Georgia Injury Law Blog

Many American cities, including our very own Atlanta have adopted the Vision Zero goal of reducing traffic accidents to the minimum over the next few decades. However, while the goal is laudable, the reality is that most American cities have struggled in their efforts in meeting this goal.

The Vision Zero goal is a commendable one, and has become very popular with cities around the world. Atlanta has its own version of the Vision Zero goal. According to the Atlanta Department of Transportation, the Vision Zero goal is a systems-driven approach to  reducing traffic accident fatalities through measures like speed management and better street design.  There is no denying that there can be no progress made in reducing traffic accident facilities to the absolute minimum unless we take into consideration the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists.

In most European countries that have adopted Vision Zero, the program has been successful.  According to this Blomberg report, Oslo, the capital city of Norway is a prime example of what can happen when transportation agencies and the population come together with a single goal in mind – to minimize fatal accidents that are entirely preventable.  Fatal accidents in Oslo are so rare that they result in a full-blown investigation and not just a police report when they occur.

The recent shortage of available cars for purchase has made it difficult for consumers to get their vehicle of choice.  Ideally, one would want to get the safest car available to protect them in an accident.  However, the average American driver is much more likely to be aware of all the features on his large screen television than the car uses to get around safely every day. This lack of knowledge is even more glaring among used car buyers who often have little knowledge about the accident prevention features that their car includes.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found recently in a study that buyers of used cars do not have all information about the technologies in their vehicles.  The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a survey of drivers who had bought automobiles between 2016 and 2019. The survey group included more than 400 owners who had bought their new vehicles in a showroom, while the rest consisted of motorists who had bought used cars.

The survey found that buyers of both old and new cars were not completely aware of the safety features that their vehicle included.  Just about two-thirds of new car buyers, for instance, were aware of information relating to the adaptive cruise control feature on their cars. This feature includes all the conveniences of traditional cruise control, but also slows and speeds up depending on the distance with the car ahead, thereby reducing the risk of a fender bender or accident.  However, this feature needs to be turned on to be effective.

Despite efforts to the contrary, larger vehicles including SUV’s continue to be in strong demand by drivers.  Pedestrians may be in danger from all vehicles on the road, but may be at an especially higher risk of being struck by larger vehicles like SUVs and minivans compared to passenger cars.

That information comes from a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The organization studied the risk to pedestrians from a number of different types of vehicles, and found that larger vehicles have a higher rate of being involved in pedestrian collisions, compared to smaller cars.  Not only are larger trucks more prone to hitting pedestrians, but these accidents are also much more likely to result in severe injuries.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety looked at accidents involving single vehicles at several locations, including intersections. The study found that the rate of fatal injuries in an accident by a left -turning vehicle was much higher in the case of SUVs with a rate that was twice as high compared to head-on accidents. The risk was also three times higher for vans and minivans.  This risk of hitting a pedestrian while making a left turn was the highest in the case of pickup trucks with a rate that was 4 times higher.

Car accidents are one of the leading causes of serious injury and even death every year.  Safer vehicles play a key part in helping prevent a large number of fatal accidents every year.  The federal administration is considering upgrades to its rating system for new vehicles so customers can make safer and informed decisions about the vehicles they drive.

Statistics show that more than 3,000 people die on American roadways every month.  Many of these deaths occur in accidents that are preventable through better vehicle design.   Safer auto design used to be a key element in safety efforts a few years ago which is why we had important safety legislation like laws strengthening roof strength in order to prevent the kind of serious injuries that result from rollover accidents.  That lead to a cut in the number of fatal rollover accidents recorded every year. However, there doesn’t seem to have been as much legislative focus on vehicle safety design or changes to the existing system that make it possible for customers to buy safe cars in recent years.  This could also probably explain, at least in part, the increasing number of traffic accident fatalities recently. According to new statistics released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, those numbers increased to record highs this year.  The agency is currently planning an update to its star rating system for new vehicles.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five star rating system known as the New Car Assessment Program will be upgraded to better reflect the various new technologies that are now included in automobiles to prevent accidents. In particular, the plan is to include four new safety technologies including blind spot prevention and intervention, lane departure warning systems and pedestrian accident-avoidance technologies in new vehicles.  The plan also includes more updates to the current testing procedures for new vehicles as well as stronger criteria for driver assisted safety systems.

Driving at night or in inclement weather in a car with poor visibility due to headlights can be very dangerous and a recipe for a car accident.  However, for decades, federal laws have prevented high beam and low beam lights in a car from being operated at the same time. That comes to an end soon as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration scraps the old standard, thereby allowing adaptive headlights to become common in automobiles.

While most other types of car components and tech, including seat belts, have adapted and evolved over the years, headlight tech has remained the same. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 determined that both high beam and low beam lights could not be operated together. That prevented the widespread adoption of technology like adaptive headlights which are found in other countries that do not have such restrictions.

The technology consists of dozens of cameras that can provide different types of lighting depending on the road conditions and can direct the flow of the lighting with precision. That means that high beam and low beam lights can be deployed simultaneously to extend visibility in all directions without blinding other drivers.