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The medications that you are currently taking could increase your risks of being involved in an auto accident. Since car accidents are a major cause of severe personal injuries, it is important to evaluate the medications you are taking to determine if they increase your risk of an accident. If so, you may wish to adjust your driving habits to reduce the risk of being in an accident and suffering injuries.

Most medications come with little or no drowsy driving risks.  Many of them, however, do include risks that can affect a persons’ driving abilities, and patients may remain unaware of the dangers of using these medications, especially when they operate a motor vehicle. Some medications are widely known to have drowsiness- inducing properties.  For instance, anti-allergy medications or those that are used to treat common colds and coughs may come with ingredients that increase a person’s sleepiness and make him feel lethargic.  A person using these drugs is much more likely to cause an accident if he is driving a vehicle while under the influence of the drug. Medications that include codeine and hydrocodone, for example, are strongly linked with drowsiness and fatigue.

Apart from cold medications and antihistamines, many Americans now take a wide range of medications to treat a variety of conditions.  There has been an explosion in lifestyle conditions, and millions of Americans now take beta blockers to treat heart disease and cardiovascular conditions. Beta blockers can cause symptoms like giddiness, dizziness and extreme tiredness that could prove dangerous when the person is behind the wheel.  Anti-anxiety medications, antipsychotic drugs as well as anti-depressants are also strongly linked to drowsiness.

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Symptoms of a mild brain injury, including confusion and memory loss, can continue to linger in a person up to a year after he has suffered a personal injury. The duration of brain injury symptoms may have a significant impact on claims arising out of automobile accidents or other personal injury matters.

Those findings related to lingering symptoms of mild brain injuries came from a recent study that was conducted on a group of young athletes. The findings of the study were published in the journal Neurology.   The study found that young athletes who had suffered a concussion continued to show signs  of the injury in their brain scans for months after the injury had occurred.  Some of those signs continued to linger for up to a year after the injury. While the findings pertained to young athletes, the same can certainly occur for persons who suffered mild brain injuries in a car accident.

These findings specifically pertain to the long -lasting effects of  a mild brain injury on young athletes,  but we have known for a while that brain injuries – even mild ones – can have long lasting effects.  A brain injury can occur whenever there is any kind of significant jolt or blow to the head or skull.  A brain injury does not have to result in loss of consciousness or even swelling or bleeding  for it to result in impact.  Concussions, for example, are some of the mildest brain injuries, and typically occur in an auto accident or slip and fall accident involving a blow  to the head. However, they can result in symptoms that include loss of consciousness for a few minutes,  memory loss,  confusion, and disorientation.

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An analysis of data by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association finds that while pedestrian accident death numbers have dropped since last year, the final tally is still a close to 50% increase over a decade ago.

According to the analysis by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, a total of 334 people were killed in pedestrian accidents during the first 6 months of 2024. That was a drop of 2.6% from the same period of time the previous year.  There were 88 fewer deaths during the first 6 months of 2024 compared to the first 6 months of 2023.

That is the good news.  The bad news is that this was an increase of 48% from the same period a decade earlier.   Between January and June 2024, there were a staggering 1,072 more pedestrian accident fatalities compared to the period between January and June 2014.

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New research finds that a combination of implants that trigger movements and robotic exoskeleton devices that help the person coordinate those movements can help treat symptoms of paralysis in patients who have suffered a spinal cord injury. These personal injuries often occur as a result of car accidents, trucking accidents and motorcycle accidents.

Robotic exoskeletons have been one of the most exciting developments in the treatment of spinal cord injury.  These personal injuries can leave persons with varying degrees of paralysis, and research over the past few years has found significant improvements in mobility and movement in persons using these innovations.  However, a combination of a robotic exoskeleton with a muscle implant seems to have even more impressive effects.

A team of researchers has been working on the development of an implant that can trigger muscle impulses in patients who have been paralyzed because of a spinal cord injury.  The sensory impulses triggered by these implants are like the nerve signals triggered naturally by the human body. The researchers recently published the findings of their study in the Science Robotics journal.

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Persons who have suffered a traumatic brain injury have a much higher risk of developing dementia down the road.  A new study not only underscores this fact, but also determines that changes in vascular cells can affect the onset of dementia in persons who have suffered a brain injury. Traumatic brain injuries often occur in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents and slip and falls.

For decades now, scientists have been aware that suffering a brain injury significantly increases the risk that a person will develop dementia or Alzheimer’s disease down the road.  However, recent studies have  identified the exact molecular mechanism behind the personal injury that can bring about dementia earlier. In this new study, scientists discovered that alterations to the vascular smooth muscle cells lead to an increase in the build-up of proteins called amyloid beta, which are strongly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. What the scientists found even more surprising is that even younger persons who are typically not at risk of dementia suffered a similar increased risk, supported by the vascular muscle cell changes following the brain injury.  The researchers concluded that understanding the changes to the vascular cells  is crucial to understanding how trauma can impact dementia risks and circumventing  or mitigating those risks all together.

Brain injuries can result in a significant number of changes in a person’s mental and physical health.  Even a moderate brain injury can result in cognitive challenges,  memory problems,  difficulties in concentration and attention,  impaired motor skills and a number of other challenges that make it difficult for the person to live a normal life. All of these difficulties make it hard   for the person to be productive or earn a living.  Working even a routine job can become challenging.  For example, motor coordination problems can manifest in a large number of brain injury victims, and these can significantly impact the victim’s earning potential if he is working in a manual job, or one that requires dexterity.

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With hopes for a complete elimination of traffic accident wrongful deaths over the next decade fading swiftly away,  the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling for the adoption of a more practical and achievable short term strategy towards the attainment of the goal. Given the number of wrongful deaths which occur in car accidents, any reduction will be welcomed.

“Vision Zero” is a policy that originated first in Sweden where it was adopted by that country’s parliament with the goal of eliminating all auto accident wrongful deaths and bringing the total number of people being killed in car accidents down to zero over the next decade.  That idea caught on quickly around the world as many governments announced their own plans for reducing car accident wrongful death numbers in their countries.  The US too was quick to adopt the idea.  The US Department of Transportation  laid out the policy in detail in its National Roadways Safety Strategy in 2022. That policy outlined the framework of a plan to help eliminate the number of car accident wrongful deaths on our roads through a number of strategies, including better roads,  safer vehicles and better drivers.

However, progress towards achieving zero fatalities has been very slow or minimal at best.  In fact, the goal seems to be getting further and further out of reach.  In 2022, for instance, the year in which the administration announced the National Roadways Safety Strategy, more than 42,500 people died in auto accidents across the country. That was an increase of nearly 30% from 2014,  a mere 8 years earlier.

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It is no secret that American SUVs and pick up trucks are extremely popular on our roads and highways.  However, a  new study seems to indicate that super-sized vehicles are not necessarily safer for their occupants,  while becoming even more dangerous for occupants of other vehicles in car accidents with them.

Americans have long preferred larger vehicles, not just because of their looks and style, but also because they are believed to be safer in auto accidents.  To  a large extent, this is true.  A  large Chevrolet Suburban, for instance, packs a greater punch, and offers much greater protection to its occupants in the event of an auto accident, compared to a smaller  passenger car like a  sedan.  The bigger bulk means less damage to the vehicle in the case of an accident, and a lower risk of blunt force trauma to the occupants. This is why these cars are considered ideally suited for high-risk groups like teenage drivers.

Unfortunately, cars on American streets are becoming much bigger and bulkier.  Giant cars that are almost double the height of smaller sedans are fairly common now on our roads.  A new study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds that while the increasing size of cars makes them more dangerous to the occupants of other vehicles on the road,  it does not necessarily mean greater protection for the occupants of the large vehicle.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, in the case of occupants of vehicles that were lesser than the fleet average in weight, the fatality risk was lower with every 500 pounds of additional weight.  In the case of vehicles that were heavier in weight than the fleet average, the protection to occupants was not necessarily higher. In fact, there was barely any drop in the risk of wrongful death for the occupants of these super -sized vehicles.

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It is no secret that American SUVs and pick up trucks are extremely popular on our roads and highways.  However, a  new study  seems to indicate that super-sized vehicles are not necessarily safer for their occupants,  while becoming even more dangerous for occupants of other vehicles in car accidents with them.

Americans have long preferred larger vehicles, not just because of their looks and style, but also because they are believed to be safer in auto accidents.  To  a large extent, this is true.  A  large Chevrolet Suburban, for instance, packs a greater punch, and offers much greater protection to its occupants in the event of an auto accident, compared to a smaller  passenger car like a  sedan.  The bigger bulk means less damage to the vehicle in the case of an accident, and a lower risk of blunt force trauma to the occupants. This is why these cars are considered ideally suited for high-risk groups like teenage drivers.

Unfortunately, cars on American streets are becoming much bigger and bulkier.  Giant cars that are almost double the height of smaller sedans are fairly common now on our roads.  A new study by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds that while the increasing size of cars makes them more dangerous to the occupants of other vehicles on the road,  it does not necessarily mean greater protection for the occupants of the large vehicle.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study, in the case of occupants of vehicles that were lesser than the fleet average in weight, the fatality risk was lower with every 500 pounds of additional weight.  In the case of vehicles that were heavier in weight than the fleet average, the protection to occupants was not necessarily higher. In fact, there was barely any drop in the risk of wrongful death for the occupants of these  super -sized   vehicles.

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Enforcement of traffic laws, including those against drunk driving and speeding, need to be a major part of any auto accident prevention program by state and federal governments. These are the types of traffic law violations which lead to very serious car accidents resulting in catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths.

The role that traffic enforcement can play in accident prevention tends to be a controversial topic.  However, a recent piece in The Atlantic calls for increasing traffic enforcement in order to help reduce the number of people involved in serious auto accidents.  The article refers to experiments in other states that have chosen to decrease traffic enforcement,  consequently leading to an increase in the number of car accidents and accident – related catastrophic personal injuries and wrongful deaths in these states.

Many car accident prevention programs these days focus heavily on the role of  road design in preventing car accidents.  However, there are many types of accidents that are not impacted or hindered by optimum road design.  For example, a large part of the spike in auto accident wrongful deaths in recent years is linked to the increase in the number of car accidents occurring at night.  Many of these auto accidents are speeding- related car accidents or drunk driving auto accidents that have very little to do with road design. These accidents are often connected to low levels of traffic enforcement.  Simply put,  if these speeding drivers and drunk motorists are fined for violations and taken off the streets, we are more likely to see a decline in car accident numbers.

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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.

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