auto accident prevention

Published on: October 16, 2010

Parental Influence Critical in Creating Responsible Teen Motorists and Avoiding Auto Accidents

Last week, a teenager was killed in a deadly Cobb County auto accident that also left two children injured.The auto accident made headlines partly because the injured belonged to the family of a gubernatorial candidate.However, it was the loss of yet another teen life in an auto accident that caught our attention.As car accident attorneys in Atlanta and parents, we have strongly promoted teen motorist safety, especially the role of parents in creating a generation of safe teen drivers.A new study indicates that we are right.

According to this study, many parents are making a mistake by allowing teenagers to get their driver’s license even before they’re ready for it.The result is generally more accidents involving young teens than those who waited. The study involved 50 families in North Carolina, who were monitored over a period of four months after the teenager in the family received his driver’s license.The families were monitored through cameras that were installed in the cars of these families.

Approximately 50% of the parents in the study admitted that there were situations in which they were not comfortable letting their child drive.For instance, these parents were not comfortable allowing their children to drive in bad weather or in heavy traffic.However, even among these parents, one third went ahead and allowed their child to get his driver’s license anyway.

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: April 26, 2009

States Moving to Crack Down on Sale of Defective Old Tires That Can Cause Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

States Moving to Crack Down on Sale of Defective Old Tires That can Cause Accidents

An ABC News investigation last year revealed that thousands of motorists may be at risk for automobile accidents because their vehicles are fitted with aged tires that are older than the recommended age limit for tires. The investigation by “20/20” caught some of the biggest retailers in the country selling outdated and aged tires. Now, states across the country are taking steps to ensure that retailers and dealers don’t fob old and weak tires on an unsuspecting motoring public.

The risk of a tire becoming dried out and prone to blowouts that can cause accidents increases after six years of age. The investigation, however found tires including some sold by Goodyear that were made in 1999 and 2002. Other investigations by ABC news affiliates around the county found outdated tires dating back to 1999 and 2001 sold at Wal-Mart. Old tires were also found at Wal-Mart stores in Florida, as well as Sears in New Jersey. Similar stories came in from across the county. The retailers including Goodyear and Wal-Mart insist that the age of the tire should not be taken as the most important factor in judging its safety.

Published on: March 26, 2009

Failure to Screen Bus Companies Places Athletes at Risk for Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Back in 2007, a bus accident in Atlanta, involving a vehicle carrying baseball players of Bluffton University, Ohio killed seven people on board, including five players, the driver and his wife. That accident was blamed on driver error, as well as the failure of the Georgia Department of Transportation to maintain important traffic safety devices.

A new report by ESPN brings back memories of that tragic accident, and underscores how much at danger our college athletes are when they travel in buses that are operated by companies with a bad safety record.An analysis done by ESPN’s Outside the Lines shows that between 2007 and 2008, hundreds of college teams and athletes traveled on buses operated by companies that have frequently failed to comply with federal bus safety standards. During this period, close to 85 Division I universities used charter bus companies that were found to be deficient in at least one federal safety score.Even worse, of these 85 universities, close to 35 were been found to have hired buses from companies that have more serious safety infractions on their record. These companies have what is called a "constitutional rating," meaning that the schools should have been refrained from using the company.

Problems at a number of these bus companies used by colleges and universities included faulty maintenance of the buses.Drivers were found to be less than qualified, and too inexperienced to operate these buses. Tinkering of log books was found to be widespread.Manipulating log books allows drivers to clock in more number of hours than is permitted, ending up with more money for the driver, but seriously jeopardized safety for the passengers of the bus. Drivers were also allowed to work for several days before undergoing drug and alcohol testing. Other more serious problems included malfunctioning emergency exits. Studies indicate that bus companies that are found to be deficient in safety scores have a higher incidence of accidents. What’s worse is that authorities at colleges, who had used these buses frequently, when contacted by the ESPN team, were simply unaware that the companies had all these violations to their credit.

Published on: March 4, 2009

Georgia – TACT Aims at Reducing Truck Accident Rates

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Law enforcement officers in Lowndes and Cook Counties launched the Georgia TACT (Targeting Aggressive Cars and Truck) program on February 23^rd. The G-TACT program is a traffic safety awareness campaign that aims at reducing the number of large truck accidents on our highways. Motorists driving passenger vehicles are taught to identify the dangers they face when they share the road with an 18-wheeler. The enforcement program continued through the week, and included I–75 and a few other areas that were chosen because of the high number of truck accidents in these. The enforcement included car and truck drivers engaging in dangerous behavior like tailgating, recklessly changing lanes, failure to signal and speeding.

A total of 365 big rig – passenger car accidents occurred in these areas over a 3-year period, resulting in 389 injuries and 20 deaths as a result. Out of the total number of highway deaths that occur in Georgia every year, 15% are caused because of commercial motor vehicles – passenger car collisions. In an overwhelming majority of these crashes, the fatalities are occupants of the smaller car.

Collisions between 18-wheelers and smaller passenger cars can have a disastrous impact on the occupants of the car. These massive commercial trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, and a smaller vehicle has minimal chance of escaping damage when it is involved in an accident with a truck of this size. The rules of the road change dramatically when you’re sharing the road with an 80,000 pound machine. Speeding or other negligent behaviors like using a cell phone can be doubly dangerous when you’re anywhere close to a large truck. Always maintain enough space between the car and the truck, and keep in mind that the truck driver because of his position may not be able to see you. Be alert to any signals or signs that the truck driver, makes signifying his intent to turn etc. Avoid tailgating a large truck at all costs.

Published on: March 3, 2009

Accident, Injury Prevention Features still not Standard on all Passenger Vehicles

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Electronic stability control, side impact airbags, neck restraint systems – these are just some of the high tech, innovative, auto safety features that manufacturers have developed and improvised to near perfection in recent years, in an effort to reduce the number of car accidents and injuries caused by vehicle collisions. Although these are becoming popular with car buyers, they are far from standard on all passenger cars, which means that motorists who wish to have these features in their vehicles should be prepared to shell out extra dollars for them.

The New York Times has this story on how some of the most ballyhooed car safety features continued to be optional on several car models. Electronic stability control (ESC) systems are one of the most impressive new auto safety technologies to make it out of R&D facilities in recent years. The system makes use of computerized sensors that can tell when a car is in danger of losing grip of the road. When a potential loss of traction is detected, the system automatically applies the brakes so there is no loss of control. Cars may be especially prone to skidding or loss of control when they turn at high speeds, or accelerate or brake suddenly. Loss of control in such instances can cause the car to roll over, exposing occupants to serious injuries. With an ESC system working in your car, the risk of an accident is dramatically reduced.

ESC systems will be standard on all vehicles by 2012. They are currently very popular with buyers who will pay extra for an ESC system if it is not included as part of a standard features package. However, in times of a recession, paying extra, sometimes up to $ 2,000 extra for a package that includes an ESC system may not be in every buyer’s budget. In times of economic turmoil, it’s more important than ever that automakers design their cars with a view to minimizing accidents and injuries that take a heavy economic toll. Like David Champion who is the senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports says, manufacturers shouldn’t be making it more expensive for buyers to access proven safety gear like ESC systems or side impact airbags.