Car Accidents

Published on: April 26, 2017

Work Zone Awareness Week in Georgia

Earlier this month, Georgia officials joined hands with the Federal Highway Administration, OSHA, and various other local organizations to mark National Work Zone Awareness Week.

Using the slogan Work Zone Safety Is In Your Hands, this year’s National Work Zone Awareness Week aimed at educating construction workers about staying safe when in a zone, and encouraging motorists to be more careful when they travel through these areas. Across Georgia, special safety stand-down events were conducted at work zone sites. These events encouraged employers to halt work across construction sites for one hour to pay special attention to safety practices at their construction sites. Employers used the hour to review safety practices currently in place, and to discuss potential hazards that continued to pose a safety risk to workers.

National Work Zone Awareness Week is designed to bring attention to the safety of not just construction workers in these zones, but also motorists who are traveling through these areas. Accidents that occur at construction work zones often result in serious injuries or death.

Published on: April 22, 2017

Distracted Driving Causing Spike in Auto Insurance Premiums

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

You may have noticed an increase in your family’s auto insurance premium rates recently. Average insurance payouts around the country are increasing, and distracted driving accidents are partly to blame.

The increasing numbers of people dying in distracted driving-related accidents are causing auto insurers to raise premiums. The role of distracted driving in our traffic fatality toll cannot be overstated. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported a 14% increase in the number of fatalities last year, for a total of 40,000 across the U.S. Many experts believe that distracted driving is contributing to this spike.

Since 2011, American families have seen their average insurance premiums increase by as much as 16%, to a total of $906. Insurers say that they have no other choice but to increase premiums because of the large number of drivers involved in collisions while operating vehicles and using smart phones.

Published on: March 24, 2017

Single Hour of Lost Sleep Can Double Your Accident Risk

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A large body of evidence supports the fact that your accident risks increase when you are driving in a fatigued condition. But just how sleepy do you have to be to be involved in an accident? According to a new study, your accident risk doubles if you have lost just a single hour of sleep.

A staggering new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety underscores the dangers of drowsy driving. According to the study, missing just an hour or two of sleep doubles your chances of being involved in a car accident the next day. If you drive after getting just 4 to 5 hours of sleep, your accident risk increases by four times. In fact, at that level, you are driving in a state that is comparable to that of a person with a blood-alcohol concentration between .12 and .15. That is higher than the .08 drunk driving limit in place in most states.

There are many studies on driving while tired, but this is the first one that aims to quantify the dangers.

Published on: March 19, 2017

Drones Could Play a Critical Role in Post-Accident Emergency Care

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

In the future, drones carrying blood products and medical supplies could prove to be an integral part of emergency and critical care after an accident.

The first few hours after any car or truck wreck are critical for a victim. In fact, in severe accidents, the first hour after the event is extremely crucial, and is often referred to as the “golden hour.” It is during this time that the quality and speed of care delivered to the victim really matters. Delays in receiving emergency medical care during this important time could mean the difference between life and death for injured victims.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University found that drones can be used effectively to transport large bags of blood products to accident sites and other areas where such critical measures are needed. The cooler technology used in the study was able to maintain the proper temperature of the products.

Published on: March 13, 2017

Drivers with Epilepsy Face Increased Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Road safety is always a concern when you suffer from a chronic medical condition. Results have been released from a recent study focused on obtaining a better understanding of the accident risks facing patients with epilepsy.

According to statistics, between 2.5 to 3 million people in the United States currently suffer from epilepsy. Not all types of epilepsy are the same. There are variations in the number of seizures, the frequency of seizures, and the area of the brain from where these attacks emanate. The study focused on understanding how to better protect people with epilepsy, and keep them safe while driving. The researchers found that persons who suffered from longer seizures were more likely to be involved in an accident.

Approximately 70% of people who currently suffer from epilepsy are allowed to drive, provided that they control their seizures using medication. The remaining 25% of patients typically record the frequency and duration of their seizures, and discuss it with their doctors as part of a an ongoing monitoring of their condition.

Published on: January 26, 2017

Missing Accident Data Impedes Ability to Prevent School bus Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The horrifying fatal school bus accident in Chattanooga in November that killed five children has highlighted the frailties in the system that make it difficult to track accidents and take steps to effectively prevent similar deadly crashes.

In November, a bus left Woodmore Elementary School with approximately 37 students on board, crashed into a tree, and flipped over. Six children were killed, and several others injured, including six who were injured seriously enough to be rushed to the intensive care unit. The driver of the bus was arrested on charges of vehicle homicide. At least one of the children on the bus was a kindergartner.

According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), this year alone, there have been at least 700 accidents involving metro Atlanta school buses, or approximately 2 crashes a day. However, that data may be incomplete. Officials admit that the database lacks data on many accidents, and this makes it difficult for officials to track accident rates, pinpoint causes, and take steps to eliminate these accidents. Those steps include retraining school drivers, strengthening training and safety standards, and identifying accident trends in particular areas. Better accident data could also help identify dangerous drivers, who can then be removed from the system.

Published on: December 23, 2016

More Americans Stay Safe Behind the Wheel with Seatbelt Use Reaching Historic High

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The seatbelt still continues to be the most effective life-saving device in modern automobiles, and new research indicates that Americans are now using it at record highs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently reported that American motorists are buckling up at greater rates than ever before. The Agency reported that as many as 90% of all American motorists now buckle up when they drive. That percentage also includes all front seat passengers.

During 2015, seat belt use helped save as many as 14,000 lives in accidents. Since 1975, NHTSA estimates that more than 345,000 lives have been saved as a result of the use of seatbelts. However, failure to wear seat belts still kills. In spite of high seat belt usage rates in 2015, as many as 40% of traffic accident fatalities that year were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Published on: November 15, 2016

Lane-Drift Accidents Often Linked to Drowsiness, Drug Abuse

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Many accidents that are caused when a vehicle veers out of its lane and hits another car are believed to be the result of motorists being sleep deprived, driving under the influence alcohol or drugs, or suffering a serious medical condition. A new study confirms this.

According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, incapacitation was the key factor in approximately 34% of lane-drift accidents studied as part of the research. Incapacitation here refers to a motorist dozing off while sleeping, blacking out in a medical emergency, or passing out under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The research focused on approximately 630 lane-drift accidents that occurred between 2005 and 2007, and found that in approximately 17% of the accidents, the driver fell asleep at the wheel just before the accident. In another 17% of the crashes, the driver either blacked out at the wheel due to drug or alcohol use, or suffered a medical emergency like diabetic shock, seizure or heart attack.

Published on: October 23, 2016

Pokémon Go a Serious Distraction for Motorists

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Motorists trying to catch critters are at a serious risk of injuring themselves and others in accidents. According to an analysis of Twitter posts related to Pokémon Go, far too many people are playing the game as they are driving or walking.

In fact, according to statistics, there have been at least 14 accidents directly linked to persons playing Pokémon Go. These accidents occurred in July. In one incident, a motorist drove his car into a tree. In other incidents, motorists suddenly slammed on their brakes and jumped out of their cars in busy traffic to catch the critters. Pedestrians have also been found walking into traffic as they were playing.

The analysis of Twitter posts found that approximately 18% of tweets involved persons who were playing Pokémon go while driving. 11% of the tweets seemed to indicate that a passenger in the car was playing. About 4% of the tweets involved pedestrians who were struck by cars or almost struck by cars while playing Pokémon Go.

Published on: October 16, 2016

The Underestimated Accident Risks of Road Debris

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Thousands of accidents in the United States every year are linked not to drunk driving, or speeding, but to road debris. According to a new study, these accidents killed as many as 500 people between 2011 and 2014.

The data were released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, and found that road debris was responsible for more than 200,000 car accidents in the United States over a four-year period. These resulted in approximately 39,000 injuries and 500 fatalities. An analysis of the data indicate worse news. It appears that accidents that are linked directly to road debris have increased by 40% since the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety began analyzing these risks back in 2011.

Most accidents seem to be the result of drivers swerving the car in order to avoid hitting a piece of debris on the road. About 37% of all fatalities occurred in accidents like these. In these cases, the driver is at a high risk of losing control of the steering and the vehicle.