Articles Posted in Car Accidents

How many highway fatalities are too many highway fatalities? That’s one question that has had auto safety advocates’ and Atlanta car accident lawyers’ attention ever since the NHTSA announced that highway fatalities in the US were at an all-time low.

While 33,960 fatalities in 2009 may seem like good news, there’s one group of transportation safety officials that doesn’t believe so. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is aiming for the ultimate highway accident fatality rate – zero. It is adopting an approach called Toward Zero Deaths. The program’s goal is to alter the most common driving behaviors that frequently cause accidents – drunk driving, distracted driving, speeding and failing to buckle up.

The group is finding much success in its efforts towards minimizing fatality rates even further. Auto safety groups are urging Congress to set a target of halving the highway fatality rate in the next two decades. In August, AASHTO and the Transportation Research Board will convene a meeting in Washington that will be attended by auto safety experts from around the country. Several states are engaged in encouraging initiatives aimed at further reducing fatality rates.

Georgia Has Best and Deadliest Roads in the US

A study published in Reader’s Digest magazine indicates dichotomies in Georgia’s road safety. The state’s roads are some of the best in the country indicated by their position at number 13 on the list. However oddly enough, Georgia’s roads are also mentioned as some of the deadliest in the country, placed at number 20 on a different list.

So, how could our roads be safe and a pleasure to drive on, and still be linked to an inordinate number of accidents and fatalities?

At least three people have been injured in an accident apparently caused by two cars street racing in DeKalb County.

The two cars set off a chain reaction accident on Interstate 285 that involved several vehicles. At least three people had to be taken to the hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The two persons who were racing fled the scene of the accident.

Accidents involving speeding racing cars can result in serious injuries or fatalities. It’s extremely fortunate that the three people here survived this crash.

Killer Roads Report: Georgia Highways More Dangerous Because of Negligent Motorists

A report based on auto accident statistics by the Department of Transportation between 1994 and 2008 lists the most dangerous roads in the country by the number of fatalities that have occurred here. The top 20 is made up in a large part by cities in heavily populated states, like Texas and California.

According to the data, 23,640 people died on Georgia highways in auto accidents between 1994 and 2008.

Investigators looking into a fatal accident on Interstate 20 believe that bad weather could have been a factor in this crash. The victim, the mother of an 11-month-old infant, had been involved in a minor collision with another motorist. Both women were standing outside their cars when they were hit by a tow truck. The victim sustained serious injuries, and died at the scene of the crash. Investigators now believe that rainy weather could have been a factor in the accident.

With all the weather prediction technologies at our disposal and the precision of meteorological updates, it’s appalling that we continue to see weather-related accidents in Atlanta. We enjoy sunny weather for too much of the year, and the climate can be monotonously predictable, perhaps lulling motorists into complacency. The result is that several motorists and truckers continue to drive as they usually do, even during inclement weather.

Lack of experience with certain weather conditions can be no excuse to drive carelessly. As Atlanta auto accident lawyers, we find it frustrating to read about an increase in auto accidents when the weather gets icy, or when there are sudden showers. Part of your duty as a motorist is to drive not just taking into consideration the road and traffic conditions, but also weather conditions. It’s pure common sense that you need to drive more carefully during storms, strong winds, rains and icy weather conditions.

Highway Safety Group has Traffic Safety Advice for Georgia

As personal injury lawyers serving auto accident victims in Atlanta and around Georgia, we know how better and stronger laws could prevent accidents and fatalities in our state. That has now been confirmed by a report from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

The group has released its Road Map Report, which reviewed states based on 15 basic laws that will contribute to lowered fatalities and injuries on American roads. These laws relate to adult occupant protection, teen driving, child passenger safety, drunk driving and distracted driving. The states were then rated based on their adoption of these recommended laws. The ratings were coded in

New Accident Risks Emerge as Automakers Amp up Technologies in Cars

Getting people to switch off their cell phones while driving has been hard enough, but 2010 promises even more distractions for motorists, and greater risks of accidents. This year, automakers plan to roll out a number of cars with infotainment systems mounted on the dashboard. These systems include 10-inch plus monitors that allow users to access the internet, read restaurant reviews, look at 3-D maps, watch high definition video, and monitor fuel levels, most of this via touch screen technology.

Automakers insist that these systems are safe because the more distracting functions like internet access will not work if the car is moving. However, most of the other functions are available to use through touch screens. It’s part of a wider trend of vehicles coming equipped with all the features that we have come to accept in our smart phones. It also promises a massive headache for the Department of Transportation, and agencies around the country that are struggling to minimize cell-phone related risks. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has already made clear his displeasure at these new high-tech features, and has promised that he will discuss the issue.

Ford Explorers are no strangers to controversy, and have been linked to hundreds of incidences of rollovers. In the most recent such rollover accident involving a Ford, two people died in Atlanta when their Ford Explorer suffered a tire blowout and flipped over. There were 6 occupants in the Explorer, and three of them were ejected. Four people were injured in the accident.

The Ford Explorer has been linked to more incidences of rollovers than other SUV’s. Earlier this decade, Ford found itself in the middle of a controversy related to defective Firestone tires that were prone to blowouts, causing the Explorers to roll over. The tire defect involved tread separation which caused the tire to disintegrate, leading to loss of control over the vehicle. While Firestone tires were blamed for these rollover accidents, Atlanta personal injury lawyers also pointed to the design of the Explorer which made it much more likely to flip over in case of a tire blowout at high speeds, compared to other SUV’s.

The Ford Explorer continues to be the center of lawsuits, ending in massive jury awards. This year, Ford was ordered to pay $55 million in punitive damages to a California woman who was left paralyzed when her Explorer rolled over and the roof collapsed on her neck. Her spine was severed from the impact, and she continues to remain paralyzed. Also this year, a woman in Georgia was awarded $40 million in damages by a jury in Lamar County. The woman Jessica Mundy claimed that a transmission defect in her Explorer caused it to suddenly go into reverse when placed in park mode. As a result, the SUV ran over her, causing spinal cord injuries, and leaving her paralyzed.

Accident prevention and safety has been on the minds of Atlanta auto accident lawyers this season. Weather conditions are bound to get harsher, and motorists are also going to have to deal with millions of holiday travelers in a week’s time. The combination of bad weather and heavy traffic can be deadly. That is why when a group of elite truck drivers who have completed millions of miles of driving without accidents, doles out expert safety advice, we are all ears.

The advice comes to us via the American Truck Associations’ Share the Road program, which has professional truck drivers teaching the public about driving safely around 18 wheelers. There is no doubt driving a massive tractor trailer rig that weighs tens of thousands of pounds, requires greater skill and experience than driving a sedan. That is why we would highly recommend these truck safety tips for holiday travelers this winter.

· Always be aware of vehicles in front of you, and keep a sufficient distance between the two vehicles.

Stanford Law School professor Nora Freeman Angstrom has published an investigative report” Run of the Mill Justice” in the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. She has scathing remarks for what she calls “settlement mills” – law firms that are involved in the mass resolution of claims. These firms base their business – it might be a stretch to call it “practice” of the law – on taking on high volumes of accident and injury cases and rushing to settle these with insurers, often for low amounts.There is minimal interaction with the client, and the principle is to rush though cases, with barely any of these cases ending up before a jury.

These mills get most of their clients from aggressive advertisements on billboards and television. Most importantly, a settlement mill is rarely interested intaking a case to trial, and getting a fair value for the client. The report makes very interesting reading, and Angstrom does not hold back as she names law firms, including one in Georgia, that she characterized as having low jury trial rates.

It’s not often we hear a law expert openly calling out these settlement mills by name, and as Atlanta personal injury trial lawyers who believe in fighting for justice for every individual client, we agree with what she says. Not every accident case will go to a trial. Very often, clients reach favorable settlements without having to go to court. However, if a case cannot be resolved during settlement negotiations, it’s important that your Atlanta personal injury attorney be equipped with the resources, skills, preparation and expertise to take your case to trial, and win.