Car Accidents

Another holiday weekend is approaching. According to the AAA, the upcoming Labor Day weekend will see a spike in the number of people traveling 50 miles or more. With increased road traffic comes an increase in car accidents. Anyone planning on being on the roads from August 29 to September 2 should be prepared to deal […]

The second week of October will mark the 18th annual Drive Safely Work Week. In anticipation, the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety is providing free online materials designed to help employers avoid accidents and improve safety awareness in their communities. The campaign for this year focuses on the necessary preparation for safe driving. The title of the […]

Many older drivers can recall eagerly awaiting the chance to obtain a driver’s license. Programs designed to reduce teen car accidents may be changing the way new drivers approach that rite of passage. The change in behavior could have safety implications. Whereas two-thirds of teens had obtained their licenses by the age of 18 a mere 20 […]

A safety group is suing Ford Motor Co. on behalf of vehicle owners due to defects in the so-called “infotainment” systems installed in certain vehicles. The Center for Defensive Driving is a non-profit driver safety group that believes Ford’s failure to correct defects in the MyFord Touch, MyLincoln Touch and MyMercury Touch systems represents a […]

A promising new technology got a boost this week as the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended that all new vehicles be equipped with connected-vehicle capability. The NTSB has estimated that such technology could reduce car accidents not involving impaired drivers by as much as 80 percent. It would do so by allowing vehicles to talk to […]

Warm weather and the Fourth of July Weekend contribute to making July the deadliest month of the year in terms of traffic fatalities. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration motor vehicle accident numbers from 2005 to 2011 show that more fatalities occur in July than in any other month. The data shows that July, August and […]

Summer holidays offer a chance for people to enjoy the weather and get together with friends and family. Unfortunately, they also come with a spike in car accidents and other personal injury incidents. Police throughout Illinois are preparing for an enforcement push meant to cut down on drinking and driving, failure to wear a seatbelt and other […]

A study conducted by Ohio State University researchers showed, among other things, that 33 percent of people do not put down their cell phones before crossing a busy street. Overall, the study concluded that pedestrians suffer even more injuries due to distraction than drivers. The data analyzed in the study came from the National Electronic Injury […]

Legislation designed to ban the use of handheld devices has the potential to reduce distracted driving incidents. Critics contend that it also has the potential to encourage the use of hands-free devices, which may be even more distracting than their handheld counterparts leading to additional car and truck accidents. A recent study conducted by AAA found […]

When a person agrees to be a designated driver, what are they agreeing to? Are they agreeing to refrain from drinking in order to provide a safe ride home? Are they agreeing to refrain from getting drunk? Are they agreeing to arrange for a safe ride home for the people who are drinking? The understanding […]

During the 1970s, many states lowered the legal drinking age from 21 to 18. In 1984, the federal government passed the National Minimum Drinking Age Act which required states to make 21 the legal purchasing age or risk losing millions of dollars in federal highway funding. Needless to say, all 50 states and the District […]

Allergies are a common problem during warmer months. Pollen, ragweed and other allergens fill the air during allergy season. The use of many allergy medications can lead to drowsiness. This raises the problem of drowsy driving if a person takes allergy medication and gets behind the wheel. The Food and Drug Administration has released a reminder to […]

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drowsy driving caused more than 11,000 fatalities from 2000 to 2010. Unlike car accidents caused by drunk drivers, drowsy driving accidents can be difficult to identify and punish. How tired is too tired to drive? Unless a driver admits to falling asleep behind the wheel, how can authorities prove […]

At present, every state in the nation counts a blood alcohol rate above .08 as illegally impaired. Some states have additional laws with a zero alcohol tolerance level for underage drivers. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the year 2000 saw an estimated 69,400 crashes caused by drivers with blood alcohol levels above 0, but […]

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued recommendations to address the problems that led to two railroad accidents last year. The accidents occurred in Michigan and Illinois last year. The accident in Illinois, which occurred in February of last year, killed a woman who was driving when she collided with the train. According to the NTSB, both […]

Last week served as a grim reminder of the dangers faced by teen drivers. Three car crashes claimed the lives of 15 teenagers, including four Chicago-area teens whose vehicle went into a creek on Tuesday morning. The Illinois car accident was joined by a fatal wreck in Ohio and another in Texas, each involving young drivers and […]

A new study has demonstrated that pregnant women who are involved in an accident while wearing their seat belts are better off than women who failed to buckle up. This study confirmed the findings of several prior studies showing that a pregnant woman and her baby are more likely to survive a car accident if the woman […]

A tired driver is more likely to make a mistake that leads to an accident. A tired doctor is more likely to harm a patient through medical malpractice. Unfortunately, as a nation, we are not getting enough sleep. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, drowsy driving is the cause of 40,000 injuries every year, […]

Last year, a proposal to ban the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers failed to gain traction in the Senate. A new proposal passed the House last week and the Senate will again be asked to consider banning drivers from using hand-held cell phones while behind the wheel. Cell phones have been targeted by […]

The Governors Highway Safety Association has compiled a report based on traffic accident figures for the first six months of 2012. According to the report, 2012 will mark the second consecutive year in which highway fatalities have increased for 16- and 17-year-old drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has projected that 2012 will show an 8 […]