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. […]