surveillance systems

Published on: November 6, 2023

Roadside Cameras, Monitoring Apps Help Prevent Car Accidents

Recent studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety find that some technologies may be especially beneficial in identifying distracted drivers and preventing car accidents. Distracted driving is one of the main causes of auto accidents involving serious personal injuries.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the findings of two new studies that show that roadside cameras are very beneficial in helping identify motorists who are using cell phones while driving. The study found, in fact, that these cameras were almost as beneficial as in – car monitoring systems that are designed to identify whether motorists are distracted by cell phones when at the wheel. The study also found that in – phone apps that measure and collate data about cell phone use while driving are also extremely beneficial in helping identify driving behaviors that are likely to result in car accidents.

Currently much of the data that we have on cell phone-related behavior by motorists at the wheel come from roadside surveys conducted every year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The data in this survey comes from cameras that are used by the federal administration to monitor driving behavior from morning to evening during a few weeks every summer. Obviously, the kind of data that results from a survey like this is fairly limited since it is only collected over a certain period of time every year. There are also limitations on the number of people that can be identified or monitored using this technology.

Published on: April 11, 2010

Commercial Trucks to Carry Onboard Recorders

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

FMCSA Passes Rule Requiring EOBRs on Certain Carriers

The question of having Electronic Onboard Recorders on commercial trucks has been out there for several years.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has finally made its decision. The agency has adopted a rule that will require electronic onboard recorders to be installed on the vehicles of trucking companies that are found to exceed the hours of service rules by 10%.

Failure to comply during a single review is good enough to impose the EOBR rule on a carrier. Carriers found to be in violation of hours of service for more than 10% of the time in a single review will be required to have the recorders installed for a period of two years.

Published on: December 15, 2009

Are Hospital Surveillance Systems the New Frontier in Patient Safety

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers, we closely follow advancements in patient safety. With the healthcare debate focusing strongly on medical malpractice lawsuits, hospitals are seeing a great need to cut down on the errors and medical infections that occur in their facilities. A new report by the American Medical Association shows that surveillance systems could be the next big thing in patient safety, helping enforce safety rules and preventing the incidence of preventable errors and infections.

Surveillance of surgeons was in the media spotlight last month, when a Rhode Island hospital was ordered to have video and audio recording devices installed in the operating rooms. The state’s health department ordered the Rhode Island Hospital to install the cameras, after a series of 5 surgical errors occurred at the facility in just two years. These errors were wrong site surgeries, which are some of the most preventable medical errors.

While surgeons at Rhode Island Hospital will now have video cameras recording their surgical moves, doctors in Maryland hospitals could soon have “secret shoppers” hired by the hospital observing their hand hygiene practices. Low hand hygiene compliance rates have been a source of worry to Atlanta medical malpractice lawyers. Poor hand washing practices contribute to thousands of hospital-acquired infections every year. It’s these infection rates that Maryland hospitals are looking to cut with the program that funds hospitals to train people to observe whether doctors, nurses and other staff wash their hands when they come out of a patient’s room. These “secret shoppers” will be trained to blend into the environment, so they don’t stand out and alert doctors they are being watched.