Georgia Injury Law Blog

Published on: January 29, 2022

Artificial Intelligence Promises Quicker Fracture Diagnosis for Accident Victims

Artificial intelligence has been used in many areas to help fill voids needed in tasks. Now, doctors treating victims of car accidents who have suffered fractures might receive a quicker diagnosis of the fracture using artificial intelligence- enabled systems.

Fractures or broken bones are some of the most common injuries that occur during car accidents. A fracture is a serious injury that oftentimes requires people to be rushed to a hospital emergency room. X-rays and other scans may be used to help diagnose a fracture in an emergency room. The problem, however, is that most doctors are expected to interpret hundreds of X-rays in a given day, delaying diagnoses and increasing the risk of interpretation errors.

However, according to a new study, systems that make use of artificial intelligence can help doctors diagnose fractures quicker. The researchers are working on a system that makes use of artificial intelligence to identify positive X- rays and moves these up for radiologists to begin interpreting these X-ray reports quicker. This makes the waiting time for a patient to receive a diagnosis much shorter. That also means a lower waiting time at the hospital emergency room before you receive a complete diagnosis of your injury.

Published on: January 24, 2022

This One Factor Increases Senior Driver Accident Risks

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Senior drivers tend to purchase the same type of car throughout the years placing an emphasis on familiarity over safety features. This behavior could possibly increase their accident risks.

Earlier studies have indicated that seniors tend to drive cars that are less loaded with the kind of state-of-the-art safety features that many automobiles now come with. More new studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety now prove this point. Senior drivers already have a higher risk for accident-related injury and fatality than other age groups. They are more likely to suffer severe injuries, and one reason for this is that these drivers tend to drive cars that have older and possibly outdated features.

Prior studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have found that drivers above the age of 75 have a risk of being fatally injured in car accidents that is as much as four times higher in the case of a side-impact accident. In the case of a frontal accident, the risk of dying is approximately three times higher for a senior above the age of 75, compared to drivers of other age groups.

Published on: January 17, 2022

Video Games Add to the Distraction Factor in Tesla Models

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Tesla is probably the best known for the various high-tech systems in its automobiles many of which can help a driver avoid being in an accident. However, one newly-introduced feature most likely has the opposite effect. A recent but little-known feature in Tesla vehicles allows occupants, including passengers, to play in-car video games in full view of the driver.

Motorists as well as passengers can play one of several popular video games while the car is in operation. The kind of distraction that this poses to the driver cannot be overstated. Tesla has been under scrutiny for the safety of its tech systems, including the auto drive systems that allow the car to be operated without the motorist placing his hands on the steering wheel, for several months now. Tesla is also under a federal investigation regarding accidents involving its cars that have resulted in several deaths. Since 2016, more than ten people have died in accidents that were caused when the Tesla cars crashed while in auto pilot mode. Unfortunately, Tesla has not been able to come up with a fool-proof system that will prompt the driver to keep his eyes on the road while the car is being operated automatically.

The risk of accidents involving these cars has been the subject of federal probes for serval months now, and the introduction of this new feature that allows occupants to play video games while driving the car has federal agencies even more concerned. Regulators at the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is currently leading the safety probe into Tesla models, have asked the automaker for more information about the video game features in its cars.

Published on: January 10, 2022

Incoming NHTSA Chief Promises to Focus on Reducing Traffic Accident Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is poised to soon have its first confirmed chief in several years. The good news is that the new head promises to take an extra special look at the increasing rates of traffic accident fatalities in the country.

The Biden administration has zeroed in on Steven Cliff to be the next head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Cliff has been serving as the deputy administrator for the NHTSA since February 2021.

Cliff is no stranger to auto safety, and is currently overseeing the federal administration’s investigation into auto accidents in Tesla automobiles. He is making it clear that the recently-approved infrastructure bill would boost the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s spending budget by 50%. According to Cliff, the funds will help the administration implement strategies to understand the causes of car accidents, and will enhance the quality of data as well expand the use of electronic reporting systems, moving them from paper-based to digital systems.

Published on: January 9, 2022

Latest Crash Tests Underscore Role of Rear Seatbelts in Preventing Car Accident Personal Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New crash tests clearly highlight the importance of rear seat belts in preventing serious personal injuries in car accidents. The results of these tests are likely to spur efforts towards keeping back seat passengers safe in auto accidents.

Safety experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the results of new tests specifically focused on the role of seatbelts in preventing personal injuries to passengers riding in the back. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was specifically looking at whether seatbelt technologies that have been shown to have excellent personal injury protection capabilities for front seat passengers and drivers, can also perform equally well in protecting rear seat passengers. The crash tests resulted in a new set of ratings for rear seatbelts, and this is the first time that ratings for rear seat belts have been released in the US.

These ratings will guide manufacturers as they design better automobiles that protect not just motorists and front seat passengers, but also passengers at risk at the back. The push towards increasing safety for back seat passengers received a further boost this year with Uber announcing that its app will soon require back seat passengers to buckle in as soon as they get in the car.

Published on: January 4, 2022

In-Car Technology, Objects Major Factor in Car Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New cars have an increasing array of gadgets and accessories. Although some may be designed to help keep a driver safe, in-car technology and objects inside the car may actually be much more likely to distract motorists than objects outside the car.

These new findings are part of recent research into distractions affecting motorists and their impact on safe driving. The study was published in Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal and focused on the types of distractions that motorists are most prone to, as well as the impact of distractions on different types of motorists, including teen as well as senior drivers.

The study found that in-car objects and technology as well as cell phones were a major distraction for motorists. External scenes were also a distraction to a certain extent. Teens and adult drivers were much more likely to be distracted by technology, other passengers as well as other types of distractions, compared to senior drivers. However, senior drivers seemed to suffer a greater impact from distractions. Older drivers may begin to suffer from slower reflexes and delayed response times as they age, and the impact of these can be exacerbated when the senior driver is also distracted by his cell phone or other technology. Both females as well as males were prone to distractions.

Published on: December 31, 2021

Most Drunk Drivers Wrongly Believe they are Fit to Drive

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

It is well known that alcohol impairs a person’s judgment and reflexive abilities which is why someone who has been drinking should not be behind a wheel. However, most motorists underestimate exactly how drunk they are and almost always mistakenly believe that they are fit to drive. Not surprisingly, a new study finds that self-monitoring and self-evaluation of drunkenness may not help prevent accidents involving drunk motorists.

The study was conducted in Germany which has a legal blood alcohol concentration limit of 0.05. The researchers found in their study that more than 50% of the participants believed that they were fit to drive even though they had a blood alcohol concentration limit that was higher than the maximum legal limit. There were ninety participants in the study, and the average age of the participants was 24. As part of the study, the participants were made to drink alcoholic beverages until their blood alcohol concentration level reached 0.11% or more than twice the legal limit in that country. The study was conducted over a period of two days.

The researchers found that as many as 39% of the participants believed that they had just reached the intoxication limit when they had crossed the limit. On the second day, 53% of the participants believed that they had just reached the legal limit when they had actually surpassed it. This shows that individual ability to determine drunkenness cannot be taken as a confirmation of a person’s ability to drive safely. Self evaluation of driving ability can be extremely prejudiced, and drivers can be prone to making errors in determining their own ability to drive safely.

Published on: December 24, 2021

Stronger Driver’s License and Child Safety Laws Could Further Reduce Accident Fatalities in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A leading non-profit traffic safety advocacy group says that Georgia could do a much better job of protecting motorists and other people on our roads and preventing accidents by implementing key changes to the existing laws.

According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a non-profit organization, 1,491 persons were killed in traffic accidents on Georgia roads in 2019. Around 13,525 people were killed in traffic accidents in the state over a decade-long period. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in its Roadmap for State Highway Safety Laws report says that the total cost of traffic accidents in Georgia has been more than 10 billion dollars. The 2021 roadmaps report identifies the areas in which Georgia has succeeded in keeping motorists safe, and suggests areas of improvement that could further help reduce accident and fatality rates in the state.

The report is very appreciative of Georgia’s seat belt laws that allow for primary enforcement. Primary enforcement means that a police officer can pull a motorist over and cite him for failure to wear a seatbelt even if he does not notice any other violations. However, the primary enforcement law applies to motorists and front seat passengers only, and not to rear seat passengers. The report recommends that Georgia implement primary enforcement seat belt laws even for back seat passengers. Georgia’s motorcycle helmet laws that apply to all riders as well as the state’s booster seat were commended, however the report recommended mandating children remain in rear facing booster seats until the age of two.

Published on: December 20, 2021

Georgia Highways to Benefit from Infrastructure Bill

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Transportation safety advocates have been hailing the infrastructure bill that allocates billions in spending on upgrading infrastructure. Georgia could be an especially lucky beneficiary of that funding.

The infrastructure bill recently signed by President Joe Biden will earmark a staggering $1 trillion for infrastructure funding across the country. Billions of dollars of those funds are on their way to Georgia where many bridges, roads, and highways will benefit from upgrades and repairs. The state has several bridges and highways that have been deemed dangerous or in “poor” condition by experts. At least 374 bridges in the state are “structurally deficient.” Additionally, more than 2, 000 miles of roads across Georgia are categorized as “poor.” These roads and bridges will benefit from the funding and receive necessary repairs from pot holes, to crumbling pavement and unstable foundations.

Close to 9 billion dollars in funding will be directed to defective highways and roads in the state. An additional $225 million will be allocated for conducting repairs to bridges. Roads in the metro Atlanta region are likely to benefit from repairs as a result of the funding. Mass transit in Georgia will also benefit as a result of the funds. The bill includes more than 1.4 billion dollars to be spent over the next five years on public transport systems in Georgia. Efforts to expand public transportation have long been attempted in the Atlanta area. The additional funding may help get overdue improvements finally implemented. Expansion of mass transit and public transport services will ease congestion in the metro Atlanta region and other areas, and make the roads safer for all commuters to use. Mass transit is safer and more convenient than driving for many Atlanta residents, and expansion will definitely be welcome

Published on: December 15, 2021

Older People now Have Increased Risk of Fall Accidents

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Seniors who have had limited access to physical exercise and mobility over the past year are reporting frail health and an increased risk of fall accidents that result in injuries.

A new study by the University of Michigan shows that the health crisis of last year meant lost access to their usual opportunities for exercise for many seniors. Even simple walks outside the home became difficult for many seniors in Georgia, and as a result, their collective health has suffered. The study finds that long periods of staying home with only sedentary activity has resulted in frail musculoskeletal health for seniors, and that this has increased their risk for suffering fall accidents significantly.

The researchers surveyed a group of seniors between the ages of 50 and 80 about their access to physical inactivity during 2020, and found that many reported lower levels of exercise. As many as a third of the survey respondents reported that their health declined in 2020, especially during the first few months of the crisis. As many as a quarter reported that they have worse physical health than before the crisis, and that they now have a serious fear of falling.