Articles Posted in Car Accidents

There is no doubt that drowsy driving causes a significant number of auto accidents and, therefore, is a serious problem on Atlanta streets. However, it has been ignored as an accident factor not just by legislators, but also by law enforcement officers who investigate auto accidents. According to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation, as many as one in six serious or fatal car accidents is linked to drowsy driving.

Those statistics released by the National Sleep Foundation earlier this year made everyone sit up and take notice. However, as Atlanta car accident attorneys, we have been awake to the dangers of drowsy driving for years now.That’s why it was encouraging to read about new technology to prevent drowsy driving.

A new device manufactured by a Danish company acts as an automated drowsy driving test system inside your car to let you know when it’s time for you to take a break. The device is called Anti-Sleep Pilot, and it’s manufactured by Denmark-based APS Technology. The device develops a profile of the driver based on a number of questions, including whether the driver is on any medications, or whether he’s a shift-based worker. This profile is stored in the system, and when the driver is operating the vehicle, the system analyzes this data along with other information to develop a test.

A new study confirms that stronger automobile roofs minimize the severity of injuries in a rollover auto accidents. The study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration compared automobile roof strength test results of several cars with real- life rollover auto accidents. The researchers found a direct link between automobile roof strength results and the number of centimeters that the roof is pushed into the occupant at the time of an auto accident. Earlier studies had also confirmed that stronger auto roofs lower the risk of, as well as severity of, injuries to the head, neck and face.

The NHTSA study comes at an opportune time. Last year, the agency had announced that it was strengthening auto roof strength standards. According to the agency’s new standards, automakers will need to maintain a ratio of 1.5 for vehicles with gross weight ratings from 6,000 to 10,000 pounds. The current ratings only require a ratio of 1.5 for vehicles with gross weight ratings of up to 6,000 pounds. According to the agency, the new rules will lead to approximately 135 lives being saved every year in rollover auto accidents.

Rollovers comprise a small percentage of the total number of car accidents in the US every year. However, these are some of the most devastating auto accidents that Atlanta car accident attorneys come across, and in fact, cause approximately 30% of all traffic fatalities. The NHTSA has focused heavily on reducing the numbers of wrongful deaths in these auto accidents. For instance, new rules require all automobiles to come with electronic stability control systems that reduce the risk of a rollover. You can now find electronic stability control systems on most models that are available in the market. These systems prevent the risk of a rollover by allowing the driver to retain control over his vehicle during certain high-risk maneuvers, like braking or turning at high speeds.

2009 might have seen the lowest numbers of auto, truck and motorcycle accidents, injuries and fatalities in years, but there’s still much that can be done to improve traffic safety in Georgia. Atlanta car accident lawyers have a particular list of goodies that they would love to see delivered by state transportation safety agencies and federal agencies to decrease accidents in Atlanta and throughout Georgia.

Here is our Most Wanted list for 2011.

More Progress against Distracted Driving

Early figures by the Georgia State Patrol seem to indicate that there has been an increase in auto accidents in Georgia this Thanksgiving holiday. These are not the final figures, and hundreds of police and sheriff’s departments will soon send in their accident, injury and fatality data to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

According to the figures by the Georgia State Patrol however, there were 520 accidents over the holiday. These resulted in 231 injuries. In 2009, the State Patrol recorded 411 accidents that injured 246 people. According to the Georgia State Patrol, 11 people died in accidents in Georgia this holiday. That includes fatalities in Atlanta and Cherokee County. Last year however, there had been 13 fatalities.

We will continue to see increased traffic across Georgia over the next couple of weeks as Georgia and, especially, Atlanta residents drive to finish their holiday shopping and plan Christmas parties. This is always a more dangerous time of the year, because the high spirits and laid-back attitude create a sense of complacency that can prove deadly behind the wheel. It’s more important now than ever, to be aware that you will likely share the roads with more numbers of drivers than during other times of the year, and also that safety may not be the number one thing on drivers’ minds.

Speeding Cameras, DUI Enforcement Could Prevent More Fatal Accidents Every Year

A new study should be a wake-up call for those who have been celebrating the fact that traffic accident fatality levels are at their lowest levels in decades. According to the study, the US is actually faring very poorly in comparison to countries like France and Australia, in reducing highway accident fatalities.

The study, by the influential National Research Council, compared traffic accident fatality rates in this country with other countries, including European countries, Japan, Australia and other developed nations. The US has made some of the least amount of progress in reducing the number of deaths. The study found that since 1995, France has managed to reduce its traffic accident fatalities by 52%, compared to 19% in the US.

Study Indicates One in Six Fatal Accidents Linked to Drowsy Driving

It’s time to wake up to the serious dangers posed by motorists who drive when they’re in a sleepy or tired state.A new study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety indicates that one in every six fatal auto accidents in the US is caused by a drowsy motorist.In fact, these drivers likely account for approximately 17% of all auto accidents in the country.

No Atlanta car accident attorney would deny that those are sobering statistics.You don’t want to share the road with a motorist who is in serious danger of simply dozing off at the wheel.Yet, more than 41% of the respondents in the AAA study admitted that they had driven while they were very sleepy, at least once in their lifetime.Even worse, 27% of the respondents in the study admitted that over the previous month, they had driven while they were so sleepy they could barely see straight.

Gwinnett County police are blaming reckless driving and failure to maintain lanes for a fatal accident over the weekend that killed a 19-year-old. A Valdosta man has been charged in the accident, which occurred on Sunday. According to police, the crash occurred near Lawrenceville. The suspect, James Griffin was driving a Silverado that swerved between lanes as it traveled southward on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, and then became airborne. The pickup truck landed on a Toyota Camry. The driver of the Camry was killed instantly in the accident.

The accident continues to remain under investigation, but police have already charged James Griffin with reckless driving and failure to maintain lanes.

Reckless driving is driving without regard for the rules of the road, or for other motorists’ safety. Such driving is much more harmful than merely disobeying traffic rules. Typically, reckless driving may include speeding, weaving between lanes, changing lanes improperly, running through red lights and other such undesirable driving practices.

Motorist in Deadly Georgia Easter Accident Sentenced to 36 Years in Prison

The BMW driver, who was involved in a deadly car accident that killed a total of five people last Easter in Fulton County, has been sentenced to six years in prison.Aimee Michaels also received 14 years of probation, and has been ordered to surrender her driver’s license, and not to operate a motor vehicle.Her mother was sentenced to eight years for tampering with evidence and hindering her daughter’s arrest.

The accident occurred on April 12 last year.Michaels apparently lost control of the BMW she was driving, and struck a Mercedes.The impact of the accident sent the Mercedes crashing into a Volkswagen.The Mercedes burst into flames.All four occupants, including a couple, a nine-year-old girl and an infant boy were killed instantly in the crash.In the Volkswagen were a woman and her nine-year-old daughter.The daughter was killed in the crash.It was one of the deadliest crashes that Atlanta car accident lawyers had seen in recent times.

Georgia State Patrol investigators are investigating a pedestrian accident involving a third-grade boy, who was critically injured in an accident as he was getting into his school bus. The pedestrian accident occurred last Tuesday.As the school bus pulled over, the boy who was waiting at the stop, walked into the road to get on the bus.At that point, he was struck by a pickup truck. The boy was thrown about 50 feet away from the point of impact.He sustained critical injuries, and is being treated at a local hospital.

The driver of the school bus says that he had stopped the bus, and a stop sign was clearly visible at the time of the accident.However, the driver of the pickup truck insists that the bus had not stopped moving when the accident occurred, and the stop sign was not out when his vehicle hit the boy.Neighbors in the area have their own explanation for the accident.They say there’s a serious problem with speeding motorists on that stretch of road.

This accident came during the same week as another crash involving a school bus in Barrow County.In that accident, several students were injured when their bus was rear-ended by a Jeep.None of the students were seriously injured.

In the most recent in a string of serious school bus accidents in Georgia, five people have been injured in an accident involving a stopped school bus in Barrow County. The accident occurred on Wednesday. There were 14 students on the bus when the accident occurred.According to witnesses, the bus had its warning lights activated, and was unloading passengers when it was rear-ended by a Jeep.The driver of the Jeep suffered serious injuries, and was rushed to the hospital.Three students on the bus also suffered injuries, and had to taken to the Barrow Regional Medical Center.The students had been standing up at the time of the accident, waiting for their turn to exit the bus.The children reportedly sustained bumps and bruises.The driver also sustained injuries.

According to news reports, the school bus had had its warning lights activated.Moreover, the accident occurred during daylight.Investigators will likely be looking at the reason why the pickup truck driver was unable to stop before he rear-ended the school bus.

Georgia School Bus Accident Claims