Munley Law Blog

Side Underride Guards May Be the Difference Between Life and Death

First-Ever Side Underride Crash Tests

A new crash test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows exactly how side underride guards on tractor trailers can mean the difference between life and death.

A side underride crash occurs when a passenger vehicle collides with the side of a trailer or heavy truck. The results are grisly. The impact can shear the top of the smaller vehicle and kill the occupants.

The IIHS has long been measuring rear-underride guard effectiveness, but this is the first test of side guards.  Researchers ran two midsize cars into the sides of two semi-trailers at 35 mph. One trailer was equipped with a fiberglass side panel, and the other with the “AngelWing” underride protector from Airflow Deflector, Inc.

Tractor Trailer Side Underride Guard Test Results:

Fiberglass panel – As the above photo shows, […]

Construction workers say productivity trumps safety

In America’s deadliest industry, construction workers say safety takes a back seat

A recent National Safety Council survey found that more than half of construction workers (58%) perceive that safety takes a back seat to productivity on their job sites.

To gauge employee perceptions about workplace safety, the NSC interviewed 2,000 American workers across 14 industries.

Of construction workers surveyed, 51% say management does the bare minimum when it comes to safety; 47% say they’d feel afraid to report a safety issue. These numbers are alarming, especially considering the fact that construction has more workplace fatalities than any other industry in the U.S.

No worker should feel stuck between losing their job, or losing their life. Marcy Goldstein-Gelb, co-executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health said,“When workers can’t speak up, […]

Drugged driving a greater concern than drunk driving

Opioid addiction, drug use, and reliance on pain medication have come into the national and local spotlight as they claim more and more lives. A new study has illuminated another side of this issue: drugged driving is on the rise.

“The number of American drivers killed in car crashes in which drugs were detected has eclipsed those killed in crashes where only alcohol was found.”

The Governors Highway Safety Association and the Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility found that 43% drivers killed in crashes tested positive for drugs, illegal and prescription, compared to 37% who tested positive for just alcohol.

Drugged driving is more complicated than drunk driving

The data in this study is imperfect.  The study only reflects drivers who were tested; not all drivers in all states get tested after a fatal crash; […]

Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer warns of the health risk of shift work

The National Sleep Foundation defines as shift worker as anyone who follows a work schedule outside of the typical 9 to 5 business day. Millions of Americans are considered shift workers, including doctors and nurses, pilots, police officers, customer service reps and commercial drivers among others.

According to WebMD, there are about 8.6 million people performing shift work in the U.S., either through rotating shifts during the week, or working a night job. WebMD quoted a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School as saying that there is strong evidence that shift work is related to a number of serious health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. Shift work has also been linked to ulcers and other stomach problems, as well as depression and an increased risk of accidents or injury.

Shift Workers and Fatigue

One of the most serious problems shift workers face is frequent sleep disturbance that results in excessive sleepiness and fatigue. […]

Study: US drivers use a smartphone behind the wheel 90% of the time

Largest distracted driving study shows American drivers use a smartphone nearly every trip

A new report from ZenDrive found nearly 9 in 10 drivers used their phones while driving. It’s a startling statistic, but not hard to believe.

ZenDrive is a driving data and analytics company that uses smartphone sensors to collect information about driving behavior and safety. Theirs is the largest distracted driving behavior study to date.  They analyzed 3 million drivers over 3 months, for more than 5 billion miles. Instead of relying on self-reporting, ZenDrive tapped into phones’ sensors to determine usage. They found that in 88% of the trips analyzed, the driver used a smartphone. 

The study also ranks U.S. states by their level of distraction, mile for mile. With 1 being the least distracted and 51 being the most, Pennsylvania came in at #33. […]