Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer stresses importance of National Teen Driver Safety Awareness

This week is National Teen Driver Safety Week, and it’s a time to focus on the real dangers teens face when driving. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that almost half of the teen drivers involved in a crash die, yet a recent survey found that only 25% of parents have had a serious talk with their kids about the importance of driving safely.

The NHTSA stresses the following rules for teens in its “5 To Drive” campaign:
1. No cell phones while driving
2. No extra passengers
3. No speeding
4. No alcohol
5. No driving or riding without a seatbelt

The “5 to Drive” campaign was launched during Teen Driver Safety Week in 2013, […]

Many states concerned over guardrail-related deaths and amputations

Last month, Missouri banned further installation of guardrail heads, joining Nevada who banned further purchases in January, followed by Massachusetts.

Lawsuits claim the guardrails were to blame for at least five deaths and many severe injuries, including loss of limbs, yet the Texas manufacturer, Trinity Industries, denies there is a problem.

The New York Times reported that although federal highway officials in Missouri had long insisted that the guardrails in that state were safe, apparently some guardrail heads had malfunctioned, turning the rails into spears when a car hit and injuring those inside, rather than cushioning the blow.

Although the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) continues to deny there’s a problem, the Daily Beast reported a 2012 email from a senior engineer at the FHA as saying that it’s “hard to ignore the fatal results” of the guardrails. […]

Dangerous weekend for motorists on I-81 with drowsy and wrong-way driving

A 36-year-old Plymouth man was killed when the Toyota sedan he was driving, collided with a tractor-trailer near the Blackman Street exit of I-81 around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday. The driver of the Toyota was traveling in the wrong direction at a high rate of speed when the accident occurred.

Wrong way driving often results in deadly, high-speed collisions. ABC News reported that wrong way driver accidents are responsible for 1,100 deaths per year. The news organization reported that intoxicated drivers and those over age 80 make up a large percentage of wrong-way drivers and that most wrong way driving accidents occur at night or on the weekends. While cities and states need to work to improve signage on certain roadways, we must also stop drunk driving to help stop wrong-way driving accidents.

Another accident occurred on I-81 in Mahanoy Township late Saturday morning when a 59-year-old woman told police she fell asleep at the wheel, […]

In the fall, bikers at risk for motorcycle accidents

Motorcycle accidents can be traumatic and tragic events. Due to their lack of bodily protection, motorcycle riders are much more vulnerable than other motorists to suffer more severe injuries and deaths when accidents occur. This time of year, as drivers are viewing the beauty of the fall colors around them, they may not be paying as much attention as they should to the road.

Motorcycle fatalities rose for the third consecutive year in 2012, with 4,957 riders killed according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). 2012, the most recent completed report, also shows that 93,000 motorcyclists were injured in crashes.

It has been reported that collisions with another vehicle account for about half of all motorcycle accidents. Information provided by the Insurance Information Institute stated that motorcyclists were about 26 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled and five times more likely to be injured. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers warn of the dangers of speeding

Speed played a factor in many accidents this past week, including a fatal accident in Monroe County. Four children and one adult were killed in a four-vehicle crash on Saturday on Route 115 in Effort, PA. WNEP News reported that none of the children were wearing seat belts or in booster seats at the time of the crash. All of those killed were in the same vehicle, an SUV that hit two other vehicles before flipping on its side. State troopers reported that the driver of the SUV was speeding at the time of the accident.

Teens in another SUV, in Salt Lake City, Utah, were also believed to be speeding, before their vehicle lost control, went airborne and ended up landing upside down in a river. ABC news aired a video showing bystanders rushing into the river to help the teens, […]

The importance of car seats and booster seats for children

Child Passenger Safety Week is September 14-20 and it’s the perfect time to bring awareness to the importance of car and booster seats. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA), car crashes are the leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old. The best way to protect your child in a vehicle is by using a properly installed car seat that is appropriate for the child’s age, height and weight. Often times, fatalities and serious injuries can be prevented by the proper use of car and booster seats, as well as set belts.

Safe Kids Worldwide estimates that children ages 2 to 5 who use seat belts prematurely are four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury in a crash than those in child safety seats or booster seats. Safe Kids also reported that of those children ages 12 and under who died in vehicle crashes in 2011, […]

Drunk driving kills 12-year-old boy in Old Forge, PA

Drunk driving continues to be a serious problem in our area and across the country. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that across the country, about one in every four people who were convicted for drunk driving was a repeat offender. A Philadelphia Inquirer article published earlier this week reported that Pennsylvania has a high rate of offenders. The article said that although someone dies on average every day in Pennsylvania from a DUI accident, it is one of the few states that require a conviction before yanking a license for DUI.

Although than 600 Pennsylvania police departments, including the state police, participated in a nationwide DUI crackdown over Labor Day weekend, with DUI checkpoints and roving patrols, drunk driving that weekend caused heartbreak for many families. Locally, there was a much accident-related tragedy. WNEP TV reported that crashes killed nearly a dozen people, […]

Personal injury lawyers on safe driving and teen car crashes

Over Labor Day weekend near the Pocono Mountains in Northeast Pennsylvania, three teens died in a tragic SUV crash. According to NBC 10 Philadelphia news reports, an unlicensed 15-year-old girl was behind the wheel of the SUV.

The three teens that were killed in the car accident were all sophomores at Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pennsylvania. The driver was injured in the crash, as well as a 16-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy. The Wayne County DA reported that the girl picked up everyone in the SUV to go to breakfast. A witness said the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed before flipping over at a curve in the road.

This crash is a parent’s worst nightmare and an all too common occurrence with teen drivers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), […]

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys urges drivers to use caution on Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, and is one of the busiest on the roads, as families and individuals take advantage of the weather for last minute summer trips.

AAA travel reported that more people are expected to get away this Labor Day than in the past six years. AAA says that 34.7 million Americans are expected to travel over Labor Day weekend, with nearly 86% likely to head to their destinations by car.

The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates there will nearly 400 fatalities in car crashes during Labor Day weekend, with an additional 42,300 injured in car crashes. They estimate the holiday to be from Friday night at 6 thru Monday at midnight.

According to an article in USA Today, there are two major reasons for accidents on highways: losing concentration while driving and ignoring the risk of big trucks. […]

Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys urges motorists to slow down as school children return to the classroom

Millions of students are returning to the classrooms this month, which means extra care must be taken for all who are driving motor vehicles. With the start of the new school year comes increased traffic on area roads, and also an increased risk of accidents.

Drivers must be aware at all time, especially when near school zones and along bus routes. Watch for children walking on sidewalks, in parking lots and crossing streets, they can be unpredictable. AAA estimates that 55 million children across the country are returning to school this fall, warning drivers to be especially vigilant for pedestrians before and after school hours.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the highest percentage (42%) of fatalities among pedestrians under 15 occurred between 4p.m. and 8p.m. The NHTSA reports that 23 million students nationwide ride on a school bus, […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer says seat belts can save lives

Wearing a seat belt can help save your life. According to the Just Drive Pa, a seat belt increases your chances of surviving a crash by 60 percent. Seat belt usage rose to 87 percent nationally in 2013, which sounds great, but means that although 184.4 million people are wearing seatbelt, 27.5 million still are not.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA), there are several demographic groups that have a lower seat belt rate than others. These groups include 16- to 24-year-olds, African Americans, males, and drivers who are alone in the vehicle. Research also showed that 67 percent of the pickup truck drivers killed in crashes were not buckled up.

The NHTSA released the following startling statistics regarding age and seat belt use. The numbers reflect occupants killed who were completely unrestrained at the time of the crash. […]

Many admit to distracted driving though they know it is unsafe

A Harris poll of more than 2,000 adults earlier this summer revealed that although more than nine in ten Americans believe sending and reading texts while driving is dangerous, 45% of those surveyed said they still do it. Among those surveyed with smartphones or tablets, over one-third said they use the devices to search things while driving.

Despite knowing that talking on a cell phone is also dangerous when driving, 74% of those surveyed said they do talk on their cell phones when driving. They admitted to other distracting behaviors as well, such as grooming, posting to Facebook or Twitter, and some admit having read a book or magazine or watched a video on a smartphone while driving.

USA Today reported that about 660,000 drivers in the US are using handhold cellphones while driving at any moment. This number has steadily increased since 2010, […]

Drunk driving a factor in 1/3 of traffic fatalities

A 2014 national drunk driving enforcement crackdown called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” goes into effect across the country from August 13 to September 1. Drunk driving is one of the deadliest and most often committed crimes. Although it is preventable, it has become a serious epidemic in our country.

The New York Daily News reported that just last week, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s mother and cousin were hit head on by a drunk driver. Luckily both survived the horrific collision. Every day in America 28 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes. In 2012, there were 10,322 fatalities in crashes involving a drunk driver, 31% of the total traffic fatalities for the year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There were nearly 300,000 drunk-driving related injuries that same year.

1,168 children ages 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2012. […]

PA personal injury lawyer warns of dangerous driving days

August is the most dangerous driving month of the year, seeing more crashes than any other month. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes that more drivers tend to be out during the month of August, as well as for longer periods of time. The summer overall sees a high number of accidents, with more teens on the road over summer break, motorists traveling to family vacations and weekend getaways. This is also combined with more drivers on the road who have consumed alcohol. The summer is the time when everyone should be very cautious when hitting the road.

There are over 33,000 people killed in traffic crashes in the U.S. each year, and nearly 2.5 million injured. According to the NHTSA, Saturday is the most dangerous day of the week to be driving. There are several reasons that we see so many accidents on Saturdays, […]

Judge declares mistrial in Trinity guardrail lawsuit case

A federal judge in Texas declared a mistrial in the possible billion-dollar whistleblower lawsuit involving guardrails that are found on many of our nation’s highways.

The whistleblower and former industry business owner, Joshua Harman, filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of the American public claiming that Trinity guardrails, the ET-Plus model, are dangerous and deadly. The lawsuit contends that the guardrails were never properly tested or properly approved by the government. The allegations against Trinity Industries Inc., one of the biggest guardrail makers in the U.S., include that the highway guardrail systems are a deadly hazard that can spear cars on impact.

According to Bloomberg News, Trinity first gained federal approval for its ET-Plus end terminal in 2000. Harman’s suit alleges that the company changed the dimensions of the ET-Plus sometime between 2002 and 2005 without telling federal authorities. Apparently, […]

Potential PA speed limit increase could increase fatal crashes

Sections of the Pennsylvania turnpike and Interstate 380 will be part of a pilot program next month in which the speed limit will be raised to 70 mph. On I-380, a 21-mile stretch was selected for the experimental pilot, which will extend from the Interstate 84 junction in Lackawanna County to the Pocono Pines/Mount Pocono exit in Monroe County. On the Pennsylvania turnpike, the speed limit will be increased on a 100-mile stretch in south central Pennsylvania.

In response to the increased PA speed limit, the Hazleton Standard Speaker reported that a truck and its cargo totaling 80,000 pounds cannot stop for hundreds of feet at 65 mph, and driving faster means it will take even longer to stop. The paper also reported that most of Pennsylvania’s interstates were built during the 1960s and 1970s and designed to accommodate vehicles traveling at maximum speeds of 65 mph. […]

2nd deadly I-81 crash this week claims the life of a Sugar Notch woman

Failure to use seatbelt causes fatal injuries in crash

A second deadly crash occurred on I-81 in northeastern Pennsylvania this week, this one in the northbound lane near the Wilkes-Barre Township/Mountaintop exit. A sports utility vehicle exiting the highway was unable to negotiate the curb and flipped. A passenger who was ejected from the vehicle died of injuries sustained in the accident. The driver also sustained serious injuries in the crash. A third passenger in the vehicle, the only one wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, received only minor injuries.

Each year about 33,000 people are killed in motor vehicle crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), with 45 to 60% effectiveness, seat belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of death in a crash and saved an estimated 12,174 lives in 2012. […]

Fatal crash on I-81 claims the life of an Ontario woman

A deadly crash near the Dickson City exit of Interstate 81 in Lackawanna County claimed the life of a 58-year old woman from Ontario, Canada on Monday. The woman was in the rear passenger seat of the 2002 Pontiac Sunfire when the vehicle she was riding in struck a stone embankment after swerving off the road, according to police reports.

Although vehicle safety has improved, as well as improved safety measures on our nation’s roadways, the number of car accidents in this country is still staggering. According to a report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), passenger vehicle occupant fatalities increased in 2012 after they declined six years in a row from 2005 to 2011. 33,561 lives were lost in crashes on our nation’s roadways in 2012 as compared to 32,479 in 2011. Pennsylvania also saw an increase in fatalities in 2012, […]

What Should I Do If I Get Hit By a Car While Walking?

In effort to live healthier lives, many people are opting to institute activities, such as walking, running, and jogging into their daily fitness routines. It’s an easily accessible form of exercise, as it can be done just about anywhere—from your neighborhood cul-de-sac to your local park to the bustling streets of your city. But getting around on foot can open pedestrians up to traffic risks.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Traffic Safety Facts report, there were 4,743 pedestrian fatalities and 76,000 pedestrian injuries involving motor vehicles in 2012. The same report states that those stats equal out to about one death every two hours and one injury every seven minutes. Of course, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure your safety while traversing your town on foot:

1) Use designated crosswalks. If the intersection has a walk/don’t walk sign, […]

Tips to Avoid Car Accidents for the Fourth of July Weekend

Besides an abundance of national pride, barbecues, and fireworks, July Fourth weekend also sees a rise in travelers on the road. With this, comes a surge in road traffic and car accidents.

In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Fourth of July weekend is either the deadliest day for drivers or the second-deadliest day, based on data collected for more than 20 years. While weather conditions aren’t much of a factor during the summer months, driving under the influence of alcohol is—and when it comes to Independence Day weekend, it’s the main contributor to these traffic fatalities. “During the 2012 July 4th weekend, in fatal accidents between 9 p.m. and midnight, 59% of the drivers were drunk,” reports the NHTSA. Their research goes on to state that 40 percent of all highway deaths between 2007 and 2011 were caused by drunk driving over this holiday weekend; […]