Category Archives: Auto Accidents
More Restrictive Laws Prevent Teen Drunk Driving Deaths, Study Finds
About one in every four motor vehicle accidents that results in the death of a child, teen, or young adult involves a drunk driver. In order to determine how to curb the high rate of death in drunk driving accidents for teens in particular, one researcher looked at whether laws restricting both teen drinking… Read More »
Survey Shows Average Driver Understands Risks, Drives Dangerously Anyhow
A recent survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety shows a disconnect between what US drivers know to be safe driving behaviors, and how they actually drive. Careless or reckless drivers who cause injury accidents by exhibiting these sorts of dangerous behaviors on the road may be liable in a claim for… Read More »
Safety Nonprofit Finds Roadway Deaths at a Nine-Year High
A recent report from the safety nonprofit group National Research Council (NSC) reveals that roadway deaths are up for a second year in a row, after fifty years of falling fatality rates. A partnership between a federal agency and an alcohol detection technology researcher could lead to safety features in cars that would control… Read More »
Self-Driving Cars About to Hit Southern California Roads in Greater Numbers
Cars that could drive themselves were a concept limited to science-fiction movies until somewhat recently. Now, they’re about to become fairly commonplace on California roads. Whether or not these vehicles will be as safe as promised is yet to be seen. The CEO and founder of Tesla, Elon Musk, recently announced that the latest… Read More »
Rate of Fatalities on US Roads Continues to Climb
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the fatality rate in 2016 has reached startlingly-high levels. According to the federal agency, 10% more people were killed in traffic accidents in the first half of 2016 than were killed in the same portion of 2015, despite the fact that 2015 had an over-7%… Read More »
New Federal Rule Would Force Large Vehicles to Slow Down on Nation’s Highways
Both the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the agencies charged with establishing rules for commercial vehicles, have each proposed a rule that would require vehicles such as large trucks and buses to be speed-limited. Under this rule, new large commercial vehicles weighing over 26,000 lbs would… Read More »
Pedal Error is a Frequent Cause of Car Accidents
Pedal errors, or hitting the gas pedal when you mean to hit the brake, can happen to even conscientious drivers, distracted for a moment or lost in thought. However, a momentary lapse in attention could be enough to result in a serious car accident, under the right (or, rather, wrong) circumstances. Read on to… Read More »
Family of Victim of Dangerous Intersection Awarded $23.7 Million
Cities and states have a duty to design and maintain safe roads and intersections. When these entities fail to carry out this duty competently, there can be tragic results, for which the responsible government office can be held liable. A recent jury verdict awarded against the City of Los Angeles based on its failure… Read More »
Victim of Car Accident Sues Driver Allegedly Distracted by Snapchat
A man who claims that photo-sharing app Snapchat’s speed filter is unreasonably dangerous and caused his accident with a distracted driver is suing both the driver and the app’s creators for expenses related to his injuries. Safety groups have long decried the feature as unsafe and requested that Snapchat disable the speed filter, which… Read More »
Even Devices Designed to Be Less Distracting are Dangerous
As laws banning the use of cell phones while driving have become ubiquitous—along with tragic stories of accidents caused by distracted driving—in-vehicle entertainment systems have become increasingly common in new vehicles. A team of university researchers sought to look at those systems and compare the degree to which they distracted their drivers, and the… Read More »