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Fatal Car Crashes Rise Sharply in 2016
Fatal car crashes are soaring, and the government is scrambling to come up with a way to bring these numbers down.
Nearly 18,000 people have been killed in traffic accidents so far this year, an increase of more than 10% over the same period in 2015. From 2014 to 2015, traffic deaths jumped more than 7%, the largest year-over-year increase since the 1960s. This year’s surge will likely surpass that record.
It’s true that Americans are driving more miles than they did last year (3.3% more), but not enough to account for the increase in crashes.
Road to Zero Fatal Car Crashes
A number of safety groups have come together to form Road to Zero, a coalition aimed at lowering the number of traffic deaths to zero by the year 2046. Their goal is inspired by Swedish policies begun in 1997 that brought crashes down 50% in less than 15 years. […]
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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, […]
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Nov. 16 is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims
At Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys, we know as well as anyone that car accidents, and the tragedies they can leave behind, are all too common. Each year, over 30,000 people are killed in motor vehicle accidents in the United States alone. Hundreds of thousands more are injured. We hear about these incidents every day, but there is nothing routine about the pain and trauma that they can cause. That is why, on November 16, we will pause to remember the victims of traffic accidents and their families.
According to the World Health Organization, The World Day of Remembrance for road traffic victims was first observed in 1993. In 2005, the United Nations endorsed it as a day of remembrance to be observed annually on the third Sunday in November.
All across the United States and the world, there will be parades, […]
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Daylight savings time leads to more accidents
Last weekend, Americans gained an hour of sleep as daylight savings time (DST) ended and the clocks were set back one hour. For most people, the time change means a slight adjustment to our sleep schedules and to the evenings becoming darker earlier. However, the overnight time change can also lead to an increase in car and pedestrian accidents.
Not surprisingly, traffic and pedestrian accidents are more likely to occur in darkness. Loss of daylight means lower visibility, which is especially dangerous for pedestrians. Darkness is also more conducive to drowsy driving, a leading cause of car and trucking accidents.
According to CBS New York, the Monday after clocks are set forward when DST begins in the spring is “one of the deadliest days on the road,” as drivers are more likely to be tired, having “lost” an hour of sleep, […]
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Dangerous weekend for motorists on I-81 with drowsy and wrong-way driving
A 36-year-old Plymouth man was killed when the Toyota sedan he was driving, collided with a tractor-trailer near the Blackman Street exit of I-81 around 3:45 a.m. on Saturday. The driver of the Toyota was traveling in the wrong direction at a high rate of speed when the accident occurred.
Wrong way driving often results in deadly, high-speed collisions. ABC News reported that wrong way driver accidents are responsible for 1,100 deaths per year. The news organization reported that intoxicated drivers and those over age 80 make up a large percentage of wrong-way drivers and that most wrong way driving accidents occur at night or on the weekends. While cities and states need to work to improve signage on certain roadways, we must also stop drunk driving to help stop wrong-way driving accidents.
Another accident occurred on I-81 in Mahanoy Township late Saturday morning when a 59-year-old woman told police she fell asleep at the wheel, […]
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