Munley Law Blog

Help prevent a traffic jam this Labor Day weekend

If you are traveling this Labor Day weekend, you may be bracing yourself for an inevitable traffic jam. Nothing kills your excitement for a long weekend like getting stuck in stop-and-go traffic. And, Labor Day is one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. That also makes it one of the most dangerous.  Crowded highways and frustrated drivers can make a deadly combination.

Analysts expect this year to be especially busy, with the lowest Labor Day weekend gas prices since 2004. With these numbers in mind, the National Safety Council estimates that 483 will die on the roads this weekend.

Here are some weekend travel tips to make your road trip a little easier.

How to help prevent traffic jams and car accidents

Did you know – not every traffic jam is caused by  a car accident or road work. […]

Traffic Deaths Continue to Rise in 2015, 2016

Traffic deaths in the U.S. are rising at an alarming rate.

In 2015, fatal car crashes increased 7.2% from the previous year. And, preliminary numbers for the first half of 2016 show a 9% increase over the same period last year.

So far this year, more than 19,000 people have lost their lives in car crashes, and an additional 2.2 million have suffered injuries. Given these numbers, the National Safety Council estimates that this year could be the deadliest Labor Day weekend in 8 years.

Why are fatal accidents up so much, and what can we do about it?

On one hand, cars are getting safer. Safety equipment and technology have improved remarkably over the last decade, with many life-saving features now standard on new models. Yet traffic deaths continue to climb.

According to National Safety Council CEO Deborah Hersman,  […]

Self-driving cars may be here sooner than expected

The future of self-driving cars may arrive sooner than expected.

Ford said last week that the company plans to mass-produce fully autonomous vehicles by 2021.

Other automakers and tech companies have begun testing self-driving cars  that provide a level of autonomy, within limits, while still allowing the driver to take over if necessary. These kinds of vehicles are equipped with an “autopilot” mode, or crash-avoidance technology.

The cars Ford expects to introduce in the next five years, however,  will be truly driverless, and will have no steering wheel, gas pedal, or brake pedal.

Self-Driving Cars and Safety

Ford proposes that these vehicles will revolutionize transportation and improve safety on the road. Critics of self-driving cars are concerned that there are factors that an autonomous vehicle simply cannot predict or respond to, and that the technology may be vulnerable to glitches or hacking. […]

Unsecured Loads and Road Debris Cause Deadly Crashes

Road debris and unsecured loads cause avoidable, deadly accidents.

Imagine traveling down the highway at 60 mph and seeing a piece of scrap metal come flying off the back of a truck into your windshield. Or being hit by a driver who swerved to avoid a piece of furniture on the road. While these might sound like freak accidents, these sorts of crashes happen too often.

According to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, unsecured loads and debris in the road lead to 200k crashes between 2011-2014.  During that time, debris-related crashes caused 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths.

“Road debris” includes anything from a shredded tire to a sofa, to a detached trailer. This excludes “natural” debris like tree branches or animals in the roadway.

All 50 states have laws against road debris and unsecured loads. […]

Drowsy Driving Myths and Misconceptions

After decades of representing individuals and families who have been victims of tractor trailer crashes, our truck accident lawyers know that drowsy driving is one of the biggest threats to the traveling public today.

According to a recent report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), approximately 5,000 people died in drowsy driving accidents last year in the United States. And, about 10-20% of truck accidents involved a tired driver.

Alertness, judgment, vision, and reaction time all decrease with fatigue. An alarming number of drivers report dozing off or falling asleep while driving.

Drowsy Driving: Myth vs. Fact

Myth: Fatigue is a sign of weakness.

Fact: Sleep is a basic human need, as essential as food and water. Without it, the body cannot function properly.  In a profession as physically demanding as trucking, […]