Car Accidents

Published on: May 15, 2023

Auto Accident Deaths in 2022 Remained High Compared to Pre-Pandemic levels

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released new statistics that show that the total number of people killed in car accidents in the United States dropped last year compared to the previous year. However, it may be too early to celebrate.

According to the latest statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 42,795 people were killed in auto accidents in the United States last year. That translated into a minute 0.3% drop from the previous year. In 2021, a total 42,939 people had been killed in auto accidents. However, the toll for 2022 still remains 18% higher than the figures in 2019.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls this a “national crisis of traffic safety” on our roads, and says that Americans need to do their part in helping reverse this rising trend of auto accident deaths. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently conducted a comparison of the United States with at least 29 other industrialized countries and found disturbing results. The study found that the United States fares very poorly on traffic safety parameters, compared to other wealthy nations. In fact, most Western countries did not record dramatic rise in wrongful deaths in car accidents the way the United States did during the pandemic.

Published on: May 10, 2023

Could Poor Police Enforcement be Linked to Auto Accident Spike?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

While there have been many theories for the disturbing rise in auto accident wrongful deaths across the country, one under examined factor is now under the scanner. Experts believe that a drop in police enforcement since just before the pandemic is possibly partly responsible for a spike in car accident deaths.

Car accident deaths in 2022 were as much as 18% higher than the numbers in 2019. They have continued to increase, spiking even during the pandemic when vehicular traffic volumes were at all time lows. During a time when American roads should have been safest, they were actually even more dangerous than before the pandemic with normal traffic volumes. This phenomenon was also uniquely American. Most Western countries did not report increases in car accident deaths during the pandemic. Many, in fact, actually saw a drop in car accident rates as a result of lockdowns and lower traffic volumes.

There have been a number of theories that have been espoused as reasons for the increase in car accident deaths in the United States. From an increase in speeding to larger volumes of distracted drivers, experts believe that a combination of factors has led to a spike in the number of people being killed in car accidents. However, one particular factor has not received a lot of attention and NPR recently addressed this. The report by NPR says that a drop in police enforcement across the country is at least partly responsible for the spike in car accident deaths.

Published on: May 4, 2023

More than 3500 People Killed in Distracted Driving Car Accidents in 2021

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Statistics by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that more than 3500 people were killed in car accidents caused by distracted drivers in 2021. This April, the federal administration plans to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while distracted.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is making the month of April — Distracted Driving Awareness Month. As part of its campaign, the agency released statistics which show that a total of 3,522 people were killed in auto accidents caused by distracted drivers in 2021. The statistics show that an ongoing effort against distracted driving is absolutely necessary. As part of the campaign, there will be increased enforcement on Georgia roads as law enforcement officers look out for persons using cell phones while driving.

The campaign will also focus on friends and families of drivers and their role in helping prevent distracted driving. If you are driving and need to answer a phone call or have to respond to a text message, get your passenger to do so for you. If you are driving alone and need to respond to a text, pull over somewhere safe and return the call or the text message. Under no circumstances should you be typing a message or making a phone call as you drive.

Published on: April 27, 2023

Georgia’s Car Accident Record Makes it One of the Worst Driving States

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia gets a mention in a new list of some of the worst driving states in the country, thanks to a new study which considered a number of factors including car accident rates while assigning rankings.

The rankings come from research conducted by Quote Wizard. The Quote Wizard team analyzed more than ten million insurance quotes before arriving at these findings. The company releases its list of the worst driving states in the country every year and this year, Georgia is mentioned in the top 25 worst driving states in the United States. The state ranks at number 17 on the list.

The research team used several parameters, including the number of auto accidents, DUI violations, number of speeding tickets issued in each state and the citations for violations for running a red light or using a cell phone while driving. According to the research team, states that were ranked in the top 25 worst driving states had high auto accident rates compared to the states that were ranked at the bottom of the list which had lower car accident rates in comparison.

Published on: April 20, 2023

How Auto Accidents can Cause Complications for Pregnant Women

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Traumatic personal injuries can be devastating for pregnant women, and auto accidents are some of the leading causes of these types of injuries involving pregnant women. A new study finds that even a minor car accident can significantly raise the risk of complications for an expectant mother.

The results of a new Taiwanese study were published in the journal Injury Prevention recently. The researchers analyzed auto accident injury data involving more than 20,000 pregnant women over a 10 year period, and found that women who suffered even minor injuries in an auto accident while pregnant suffered significantly increased risks of complications, including placental disruption and excessive bleeding. Many of these women were at a much higher risk of requiring emergency C-sections.

Based on the data, the researchers believe that women who have been involved in a car accident during pregnancy are more than 50% likely to experience a placental disruption and more than 30% likely to suffer from prolonged contractions. They also had a risk of excessive bleeding that was 19% higher and a 5% higher risk of C-sections. Women who suffered even minor injuries were found to have an even higher risk of complications. For example, among women who had suffered even minor personal injuries in a car accident, there was a 70% higher risk of placental disruption and 54% higher risk of induced labor.

Published on: March 29, 2023

Highly Ranked Cars Less Likely to be Involved in Fatal Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

When motorists drive cars that have been ranked highly by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, they are less likely to suffer fatal personal injuries in a car accident.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is one of several organizations that publishes safety rankings for automobiles. Thousands of Americans who buy new cars every year depend on ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Consumer Reports and other organizations. For them, these rankings form a critical component of the buying decision.

A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finds that when motorists are driving cars that have been highly ranked, their risks of suffering fatal personal injuries in an auto accident fall by 12% compared to vehicles that are ranked poorly. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety focused on motorists driving cars that performed well on small overlap tests. The study found that motorists driving cars that performed better on small overlap tests in frontal car accidents were less likely to suffer personal injuries in an auto accident.

Published on: March 24, 2023

Is Poor Sleep Putting You at Risk of a Car Accident?

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Sedentary lifestyles and bad eating habits are placing millions of Americans at risk of poor sleep patterns, increasing their chances of being involved in an auto accident.

This March, the National Sleep Foundation will mark Sleep Awareness Week. The special week will be commemorated between March 12 and March 18. The National Sleep Foundation wants Americans to understand that when they sleep less than the recommended number of hours a night, they place themselves at risk of tiredness and fatigue that increases their chances of being involved in an auto accident while driving. In 2022, the National Sleep Foundation underscored the car accident risks that come with being in a state of sleep deprivation by partnering with the Drowsy Driving Prevention Project and the National Safety Council.

Last year, the National Sleep Foundation commissioned a poll that threw up interesting insights about the sleep patterns of Americans. The poll found that far too many Americans are not getting enough light exposure in the daytime. Exposure to light in the daytime can keep you awake while exposure to dim lighting in the evening can help you sleep. When people have very little light exposure in the daytime, it can affect their ability to sleep well at night. Much of the night time light exposure for Americans is presently coming from smartphones. For most Americans, bedtime is preceded by at least an hour of scrolling through their smartphones. The blue light that is emitted from these screens actually inhibits your ability to sleep well. When you spend far too much time staring at your cell phone before going to sleep, it makes it that much harder for you to sleep. The result is fewer hours of sleep than you require, and consequently, a state of fatigue and drowsiness. The poll also found that many Americans follow irregular eating patterns, and these too can affect a person’s ability to fall asleep quickly.

Published on: March 16, 2023

Car Accident Prevention Technology can be Challenging to Repair

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Auto Accident prevention systems like front crash avoidance technology and lane departure warning systems play a significant role in protecting motorists and passengers. However, when there is any malfunctioning or problems reported with these systems, repairs can be challenging to complete.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is reporting on a recent analysis of the repairs of auto crash prevention systems in automobiles. Many of these systems including rear view camera systems and blind spot detection systems can play a tremendous role in helping keep motorists safe and preventing car accidents. However, when motorists take these cars in for repairs after the technology malfunctions or because the system is giving an error message, or after an auto accident, they find that repairs are not always satisfactory. According to the study, many motorists continue to face problems with the technology even after repairs have apparently been completed.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study surveyed approximately 500 drivers. Most of the drivers in the study had taken in their car for repairs after experiencing problems with the safety technology in their automobile. In some cases, the problems appeared after an auto accident while in other cases, the repairs were the result of a recall or the result of a recommendation by the automobile repair shop. Repair issues were more likely to be seen when the car had been involved in a car accident. Incomplete repairs were also much more likely to be seen in those cases in which the windshield replacement was required as part of auto repairs.

Published on: February 17, 2023

Stronger Seat Belt Reminder Systems Could Prevent Minivan Car Accident Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

More lives could potentially be saved in auto accidents involving minivans every year if these vehicles came with stronger and more efficient seat belt warning systems.

A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlights the fact that far too many minivan models simply do not have effective and efficient seatbelt reminder systems in place. This is even more alarming when you consider that these vehicles are mainly purchased by families with young children.

The minivan is the ubiquitous symbol of the young American family. For decades, Americans with young families have been buying minivans for their very specific travel needs. However, failure to use proper restraint systems has disastrous consequences for America’s children. In 2020, more than one-third of children below the age of 12 killed in car accidents were not properly restrained at the time.

Published on: February 13, 2023

Study: Head Injury can Hasten Death

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There are a number of complications that are associated with suffering a head injury, and one of these, according to a new study, is an increased chance of dying, with the risk having doubled over a period of 3 decades.

We know of some of the more common consequences of head injury including memory loss, attention and concentration difficulties, and cognitive deficits. Head injuries have also been linked to other long-term disabilities including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, early onset dementia and stroke. All of these are long term consequences can seriously impact the quality of a person’s life.

However, there is one serious consequence of a head injury that does not attract as much attention – the effect of the brain injury on the person’s life expectancy. A new study probed the effects of a head injury on a person’s life expectancy, and found that a head injury could increase the risk of death over a period of 30 years. In some cases, the risk of death increased by two or even three times the risk without a head injury.