auto accident prevention

Published on: February 17, 2014

GAO Report Finds Fault with Federal Trucking Safety Rating System

Commercial trucking accidents are one of the biggest hazards facing American drivers, and contribute to an average of 4,000 fatalities every year. Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has a system for rating the safety performance of commercial truck companies and bus carriers, a new report finds that the system is inadequate, and delivers incorrect results.

Those are the findings of a new report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO recently completed an audit of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program. The Compliance, Safety, Accountability program uses data collected from roadside inspections of trucks and 18- wheelers, as well as data from accident investigations, and uses this information to compare the performance of commercial truck and bus carriers. Trucks and buses are compared to other carriers of similar size and other characteristics.

The data are then used to increase oversight and scrutiny over the truck and bus carriers that the data finds have the highest number of safety violations.The data are compared with other trucking and bus companies as part of the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program’s Safety Measurement System.

Published on: November 4, 2013

Safer Headlight Technology Being Developed to Prevent Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Every year, there are variations in the number of car accident fatalities, but one fact remains the same — more fatal car accidents occur at night than in the daytime hours.Nighttime driving comes with its own set of challenges, and one of those is the lack of adequate roadway lighting.A new study focuses on the potential for improving nighttime driving through more advanced automobile headlight systems.

The research was recently presented at the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting in Germany.One scientist involved in the study presented a paper outlining the different types of lighting technologies that can help make nighttime driving both safer and easier.Specifically, these technologies involve headlights that can focus light onto particularly tricky and dangerous roadways.This would be done by using headlights that swivel or bend to put more light onto the turn of the road.

According to the report that was presented at the conference, earlier studies that compared cars equipped with these headlight systems and vehicles with conventional low beam headlights, found that the number of accidents occurring at night actually dropped. For instance, there was a drop of approximately 4% in nighttime accident frequency along low-speed roads. On high-speed roads with shallower curves, the drop was between 1% and 2%.

Published on: November 16, 2012

Georgia Committee of Teen Drivers to Advise on Accident Prevention

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The governor of Georgia has announced the establishment of a committee that would consist entirely of teenagers, for the purpose of advising state officials on ways to reduce car accidents in Atlanta and across the state.

Gov. Nathan Deal has announced that the commission, called the Gov.’s Commission on Teen Driving would constitute a panel of teenagers from around Georgia.These teenagers would be selected based on applications received by the state.About 15 to 20 teenage drivers will be included on the panel.

According to the Gov.’s Office of Highway Safety, Gov. Nathan Deal has significant concerns about accidents and fatalities facing many of Georgia’s youngest drivers.The Governor’s Office is encouraging teenage motorists between the ages of 15 and 19 to apply for positions on the panel, because this can present them with a unique opportunity to help formulate laws that affect teenage safety.

Published on: October 15, 2012

Preventing Distracted Driving Accidents Through Example

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A new survey of teenage drivers indicates some disturbing findings, but not ones that our Atlanta car accident attorneys are unfamiliar with.The survey found that some teenage drivers are learning the most atrocious driving habits from their parents.Those habits include failure to wear seat belts, talking on cell phones while driving, and even driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

The survey, which was conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and a student youth safety organization called Students against Destructive Decisions, involved more than 1,700 teenagers.These teenagers were surveyed about their driving practices and whether they had witnessed these driving practices among their parents.

It is shocking to note that at least 91% of the teenagers admitted that they had seen their parents talking on cell phones while driving, and 90% self-reported that they did so too.Similar numbers of teenage drivers also reported that they observed their parents speeding while driving, and as a result, approximately 94% of the teenagers also admitted that they drove at excessive speeds.

Published on: September 12, 2011

US Could Learn Lessons in Preventing Car Accidents from Other Countries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The United States lags behind several other countries, including those in Europe and Asia in reducing the number of auto accident relatedwrongful deaths. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, this country could be doing a much better job of saving more lives and reducing the number of personal injuries in accidents every year.

It may seem like there’s been much progress in reducing accident numbers in the United States.After all, auto accident wrongful death numbers in this country have been on the decline over the past decade, and last year, were at their lowest levels since record keeping began.With statistics like this, it’s easy for Atlanta car accident lawyers and motorists to become complacent, and believe that American drivers are much safer than anywhere else.

That’s not true at all.A look at the safety records and accident prevention efforts in other countries indicates just how much more progress the U.S. needs to make.

Published on: July 29, 2011

Distracted Driving: Part 2, Efforts to End Needless Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. April 2010 kicked off a huge effort to enforce the texting and cellphone use laws in two cities. The pilot program called “Phone in one Hand, Ticket in the Other” was launched through law enforcement and public-education media campaigns. The results are in and, apparently, the program was extremely successful in Hartford, CT and Syracuse, NY. Police in both cities issued over 900,000 tickets to drivers for using their cellphones while driving. Driving with cellphones decreased 32% in Syracuse and 57% in Hartford. Texting while driving in Hartford declined by 72%. USA Today reports the National Highway Traffic Administration plans to continue the pilot program in undisclosed states. As a Georgia auto accident attorney, I think Atlanta would be a good place to test.

As discussed in our Distracted.

A study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety found the frequency of insurance claims increased in the studied states after texting bans were enacted. In the report, Adrian Lund, President of IIHS and HLDI, states the findings may indicate, “that texting bans might even increase the risk associated with texting for drivers who continue to do so despite the laws.”

Published on: March 23, 2011

US DOT, Consumer Reports Announce Campaign to Prevent Teen Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

According to Consumer Reports, teenagers are dying and suffering serious injuries every year because of car accidents caused by texting and using cell phones while driving.The safety advocacy group along with the US Department of Transportation have announced a new campaign aimed at minimizing the incidence of distracted driving among teen motorists. As an Atlanta injury lawyer, I very much applaud their efforts. Car accidents are one of the leading causes of deaths and injury among teenagers. Simply put, too many families have been devastated by these car accidents.

According to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Utah, the average reaction time for a teenage motorist driving and talking on a cell phone was equal to that of a 70-year-old driver not using a phone while driving.There are numerous other studies that have clearly laid out the significantly increased accident risks that come when motorists are using cell phones while driving.For instance, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that texting while driving could increase a motorist’s risk of an accident by a staggering 23 times.

According to the same study, physically dialing a phone while driving increases the risk of an accident by as much as six times.In 2009, approximately 16% of all fatal accidents were caused by distracted driving.At least one in five of those deaths involved the use of cell phones or texting while driving.

Published on: January 18, 2011

Employers Move to Minimize Risk of Distracted Driver Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As Atlanta car accident attorneys, we believe minimizing texting or talking on the cell phone while driving requires cooperation not just from individual motorists, but also from society at large. To avoid as many car accidents as possible, employers have a big role to play in ensuring that their employees refrain from using a cell phone while driving. A new survey by the National Safety Council finds that one out of every five Fortune 500 companies has a policy in place that prevents employees from using cell phones while driving. These policies have a significant impact in decreasing the number of distracted driving auto accidents.

There have been increasing signs that more and more employers are taking the need for such workplace policies seriously. Out of the companies that responded to the survey, more than 50% had implemented such safety policies since 2008.

It was the federal administration which kick started the initiative to encourage employers to implement anti-distracted driving policies in the workplace. In 2009, the Obama administration announced a ban on cell phone use while driving for federal employees while driving government-issued vehicles, and using government-issued cell phones. Since then, private employers have followed suit, encouraging employees to switch off their cell phones while driving. Encouraging employers to implement such policies has become more important since the economy began sinking. Employees now are under more pressure than ever to stay constantly in touch with the office, even while driving.

Published on: December 20, 2010

New System Could Prevent Drowsy Driving-Related Auto Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There is no doubt that drowsy driving causes a significant number of auto accidents and, therefore, is a serious problem on Atlanta streets. However, it has been ignored as an accident factor not just by legislators, but also by law enforcement officers who investigate auto accidents. According to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation, as many as one in six serious or fatal car accidents is linked to drowsy driving.

Those statistics released by the National Sleep Foundation earlier this year made everyone sit up and take notice. However, as Atlanta car accident attorneys, we have been awake to the dangers of drowsy driving for years now.That’s why it was encouraging to read about new technology to prevent drowsy driving.

A new device manufactured by a Danish company acts as an automated drowsy driving test system inside your car to let you know when it’s time for you to take a break. The device is called Anti-Sleep Pilot, and it’s manufactured by Denmark-based APS Technology. The device develops a profile of the driver based on a number of questions, including whether the driver is on any medications, or whether he’s a shift-based worker. This profile is stored in the system, and when the driver is operating the vehicle, the system analyzes this data along with other information to develop a test.

Published on: October 20, 2010

Georgia Teen Driver Week – Preventing Auto Accidents by Teens

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The week from October 17-23 is being marked as National Teen Driver Safety Week.For parents in Georgia, Atlanta car accident attorneys, schools and communities, it’s time to renew efforts towards preventing auto accidentsand truck accidents involving teens.

Automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers aged between 15 and 19 and cause a substantial number of teen injuries.Unfortunately, these facts have not changed in spite of years of efforts to prevent teen accidents.This National Teen Driver Safety Week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is launching a campaign called “Parents Have the Key” aimed at encouraging parental involvement in teen motorist safety. We all have to do more to prevent teen auto accidents, but the best place to start preventing accidents is at home.

There’s a reason why a special week for teen motorist safety is commemorated in the month of October.This is the month that is believed to be the deadliest for teen motorists.Nationally, the highest number of car accident claims involving teen motorists is filed in the month of October.