PA passes Kevin’s Law, increases penalty for hit and run

State legislators passed a bill yesterday to strengthen Pennsylvania’s hit-and-run law. Kevin’s Law was named in honor of Kevin Miller from Dallas, PA, a 5-year-old boy killed by a hit and run driver as he crossed the street with his family in Wilkes-Barre four days before Christmas in 2012. Kevin Miller’s family, along with more than 60 local residents, traveled to the state capital yesterday to show support for passage of the law.

The original law carried only a mandatory minimum one-year in jail. Under the law change, the penalty for those who flee fatal crashes will be increased to a mandatory minimum of three years in prison. Kevin’s Law, amended into Senate Bill 1312, makes the penalty for fleeing the scene of a vehicular homicide the same as homicide by vehicle when drunk.

Alcohol is often a factor in these crashes, and pedestrians are often the victims, […]

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Back to School Safety 101

Traveling safely back to school

It’s that time of year again! School is starting for students all over the United States. Thirteen percent of those students walk or ride a bike to school, and more than half of school students ride the school bus.

Whether you have children heading back to school or not, here are some quick lessons on how to avoid a tragedy this fall.

Watch where you’re going: Child pedestrians are in especial danger because they are small, difficult to see, and may not understand proper traffic safety. For instance, they’re more likely than adults to walk across the street without checking to see if a car is coming. That’s why it’s important for all drivers, especially during peak pick-up and drop-off hours and in school zones to pay attention. Watch for children crossing in front of a bus after being dropped off, […]

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Watch where you’re going: Distracted walking lands 1,500 people in the hospital

You’re walking down the street and almost collide with someone too engrossed in their phone screen to notice where they’re going. That same person attempts to cross the street while typing a text, and doesn’t notice a car coming around the corner.

What’s more dangerous – driving while texting, or walking while texting?

We all know that distracted driving is one of the chief dangers on the road today.  While it might feel safer to text when you’re out from behind the wheel, pedestrians distracted by smartphones or listening to music through headphones account for thousands of pedestrian accidents and hospital visits each year. One study, conducted by the State University of New York at Buffalo indicates that there are more injuries per mile involving distracted pedestrians than distracted drivers.

Smartphone use has skyrocketed in the last ten years. Between 2005 and 2010, […]

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NYC’s “mean streets” just got a little nicer: 2014 saw the fewest pedestrian deaths in a century

Pedestrian deaths in NYC were at an all-time low in 2014. That year, the city saw the fewest fatal pedestrian accidents (132) since they started keeping track one hundred years ago.

Overall traffic fatalities fell from 293 to 248.

Such a drop seems incredible, particularly for a city with as much vehicle and pedestrian traffic as New York. So, how did they accomplish this? It is due in part to a mission implemented by Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD called “Vision Zero,” an ambitious plan aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities in New York.  The plan involved lowering the speed limit and stepping up law enforcement. The city reduced speed limits from 30mph to 25mph, and increased the number of tickets issued for failing to yield to pedestrians by 126%.  The Taxi and Limousine Commission also issued thousands more for safety-related violations. […]

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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, or are suddenly making their morning commutes in the dark. […]

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