Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop filed suit today in the Circuit Court of Will County, Illinois, on behalf of a 55-year-old woman who was seriously injured after her vehicle was struck by a school bus. The lawsuit, filed against Peotone School District 207-U and the bus driver, alleges the driver left a stop sign and […]
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Officer Discusses Truck Accident That Nearly Claimed His Life
Illinois State Trooper Douglas Balder discussed the truck accident that injured him and killed a tollway worker on the one-year anniversary of the incident. When asked about the crash, he said, “I view it as a failure of the system to take care of us.” Officer Balder was not the only Illinois policeman involved in […]
Sleep Apnea in the Aviation Industry
The sleep disorder known as sleep apnea has safety implications in the transportation industry. People who suffer from sleep apnea suffer from interruptions in their breathing during sleep. These interruptions can occur frequently throughout the night, causing a victim to experience significant fatigue even after a normal-length sleep period. In addition to drowsiness, victims may […]
Distracted Driving Is About More Than Texting
Distracted driving is a massive problem that has garnered more attention since cell phone use became commonplace. Cell phones are far from the only cause of distracted driving, however. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 2012 saw more than 3,300 deaths and 421,000 injuries caused by distracted drivers. According to Forbes, more than […]
Increased Focus on Trucking Safety Needed for 2015
The National Transportation Safety Board released its priority list of safety initiatives for 2015 this week. Trucking safety appears on the list and was the subject of some pointed remarks directed toward regulators. The NTSB pointed out that it has made more than 100 recommendations of ways to improve truck safety that have not been […]
Problematic Megabus Taken Out of Commission
December saw two Megabus crashes in Indiana and a third removed from service following an inspection. The company had another vehicle crash last October. The incidents are calling into question the fitness of the carrier and the safety of its fleet of buses. The most recent incident involved a bus declared out of service for […]
What Is Working in Reducing U.S. Auto Deaths
According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System census numbers, the United States has seen a 25 percent drop in traffic deaths since 2004. The Secretary of the Department of Transportation has stated that the U.S. fatality rate is “at its lowest point ever.” In 2013, the country saw 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles […]
Is the United States Lagging in Auto Safety?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has frequently repeated its goal of eliminating traffic deaths throughout the country. Vision Zero is the term used to describe this admirable goal. Several U.S. cities have adopted traffic safety measures with the stated goal of achieving zero traffic deaths. As a nation, the picture is not so rosy. […]
Report Calls For Better Pilot Training, Procedures and Management
A study drafted over the course of two years and involving aviation laborers, scholars, industry leaders and the U.S. government has reached a number of conclusions about air safety. The report particularly emphasized the need for better emergency procedures. As the work of flying an airliner has become increasingly automated, pilots and crew need more […]
Priorities in NTSB Investigations
The National Transportation Safety Board lists general aviation among its top ten advocacy priorities in 2014. According to the NTSB, general aviation accidents make up the vast majority of aviation-related deaths in the U.S. The NTSB has been charged with conducting investigations into aviation accidents for nearly 50 years and has conducted numerous safety studies […]
House Votes to Overturn Governor’s Veto of Truck Speed Limit
When the Illinois House and Senate voted to raise the speed limit for semi trucks from 55 mph to 60 mph, Governor Quinn vetoed the measure. The law applied to interstate highways in Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will counties that were not in urban areas. Governor Quinn claimed the measure would lead to more […]
Thanksgiving Car Accidents
The week of Thanksgiving is known to be one of the deadliest of the year in terms of fatal car crashes. There are several factors that contribute to the increase in severe accidents this time of year. For the victims of Thanksgiving car accidents, the reasons matter less than the outcome. Every year, families are […]
Changes in Cell Phone Use and Distracted Driving
The increasing popularity of smart phones has had a noticeable impact on driver behavior, according to a new study from State Farm. Annual surveys conducted by the insurance company demonstrate that smart phone-specific behaviors such as surfing the Internet, checking email and accessing social media sites have risen steadily over the past six years. The […]
Legislators Call for Changes at the NHTSA
President Obama is expected to name a new permanent chief for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the next two weeks. Three U.S. senators have called for the President to use the opportunity to make substantial changes to the NHTSA and its practices. They want the NHTSA to reform its safety mission and make […]
NHTSA Defends Recall Actions
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has come under fire for its actions concerning the recalls of GM vehicles with defective ignition switches and the vehicles containing Takata air bags. Critics have suggested that the NHTSA has moved too slowly or taken limited action in addressing serious auto defects. NHTSA leaders recently responded with a […]
David Rapoport Joins Panel of Distinguished Speakers on the Growing Trend of Specialty Certification for Attorneys
Today, the Professionalism Center and the Maryland State Bar Association hosted the first “Maryland Law 20/20: a vision” symposium. Rapoport Weisberg Sims & VanOverloop attorney David Rapoport, President of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, was invited to be part of a panel that included distinguished guest speakers Honorable Alan M. Wilner, retired judge of […]
Fatal Bicycle Accident Demographics
Motor vehicle deaths rose one percent from 2010 to 2012, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. During that same time period, bicyclist fatalities rose 16 percent. The troubling trend is largely the result of accidents affecting a specific demographic – adult males in urban areas. Adults in general were once a small percentage of […]
Too Tired To Drive
The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a highway safety forum this week on the topic of drowsy driving. The public forum will cover various topics, including the prevalence of drowsy driving, potential countermeasures to combat the problem and risk factors tied to the issue. The NTSB has given the forum the title Awake, Alert, […]
Are Cesarean Births Driven By Medical Needs?
The World Health Organization suggests that the optimal rate for Cesarean section births is somewhere between 5 and 10 percent. At the turn of the century, the rate of C-section births began to rise sharply. By 2009, almost one-third of the babies born in this country came by Cesarean section. The number has declined slightly […]
Voice-Activated Systems and Distracted Driving
Two recent studies have called into question the safety of voice-activated technology used by drivers. Distracted driving accidents injured an estimated 421,000 people in 2012, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA defines distracted driving as “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” The definition does […]
