Text message sender is sued in distracted driving accident

Victims in distracted driving accident claim sender of text message enabled driver to be distracted

The victims of a distracted driving accident are making history in the lawsuit they have filed for damages.  A man and his wife who both lost their left legs when the motorcycle they were riding was struck by a driver who was texting are suing the sender of the text message as well as the driver.

The driver of the car that struck the New Jersey couple in Sept. 2009 pled guilty to using a hand-held cellphone while driving, careless driving, and failure to maintain a lane.  The man was sentenced to $775 in fines and was ordered to speak about the dangers of texting and driving at local high schools, according to the article in the New York Daily News.

The couple is seeking damage for medical costs related to their injuries.  […]

Click It or Ticket Campaign Aims to Save Lives over Holiday

The Pennsylvania State Police announced it will partner with PennDOT and local police in support of the nationwide “Click It or Ticket” seat belt enforcement campaign sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).  The campaign, which runs from May 21 through June 10, will focus on seat belt enforcement as well as public outreach to boost awareness of seat-belt safety and laws.

According to the press release, 509 people died last year in Pennsylvania in unbelted crashes, a decrease from 524 such fatalities in 2010. However, the total number of crashes in which people were not wearing seat belts rose last year to 16,298, compared to 15,442 in 2010.

The NHTSA reports that in 2010, safety belts saved an estimated 12,546 lives nationwide.  In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that wearing a seatbelt is the most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash. […]

PA Teen Drivers With Teen Passengers Are At a Higher Risk of an Automobile Accident

Our Pennsylvania truck accident attorneys have published a variety of articles stressing the importance of educating teen drivers about the dangers of distracted driving.  Last week we presented information regarding Global Youth Traffic Safety Month that kicked off on May 8 to focus on keeping teens safe during the summer when the number of teen car accident fatalities rise.

While we are not “picking” on young drivers, we believe it is critical to pass on as much information to our readers as we can pertaining to teen driving hazards.  Unfortunately, a distracted driving or impaired driving accident does not only physically ruin lives, it can also lead to legal and financial issues that can permanently alter a teen’s life.

According to an AP news article, a 16-year-old Connecticut teen is now facing charges, including negligent homicide with a motor vehicle and using a handheld telephone under age 18, […]

Global Youth Traffic Safety Month Begins

Just Friday we presented information from a study that shows that teenage drivers are in denial that they will be the cause of a distracted driving accident. That may not be the case for all teens, however, and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) is hoping to rally teen safety advocates to help spread the word to other teens to drive safely.

NOYS announced Tuesday the start of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month.  With a focus on a safe summer, the campaign is “targeting young drivers to commit to the safest summer ever to put an end to motor vehicle crashes.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers aged 15- to 20-years old are especially vulnerable to death and injury on U.S. roadways. In fact, traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America with approximately 5,000 teenagers killed every year.  […]

Young Drivers In Denial That Distracted Driving Affects Them

Just last week we reported on a study from the University of Leeds that found drivers with just one hand on the wheel that are engaged in a “secondary task” are at increased risk of an accident.  Now, researchers at Bridgestone Americas report that while teenage drivers realize distracted driving is dangerous, they don’t see everything that takes one hand off the wheel as a distraction.

The survey, that underscores the findings by those at the University of Leeds, found that even though many teenagers and young adults claim they understand distracted driving, they are in denial that it affects them. In fact, one-third of those surveyed admit to reading text messages while driving, and nearly 25% surveyed do not believe that talking on the phone while driving is dangerous.

The company surveyed 2000 drivers aged 15- to 21-years-old.  Among the findings, the researchers found that the young drivers measure their level of safety as a driver by the fact that they haven’t been in an accident or ticketed. […]

PA Drivers: Keep Both Hands on the Wheel!

Studies on distracted driving seem to be dominating the news.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 15 people die, and 1,200 more are injured, nationwide every day due to an accident caused by a distracted driver.  While cellphone use is the primary focus of distracted driving campaigns, a new study found that when a driver has just one hand on the steering wheel the risk of an accident increases.

In a study conducted using a driving simulator in Great Britain, researchers at the University of Leeds found that people who eat while driving have a reaction time that is 44 percent slower than those who have both hands on the wheel.  The report, “Two Hands are Better Than One,” also found that drivers who sip coffee while behind the wheel are 22 percent slower in their reaction speed and were 18 per cent more likely be unable to maintain a steady central lane position. […]

Motorcycle Awareness Month: Share the Road

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Each year, the NHTSA runs campaigns to help raise the public’s awareness about dangers on the highways, such as drunk driving and distracted driving. This month it announces its latest campaign – Motorcycle Awareness Month.

Citing the fact that motorcyclist fatalities increased nationwide in 2010 to 4,502, accounting for 14 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year, and that the increase is part of a 13-year trend, the NHTSA has launched the campaign with a goal to change the driving habits of motorists and motorcyclists alike to help decrease the numbers of motorcyclists killed and injured in crashes. The safety campaign is aimed at getting motorists and motorcyclists to “share the road” with each other.

Pennsylvania has nearly 900,000 registered motorcyclists, […]

Pennsylvania’s Bike Safety Law In Effect

March saw the enactment of Pennsylvania’s anti-texting law.  Continuing the effort to improve safety for all Pennsylvania residents riding the state’s highways, Governor Tom Corbett enacted another safety law in April – the bike safety law.  Noting that biking is great exercise and an efficient mode of transportation, state Rep. Ron Miller, R-York sponsored the law that went into effect April 2.

“We need to do all that we can to promote the activity and protect bike enthusiasts through legislation that makes it safer for them to enjoy their sport,” said Miller in an article in the Morning Call.

The bike safety law requires motorists to leave a 4-foot “cushion of safety” when passing a bicyclist.  The motorist can cross the center line when passing the cyclist as long as it is safe. In addition, the new law calls for bicyclists “to use all reasonable efforts to avoid impeding the normal flow of traffic.”  […]

PennDOT Launches “Just Drive PA” Safety Campaign

At the start of this month we presented our readers with information about National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.  Designated as such by the U.S. Department of Transportation, all drivers are asked to eliminate any distractions while driving, especially cell phones, and to stay focused.

Now, as part of the National Distracted Driving Awareness campaign, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has announced a statewide initiative aimed at improving safety on Pennsylvania roadways. “Just Drive PA” is aimed at encouraging “motorists to ‘Just Drive’ and concentrate only on the task at hand.”

Citing estimates that 58 people lost their lives in the nearly 14,200 Pennsylvania automobile accidents attributed to a distracted driver in 2011, PennDOT launched the new initiative.  The campaign is designed to educate the public about the state’s new anti-texting law and about the results of distracted driving, as well as to bring attention to motorcycle safety, […]

Pennsylvania Safe Driving Tips

As part of the State’s public safety education campaign, the Pennsylvania State Police “strive to ensure you are provided with information and services that will help you Be Smart, Be Aware and Be Safe at home, at work and in your communities.”

To be safe on the highway, the state police offer the following safe driving reminders:

• Steer Clear Law. The ‘Steer Clear’ law requires drivers to move over or slow down when they encounter an emergency scene, traffic stop or disabled vehicle. This law will help prevent injuries to rescue personnel and disabled motorists.  Drivers are asked to follow the law and use common sense.
• Clearing off your vehicle.  Although the winter weather is behind us, this reminder is pertinent year round and reminds drivers to clear their vehicle of any hazards.  This includes snow and ice in the winter, […]

PSP Release Car Accident Report From Easter Weekend

Pennsylvania State Police report there were 470 Pennsylvania automobile accidents during the long Easter weekend from Friday, April 6, through Sunday, April 8.  Three people died and 196 were injured in the accidents.

Commissioner Frank Noonan reported the statistics Monday afternoon.  He further reported that one of the persons that died in a car accident was not wearing a seat belt. In addition, 56 of the 470 crashes were alcohol-related with two of the fatalities being alcohol related.

The police were also out trying to limit accidents through enforcement events.  According to the troop breakdown report, troopers charged 292 people with DUI, issued 4,723 speeding tickets, gave 529 seatbelt warnings and issued another 5,906 citations during the weekend.

In comparison to the 2011 Easter period, two people died and 196 were injured in 527 crashes investigated.

Our Pennsylvania car accident attorneys encourage all drivers to practice good defensive driving behaviors when taking to our highways.  […]

PA School Bus Driver Charged With DUI

When parents put their children on a school bus they assume the children will arrive safely at the school.  They also assume the driver is experienced and responsible.  Unfortunately, for children and their parents in Washington, PA, recently that wasn’t the case.  Their school bus driver was charged with DUI after transporting 3 loads of children while legally drunk.

According to the Observer-Reporter.com, after the school bus driver had made three rounds of bringing students to school, he was preparing to take another group on a field trip.  A teacher noticed that the man appeared to be under the influence and notified the proper authorities.  Police found the driver had a blood alcohol content of .081 – four times the legal limit.  The Huffington Post reports the driver was fired.

Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident.  However, there have been far too many school bus accidents across the United States this year. […]

PA Drivers to Observe Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Pennsylvania just enacted its anti-texting law in March.  Now, Pennsylvania drivers will get additional incentive to adhere to the law – April has been designated National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

“The traffic safety community has a simple message for drivers: One Text or Call could Wreck it All,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood in his blog announcing National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), almost 25 percent of car crashes involve cell phone use.  In addition, approximately 1.3 million auto accidents each year can be attributed to cell phone usage while driving. The NSC also points out that distractions now join alcohol and speeding as leading factors in all automobile accidents. In a press release announcing the distracted driving campaign, the NSC asks all drivers to pledge: “I will not use my cell phone while driving in any way.”

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that while cell phones are the primary cause of distracted driving, […]

Fatal Van Crash Met With Inadequate Response

Eighth warning issued about 15-passenger vans; Warnings prove ineffectual

In the wake of yet another fatal crash involving a 15-passenger van – this one related to an alleged tire failure – the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has again issued a consumer advisory about those vans.

A safety advocacy group notes that it is the eighth warning the agency has issued about those vans and says the information is too little and too late.  Studies have shown these vans are prone to deadly rollovers. At Munley, Munley & Cartwright, P.C., we agree. The agency needs to take a much firmer stance than issuing safety notices.

The advocacy group Safety Research & Strategies, Inc., speculated that the advisory was issued in response to a recent fatal rollover of a passenger van:

“On March 1, the Epicenter of Worship Church held a prayer vigil for Omberi Erasto, […]

Teenagers Binge Drinking Lead to Highway Crashes

ABC News Nightline uncovered a disturbing trend among teenage girls – binge drinking.  Monday night the network reported that one in every four teen girls binge drinks.  Faced with enormous pressure to fit in, Ju Ju Chang reports teenage girls are turning more and more to alcohol.

Unlike social adult drinkers who may drink a glass or two of wine to “unwind,” teenage drinkers drink to get drunk. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in a study released earlier this year that 90% of the alcohol consumed by teens is consumed while binge drinking.  That means that teens are drinking four to five alcoholic drinks per occasion, two or three times per month.

While any amount of drinking by teens can be dangerous, binge drinking comes with additional dangers. Beyond the immediate effects of alcohol that can cause sickness, and more seriously, […]

PA Woman Campaigns Against Texting While Driving

Even though Pennsylvania just enacted its anti-texting law, Jacy Good won’t stop spreading the word that texting and driving is a deadly combination.  The Pennsylvania woman knows firsthand the devastation a distracted driver can cause.  She is using her personal tragedy to urge Americans to put down their phones when driving.

Jacy and her parents were driving home after Jacy’s graduation ceremony at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA in May 2008, when an 18-year-old driver who was talking on his cellphone ran a red light, according to an article in the Reading Eagle.  A tractor trailer had to swerve to avoid the teen, but then slammed head-on into Good’s car.  Jacy’s parents both died instantly.  Jacy ended up in the hospital with just a 10 percent chance of surviving. Jacy did survive, and she wants to make sure no one else suffers the way she has. […]

Four Elderly Women in Fatal PA Car Crash

Four elderly women in car crash on the way to garden club meeting, two killed, two seriously injured

Two Women Die, Two Injured in PA Car Accident
WETM-TV reports four elderly women traveling in a Buick Century were on the way to their monthly “Garden Club” meeting at a nearby Perkins restaurant Thursday around noon when they were in a tragic car accident.  The women were at the intersection of Rt. 6 and Dorset Heights in Mansfield when their car collided with an F-250 Ford pickup truck.  Two of the women, aged 81- and 89-years old both died in the accident. The two others were seriously injured and were airlifted to the local hospital. The driver of the pickup truck was not injured. Police are continuing to investigate the cause of the accident.

Motorcyclist Dies in Accident in FL
A 77-year-old Florida woman has been charged with DUI manslaughter, […]

Pennsylvania Makes it Illegal to Text While Driving

You better think twice before texting when behind the wheel in Pennsylvania or you will be ticketed.  It is now a primary offense for texting while driving, thanks to the new anti-texting law that took effect on March 8.

The provisions of the law, according to a press release by the Pennsylvania State Police, are as follows:

• It is a primary offense to use an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based message.
• Violators will be fined $50 for convictions.
• This law supersedes and preempts any local ordinances restricting the use of interactive wireless devices by drivers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving is to blame for 3,092 fatalities in 2010. In Pennsylvania, there were nearly 14,000 automobile accidents where distracted driving played a role, […]

Pennsylvania Graduated License Program Aimed at Saving Teen Lives

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports automobile accidents are the number one cause of death for teens. Last month we urged teenagers in Pennsylvania to focus on driving carefully and following the laws when taking to the local highways to help prevent other teens from becoming a statistic.  Last Thursday, the USA Today, also hoping to get the message out that teen drivers are at risk on America’s highways, published a special report entitled “Making Teen Driving Safer.”

Although the USA Today points out that nationwide deaths for 16- and 17-year-old drivers declined between 2007 and 2010, the special report hones in on the fact that every day, an average of 11 teenagers die in car crashes in the United States.  The teen driving section is, in part, sponsored by Allstate Insurance that is sponsoring the “Save11” campaign to encourage Congress to pass the STANDUP Act. […]

Car Accident Round-Up – Deadly Crashes Around the U.S.

Fatal car accidents around the US remind us to wear a seatbelt

Seven Family Members Injured, One Dies in Hit-and-Run Rollover Accident
An SUV carrying a family of nine traveling on I-80 near Cheyenne, Wyoming, was rear-ended by another vehicle resulting in a rollover accident.  Upon impact, the SUV went off the road and rolled over.  All of the occupants of the SUV were ejected, except the driver.  A six-year-old died in the crash and seven others were injured. The driver of the other vehicle fled the scene, but was apprehended later. The accident occurred around 3:30 a.m. Friday morning as the family traveled from Chicago, IL to California.

Two Die in I-95 Accident in FL
The Florida News Journal reports two men are dead after an accident on I-95 in Palm Bay, Florida.  The men were traveling near mile marker 168 in a Volkswagen Jetta when their vehicle rear-ended another car.  […]