Drunk Driving

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Report of State Safety Laws: PA Gets Failing Grade

The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety have released their annual report card of state safety laws. The report highlights 15 recommended laws regarding occupant protection (seatbelt use, motorcycle helmets) impaired and distracted driving, teen drivers (graduated licensing and age-based restrictions), and child passenger safety.

Best and Worst States for Traffic Safety

The report granted states a green (best), yellow, or red (worst) rating, based on their adoption of recommended optimal traffic safety laws. This year, in a record low, only five states earned a green rating:

• Rhode Island
• Delaware
• Washington
• Louisiana
• Oregon
• District of Columbia

Seventeen states were assigned a red rating. The five worst:

• South Dakota
• Wyoming
• Arizona
• Missouri
• Montana

Pennsylvania’s Safety Laws Need Improvement

So how did PA do? […]

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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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How effective are night driving restrictions for teens?

Most nighttime accidents among teens occur before midnight, a new study shows. This means that night driving restrictions on teens that prohibit driving after midnight may be ineffective.

Driving in the dark increases crash risk for all drivers.  Young and inexperienced drivers face an even greater risk; one-third of fatal teen car crashes happen at night. That’s why every state in the U.S. (except VT) has laws restricting how late newly licensed teen drivers can be on the road unsupervised. In 23 states and the District of Columbia, the ban goes into effect at midnight or later. New research by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that this is too late.

Ruth Shuts, a researcher at the CDC, suggests 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. might be a more appropriate curfew for unsupervised newly licensed drivers. […]

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“Textalyzer” Could Help Reduce Distracted Driving

Distracted driving, perhaps the biggest road safety scourge of the decade, is getting worse nationwide.

In Pennsylvania, for instance, distracted driving citations increased by 43% from 2014 to 2015; in our home of Lackawanna County, the number of distracted driving citations skyrocketed from 32 to 115, according to the Scranton Times-Tribune.

Last week, our own Dan Munley was quoted about a recent case in which a Lawrence County judge ruled that a person texting a distracted driver who then got into a crash could potentially be held accountable.

In order to combat this growing problem, some safety advocates have suggested that we begin viewing distracted driving the same way we view drunk driving.  While distracted driving does not involve the consumption of an intoxicating substance, distraction can impair your driving ability just as much as alcohol, […]