and 5 other people injured. According to DeKalb County police, the accident was set off by an SUV driver who entered the highway without slowing for traffic.

The driver seems to have set off a chain reaction that led to an 18 wheeler, striking a group of motorcyclists. A 54-year-old motorcyclist has been killed, and one other motorcycle rider has sustained serious injuries. Three motorcyclists and the SUV driver have sustained moderate injuries. The accident involved three motorcycles, two SUVs and two 18 wheelers.

Details are still coming in, but it seems like that the motorcycles involved in the accident were participating in the National Biker Round-up. It was the second day of the bike fest, and the event which is hosted by the Georgia biker community, is expected to continue for about a week, ending on Sunday.

Published on: July 13, 2009

Traffic in Atlanta Ranks Third Worst in Country

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As we discussed earlier on this blog, Atlanta’s drivers are not only some of the rudest, but also some of the worst motorists in the country.Apparently, there’s more glowing praise for us. A survey ranks the city at No. 3 on a list of the most traffic congested cities in the nation.

While the number of vehicles on our roads over the past year has dropped somewhat because of rising gas prices and the recession, and this has contributed to a drop in accident rates, Atlanta’s traffic continues to be congested. Our city ranks behind Los Angeles and Washington DC, and ahead of Houston and San Francisco in the study. According to the results, the average motorist in Atlanta spends about 57 hours in the year simply stuck in traffic.

There seems to have been a slight improvement over the last couple of years however, and that’s probably due to the rise in gas prices. In 2007 which is the year the study considered, gas prices were $3 a gallon in Atlanta, which could account for the slight drop in congestion rates. However, we don’t yet have figures for 2008, which is when gas prices touched $4 a gallon, further cutting down non-essential travel in metro Atlanta.

Published on: June 17, 2009

Could Atlanta’s Angry Drivers Increase the Risk of Auto Accidents?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Last month, we reported that Georgia’s drivers ranked poorly in a survey of motorists based on their knowledge of safe driving practices. As it turns out, motorists in the state’s capital may not only be lacking in their knowledge of safe driving, but may also be aggressive to boot.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, a new survey has placed Atlanta among the five worst cities in the country as far as road rage and aggressive driving are concerned. Drivers in New York are reportedly the worst, with Dallas Fort Worth, Detroit and Minneapolis-St. Paul following. What that means is that motorists in these cities and Atlanta are more likely to tailgate or make rude gestures, weave in and out of traffic lanes and indulge in other forms of aggressive behavior.

Road rage incidents are more common in metropolitan cities that have busy roads. Congested roads mean traffic delays, and consequently, frayed tempers.

Published on: May 21, 2008

Atlanta Ranks Worst for Automobile Driving

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Forbes Magazine this year ranked Atlanta as the worst city in the United States for daily commuting.Detroit and Miami trailed in second and third place positions, respectively. Of course, for those of who must regularly drive in the daily grind, this comes as no great surprise.An influx of population, a poor infrastructure and drivers who resist carpools and public transportation are a few of the reasons why Atlanta won the award.

Collecting data from the Texas Transportation Institute and the US Census Bureau, Forbes evaluated traffic delays, travel times, and commuters’ efficient use of existing infrastructure.In Atlanta, more commuters flood the roadways than the infrastructure can handle and this causes congestion in many areas.Commuters spend an average of sixty hours a year stuck in traffic.

Thanks to increasing urban and suburban sprawl, fewer than thirty percent of drivers get to work in less than twenty minutes.Nearly thirteen percent of drivers spend more than an hour traveling to and from work.In addition to sprawl, the train system in metro Atlanta does not service the entire city.Thus, many commuters have no choice but to drive on increasingly congested roads.While sprawl increases drive times, it does lower housing costs.In order to decrease drive times, commuters would have to move closer into the city where housing costs are more expensive and can be prohibitive.