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Calls for the United States to mandate automatic braking systems on all motorcycles in order to prevent accidents are growing louder.  This  country remains one of the very few developed nations that do not require this technology on all motorcycles.

The  Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is petitioning the federal government to mandate automated braking systems on all motorcycles in order to prevent accidents.  This  is the second time that the organization petitioned the federal government on this matter.  The first time was more than a decade ago, and since then, according to the organization, more than 27 nations, including Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Brazil,  India and several members of the European Union, have mandated these technologies on all motorcycles.

Automatic braking technologies can help riders maintain control over the motorcycle even when they suddenly brake or brake on wet or slippery surfaces.  They  prevent the kind of motorcycle crashes that are often caused as a result of skidding.  These  are the kind of accidents that often result in the   rider falling off the motorcycle with possibly devastating consequences.  The  lack of ABS on a motorcycle is a significant factor in a large percentage of motorcycle accidents every year.

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Young  drivers below the age of 21 may be at a high risk of driving while fatigued or drowsy, increasing their risks of being involved in a car accident.  Those  findings come from a new study by the National Sleep Foundation.

The  National  Sleep Foundation recently released the results of a new study that specifically focused on the effects of drowsy driving on teenage drivers.  The  findings of the study were released in time to coincide  with  Drowsy Driving Awareness Week in November.

According  to the National Foundation study, drowsy driving is linked to as many as 20% of all fatal car accidents in the United States and another 13% of all car accidents resulting in personal injuries.  As  many as 16% of teenage drivers admit to having operated a motor vehicle while drowsy or sleepy at least once. That makes it at least 1 in 16 drivers or 1.7 million teenagers who have operated a car when they were so sleepy that they could barely keep their eyes  open. As many as 400,000 teenagers admitted to having operated a motor vehicle while drowsy at least once a week.  That makes it a higher percentage of drowsy teenage drivers on our roads compared to drowsy adults.

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There is good news for teen motorists – a category of drivers that is traditionally one of the most at risk groups for car accidents.  The  Governors Highway Safety Association in a recent report announced that there has been a significant drop in the number of  fatal car accidents involving young motorists.

The  Governors Highway Safety Association recently released the findings of a new report titled Young Drivers and Traffic Fatalities:  20 Years of Progress on the Road to Zero.  The   report finds that there was a 38% drop in the number of fatal car accidents involving teenage drivers since 2002.  During the same period of time, there was actually an increase of 8% in the number of fatal car accidents involving older drivers above the age of 21.   There  was also a significant 45% drop in the number of teen car accident wrongful deaths during the same period of time, compared to a spike of 11% in car accident deaths for older drivers above the age of 21.  Traditionally, teenage drivers have had a car accident wrongful death rate that is four times higher than for drivers above the age of 21.

A  number of factors could possibly have impacted this significant drop in fatal car accidents involving teenage drivers.  The  Governors Highway Safety Association makes note of the fact that  teenage drivers are driving at lower volumes than they used to in 2002.   The  organization also believes that this has contributed to just a very small percentage of the staggering drop in fatal teen car accidents.  The  Governors Highway Safety Association believes that much of the drop has to do with the fact that  so many states like Georgia now have solid Graduated Drivers’ Licensing programs in place.  These  programs place significant restrictions on a teenager’s ability to drive independently including restrictions on the ability to drive at night and drive with teenage passengers in the car. However, most of these Graduated Drivers’ Licensing programs apply to drivers below the age of 18, and the report recommends that states extend these programs to drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 in order to reduce those accident risks further.

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Declining  vision is a much more serious car accident risk factor for senior drivers than we may believe.  According  to the results of a new study, it is linked to an 84% higher risk of being involved in car accidents.

Seniors  may suffer from a number of health challenges as they get older that increase their risks of being involved in an auto accident, and one of the most significant of those challenges is declining vision. Being unable to see clearly or the lack of a wide range of vision that allows the driver to see not just ahead but also identify auto accident risks from the sides, can significantly impact the person’s risk of being involved in a dangerous car accident. It is for this reason that most states, including Georgia, have laws in place that require senior drivers  to get their eyesight tested at regular intervals  as a condition for  license renewal.

At a recent conference of the American Academy of Ophthalmology,  researchers presented the results of a study which found that  the current eye testing system that is currently followed in so many states may not be the ideal way to determine senior health and the capacity of older motorists to avoid car accidents.

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Pedestrians  are more likely to suffer fatal personal injuries in a car accident when they are involved in an accident with a large vehicle, like a pick up truck or SUV.  According  to the findings of a new study, however, more than the size of the vehicle, it may be the height of the front end of the truck that may prove most detrimental to pedestrian safety.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently published the findings of two new research studies into pedestrian safety.  According to the researchers, vehicles that have taller, higher front ends are much more likely to cause serious and fatal personal injuries to pedestrians in a car accident.  The study found that cars with a hood height of more than 40 inches were approximately 45% more likely to kill pedestrians involved in an auto accident with the car, in comparison to cars that had a hood height of 30 inches or less.

The worrying part is that vehicles with taller, higher hoods have become extremely popular over the past few decades.  According to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, over the past 30 years, there has been a significant increase in not just the size and weight of the average vehicle, but also the hood height.  The average car has increased by 8 inches in height and 1000 pounds in weight. Over  the same period of time, cars have also gotten about 4 inches wider and about 10 inches longer. In fact, many vehicles that you see in Atlanta today are likely to be at least 40 inches or higher at the tallest point of the hood.  Aggressive – looking vehicles are not just intimidating to pedestrians, but are also capable of causing serious and devastating personal injuries that can result in wrongful death.

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Winter is coming, and with it comes the risk of slip and fall accidents that can result in serious personal injuries.  Doctors are warning pedestrians, especially the elderly, to be extra cautious while walking during the season.

Atlanta sees  more than its share of snowy, wet and icy conditions during winter, and these can provide ideal conditions for a slip and fall accident.  Sidewalks  and paths can be covered with black ice that may be invisible, but  treacherous enough to cause a fall.

What is the best thing you could do to prevent a slip and fall accident this winter?  The  answer is surprisingly – walk like a penguin.  Slip and fall safety experts say that walking with short, slow steps is the ideal walking pace to prevent a slip and fall accident this winter.  Use heavy, weighted steps and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Avoid walking fast even if the path ahead seems safe and free of ice.  Avoid  taking long strides that can make it hard for you to prevent a fall.

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Motorists driving while fatigued or sleepy cause as many as 100,000 car accidents every year.  This  November, the National Sleep Foundation is marking Drowsy Driving Prevention Week to raise  awareness about the dangers of driving while sleepy.

The National Sleep Foundation commemorates the first week of November every year as Drowsy Driving Prevention Week to coincide with the end of daylight savings time.  The  National Sleep Foundation estimates that as many as 100,000 car accidents every year are caused by drivers who are too sleepy or fatigued to drive. According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than half of all American motorists admit to regularly or consistently driving while sleepy.  About 20% of American drivers admit to having operated a motor vehicle while sleepy at least once in the past year. Clearly, there are far too many people who feel comfortable driving a car when they are simply too tired or sleepy to do so.

Some categories of motorists may be at a greater risk of drowsy driving than others.  For example, motorists between the age of 16 and 25 are at a higher risk of driving while sleepy.  Male  motorists may also be much more likely to find nothing wrong while driving in a sleepy condition compared   to female drivers.  Shift  workers and commercial drivers like long haul   truck drivers may also be at higher risk of not getting enough sleep resulting in drowsy driving. Apart  from these business travelers as well as persons suffering   from medical conditions like sleep apnea are also at a higher risk.  Apnea is a sleep  condition that causes a person to suffer from respiratory interruptions  during sleep at night which causes the person to be fatigued and sleepy   in the daytime. Sometimes, drowsy driving  is the result of  taking medications like anti -depressants and antihistamines that may have sleepiness as a side effect.

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It is always a nerve wracking moment for any parent when their child receives a driver’s license and begins operating a motor vehicle.  A  new technology that makes use of a video game to identify teen responses to car accident risks may help parents understand better what kind of driver their child is likely to become.

Research scientists at the Neuroscience of Driving program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Injury Research and Prevention recently designed a virtual driving assessment test that is aimed at understanding teenage behaviors and responses to common auto accident risks and evaluating future driving behaviors based on these.

The new technology is called Already Assess by Diagnostic Driving. It consists of a 15 – minute simulator drive that is designed like a video game.  Teenagers  are required to follow the simulated course on a large computer screen using headphones, foot pedals and  a steering wheel. As the teenager moves through the simulated course, the technology monitors around 100 driving skills that can predict the teen’s risk of a car accident. These skills include the crucial ability to navigate difficult curves and intersections, lane position,  control of the vehicle,  the proximity of his vehicle to other vehicles,  and his or her ability to respond to sudden and emergency hazards.  When  the teenager completes the course, he is given a personalized  report card that clearly outlines his or her responses to various stimuli and the areas of deficiency as well as the areas that she or he can improve on.

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Traumatic brain injury of the kind that is often sustained in car accidents, trucking accident as well as slip and fall accidents is linked to several  health consequences, including mental health symptoms like depression.   A  new study finds that  women may be at a much higher risk of suffering depression after a traumatic brain injury, compared to men.

Researchers recently analyzed 9 studies on traumatic brain injury and related depression, and found that women had a risk of suffering depression after a personal injury that was as much as 50% higher than the risk for men.  The  analysis focused on more than 700,000 people who suffered a traumatic brain injury, including more than 360,000 women. Out  of these, approximately 29% or 104,000 women reported depression after the injury. In contrast, 332,000 men suffered a brain injury in the study, and out of these, 72,000 or 22% reported  depression in the months after the  injury.

The researchers have been unable to speculate about the reasons for this difference between men and women, but the fact is that women seem to be at a much higher overall risk of suffering depression compared to men.  Among  older women, for instance, the top cause of depression is traumatic brain injury and the biggest cause of brain injury in women is  slip and fall accidents.  The  researchers believe that it is important for physicians treating older women or any women suffering from brain injury to caution them about their risks for depression.

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Winter  is coming,  and with it comes the risk of slip and fall accidents that can result in  serious personal injuries.  Doctors are warning pedestrians, especially the elderly, to be extra cautious while walking during the season.

Atlanta sees  more than its share of snowy, wet and icy conditions during winter, and these can provide ideal conditions for a slip and fall accident.  Sidewalks  and paths can be covered with black ice that may be invisible, but  treacherous enough to cause a fall.

What is the best thing you could do to prevent a slip and fall accident this winter?  The  answer is surprisingly – walk like a penguin.  Slip and fall safety experts say that walking with short, slow steps is the ideal walking pace to prevent a slip and fall accident this winter.  Use heavy, weighted   steps  and be aware of your surroundings at all times. Avoid walking fast even if the path ahead seems safe and free of ice.  Avoid  taking long strides that can make it hard for you to prevent a fall.

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