Car Accidents

Published on: December 6, 2013

Georgia State Agencies Urge Safe Travel over Holidays

The year’s busiest travel season has begun, and a number of Georgia state agencies are joining hands to educate motorists about the need to drive safely during the holidays. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety and the Georgia State Patrol are encouraging motorists to avoid speeding and distractions, and concentrate on getting to their destination safely.

Just before Thanksgiving and New Year’s day, we see the heaviest amount of traffic on GA roadways.Not surprisingly, the accident, injury and fatality rate is also very high during these weeks. Every year, the Georgia State Patrol calls attention to the need to reduce speed, eliminate distractions at the wheel, and avoid driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These three factors account for a majority of all traffic accident fatalities that occur during the holiday season.

It is important to remember that many motorists over the holiday season are in a hurry to finish their shopping, meet up with friends, and take part in other activities. Many of these motorists will be driving at excessive speeds, and even if you don’t plan to drive at high speeds, know that there will be many speeding motorists on the road this holiday season. While you can’t do anything to change other motorists’ driving habits, you can increase your chances of being safe and reduce the risk of a fatal accident by making sure that you and everybody else in your car is safely buckled-up.

Published on: November 4, 2013

Safer Headlight Technology Being Developed to Prevent Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Every year, there are variations in the number of car accident fatalities, but one fact remains the same — more fatal car accidents occur at night than in the daytime hours.Nighttime driving comes with its own set of challenges, and one of those is the lack of adequate roadway lighting.A new study focuses on the potential for improving nighttime driving through more advanced automobile headlight systems.

The research was recently presented at the International Symposium on Automotive Lighting in Germany.One scientist involved in the study presented a paper outlining the different types of lighting technologies that can help make nighttime driving both safer and easier.Specifically, these technologies involve headlights that can focus light onto particularly tricky and dangerous roadways.This would be done by using headlights that swivel or bend to put more light onto the turn of the road.

According to the report that was presented at the conference, earlier studies that compared cars equipped with these headlight systems and vehicles with conventional low beam headlights, found that the number of accidents occurring at night actually dropped. For instance, there was a drop of approximately 4% in nighttime accident frequency along low-speed roads. On high-speed roads with shallower curves, the drop was between 1% and 2%.

Published on: October 14, 2013

Motorcyclist Killed in Accident in Cherokee County

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A fatal motorcycle accident has been reported recently in Georgia. This time, it was a 61-year-old man from Woodstock who was traveling on his motorcycle when he crashed into a Toyota Tundra. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the man’s family and friends.

According to reports of the accident, the man was heading eastbound on Cumming Highway when the Tundra pulled out onto the roadway. Consequently, the motorcycle hit the left side of the vehicle.The motorcycle driver was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead.

There was also a 55-year-old female passenger on a bike, who was thrown several feet away upon impact. She was also rushed to the hospital, and is being treated for injuries.

Published on: October 7, 2013

Highway Safety Expected to Be Affected by Government Shutdown

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Certain highway safety initiatives across the country are likely to be affected by the federal government shutdown, which is currently in effect. While some agencies that are responsible for auto safety are likely to be negatively impacted, others that are responsible for trucking safety, fortunately, may escape unscathed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is one of those agencies that is expected to be affected by the shutdown and resulting lack of funding. This is the federal agency that is responsible for highway safety activities across the country, and therefore, this is one shutdown that has the potential to affect the safety of motorists and passengers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may be forced to cut several employees as part of the furloughs. That in turn, could also impact not only highway safety, but also trucking safety to a certain extent, because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also regulates trucking equipment.

Published on: September 23, 2013

Improper Tractor-Trailer Lane Possible Cause of Motorcycle Accident

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An improper lane change made by a commercial truck driver is being blamed for a recent fatal motorcycle accident on Interstate 75 in Henry County, GA.

According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the accident occurred when a motorcyclist traveling northbound was struck by a truck near exit 75 in Henry County.According to initial reports, a southbound truck crossed the median, and crashed into the motorcycle, killing the motorcyclist.So far, it appears that an improper lane change by the tractor-trailer may have started the fatal chain of events, although the investigation is still pending, and no charges have been filed against the tractor-trailer driver.

Every year, more than 4,000 motorcyclists are killed in accidents, and many of these motorcycle accidents are caused by motorists who are inebriated, driving recklessly, or driving while distracted.

Published on: September 4, 2013

Georgia DOT Releases New Safe Driving Videos

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Georgia highway officials have made a lot of progress in helping reduce the number of people killed in traffic accidents across the state. However, thousands of people continue to die, or are seriously injured in accidents across the state every year.In order to help reduce those numbers further, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has developed and released a new series of videos.

GDOT has launched a new video initiative that comes in response to a call by the Federal Highway Administration to reduce traffic accident fatalities across the country to 0.The Federal Highway Administration’s Towards Zero Deaths initiative is aimed at minimizing the number of traffic accident fatalities across the country.

In order to support this initiative, the Georgia Department of Transportation is promoting a new series of educational videos. These videos will appear GDOT’s YouTube Channel and website.

Published on: August 2, 2013

Georgia ATV Accidents and Off Road Vehicle Safety Concerns

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There have been a number of ATV-related accidents reported in Georgia over the past few weeks, and unfortunately that number is expected to increase as the weather remains nice into the fall months.

In one accident, a man suffered injuries when the ATV he was riding with his wife tipped over.The husband was trapped underneath the ATV, and suffered serious injuries.In another more recent incident, a man was killed in an ATV accident when his machine collided with another vehicle.

Both of these accidents involve adult users of ATVs, but most injuries involving ATV accidents every year involve teenagers and children.This is in spite of the fact that ATV use by children is not encouraged.In fact, it is highly recommended that children below the age of 16 not be allowed to ride ATVs at all.

Published on: July 22, 2013

New Federal Rule Governing Trucker Hours of Service Goes into Effect

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

On July 1, a new federal law that modifies current hours-of-service rules went into effect, affecting thousands of truckers on U.S. highways.The law is meant to help keep our highways safer, and reduce the number of truck accidents caused by drivers who are driving while fatigued or drowsy.

Under the law, truck drivers will be required to take a break of at least a half hour in the first eight hours after they begin driving.The rule also sets a maximum work week of 70 hours, a reduction from the earlier 82-hour limit.

These are significant changes, and have come as a result of concern over the dangers from drowsy truckers on U.S. highways.There have been a number of serious accidents involving truck drivers who were fatigued and sleepy while driving.Drowsy driving is a major safety concern, and it affects not just commercial truckers and bus drivers, but also motorists.In fact, drowsy driving is believed to be one of the most neglected and underestimated safety issues impacting our roads.

Published on: June 28, 2013

Helmets Greatly Reduce the Risk of Serious Bicycle Accident Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

As many as 75% of all fatal bicycle accidents are believed to involve a head injury.There is no doubt that a traumatic brain injury is the single biggest safety risk for a bicyclist involved in a crash.A new analysis finds that sports-related bicycling injuries account for more head injuries every year than football or baseball.

In many states around the country, including Georgia, wearing a helmet is not mandatory.The reasons for this vary, but generally the safety aspect of this bicycling has been largely neglected because it is such a popular activity and a favorite pastime for so many Atlantans.This is in spite of the fact that there is enough research to suggest that wearing a bicycle helmet may be the only thing protecting a bicyclist from serious injuries in an accident.

In fact, recent Australian research focused on the kind of injuries suffered by bicyclist who were not helmeted at the time of an accident, and found that wearing a helmet can help protect bicyclists from all but the most severe impacts.

Published on: June 18, 2013

Three People Killed in Truck-Ambulance Accident in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

An out-of-control truck is being blamed for a deadly accident in Irwin County in South Georgia recently that killed three people.The accident killed two paramedics and a patient who was being transported to the hospital.

According to reports, the accident occurred on GA 32 in Irwin County when the tractor-trailer and the ambulance were traveling on the highway.The tractor-trailer jackknifed and the trailer collided with the ambulance in a deadly head-on collision that proved devastating for the occupants of the ambulance.

The Georgia State Patrol’s Special Crash Reconstruction Team has begun investigating the accident.No charges have been filed yet, and charges will be filed only after the completion of the investigation.