PA personal injury lawyer warns drivers this Memorial Day

Time magazine reports that there are 13% more traffic deaths over Memorial Day weekend compared to a typical non-holiday weekend, making it the second most dangerous holiday in America, after the Fourth of July.

The traditional summer-kick-off, Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest weekends of the year for road travel. According to AAA, 36.1 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the weekend, and 88% will drive. Frustrated drivers eager to get away for the long weekend may be speeding and driving more aggressively. According to a study by the National Coalition for Safer Roads, the number of drivers who ran a red light on Memorial Day weekend last year is 27% higher than compared to the average holiday weekend.

The National Safety Council estimates there will be 382 traffic fatalities during Memorial day weekend this year and 40,900 medically consulted injuries that occur from motor vehicle collisions. […]

Graduation time dangerous for teen drivers

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) graduation time is one of the most dangerous times for teens on the road. Texting, underage drinking, and other distractions lead to tragedies that can be avoided through communication and education.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in our country and about a third of those are alcohol related, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Interestingly, more than one-third of the year’s alcohol-related teen car fatalities occur around prom and graduation time.

In addition to an increase in teen drinking around these events, there is also an increase in nerves and excitement. It has been determined that the crash rate for teens goes up with additional passengers in the car, as this causes added distractions. A 2012 study by AAA concluded that the risk increases by almost half when a 16- or 17-year-old driver has one teenage passenger, […]

NC Woman Dies in Car Accident While Posting to Facebook

The National Safety Council Cell Phone Crash Estimate Model reports that there have been an estimated 333,300 crashes so far this year in the U.S. involving drivers using cell phones and texting, or about one every 30 seconds. A North Carolina woman died behind the wheel of her car last week just moments after posting a Facebook message and hitting a truck head on.

According to police, the woman posted to Facebook and one minute later, a call came in about the crash. The 32-year old woman died after drifting across a grass median and slamming into a truck. An investigation of her online activity also found that she had been posting selfies as she drove. This is a tragedy we see all too often.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), stated that mobile communications are linked to a significant increase in distracted driving, […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer says pedestrian deaths and injuries are on the rise

With the weather beginning to warm, traveling by foot might be might seem like a healthier option, but it’s not always safer. The World Health Organization reported that more than 270,000 pedestrians lose their lives on the world’s roads each year. Globally, pedestrians constitute 22% of all road deaths, and in some countries this proportion is as high as two thirds.

According to a recent study by the University of Nebraska Medical Center, distracted driving is increasingly causing fatalities among pedestrians. The study looked at accident records between 2005 and 2010; focusing on bicycle and pedestrian accidents where the driver was using a cellphone, GPS system, radio, or another distracting device before the accident. It was found that the number of fatal pedestrian accidents per 10 billion vehicle miles traveled increased from 18.7 to 24.6 during this time period. […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer talks about proposed new safety measures for children traveling in passenger vehicles

Accidental injury is the leading cause of child death in the United States, according to Matthew R. Maltese, head of biomechanics research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), motor vehicle injuries are a leading cause of death among children in the United States.

In 2011, more than 650 children ages 12 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes and more than 148,000 were injured. Of the children who died in a crash in 2011, 33% were not bucked up. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health Pennsylvania 2012 Child Death Review Annual Report, motor vehicle and other transport deaths accounted for 12% of total child deaths in Pennsylvania in 2011.

Many of these deaths could have been prevented. An NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts Research Study found that 72% of nearly 3,500 observed car and booster seats were misused in a way that could be expected to increase a child’s risk of injury during a crash. […]