Personal Injury Law Blog

USA- Fluxmagazine.com writes that driving in heavy traffic can be challenging. If you follow another car too closely, you may not have enough time to stop in an event there is an emergency.*

USA - Self-driving cars are now presenting questions regarding fault in the event of a crash, according to THELIBERTARIANREPUBLIC.COM. In cars that are truly able to operate on their own, the occupants in the vehicle all become passengers. This means that there will be no driver to blame if an autonomous vehicle strikes and kills or injures another person. So, who will be at-fault if an autonomous vehicle injures someone?

USA- Seattletimes.com writes that a 30-car freight train recently made a 48 mile trip through a Colorado desert without anyone in control of the locomotive. The trip was taken as an experiment to test the capabilities of autonomous trains.*

USA- Jdsupra.com writes that Georgia Code Section 13-4-21 states that non-performance of contracts can be excused when an act of God occurs. An act of God pursuant to Georgia law includes events that do not occur because of any human agency. Examples include storms, earthquakes, and perils at sea.*

USA- Tragic pedestrian fatalities in the United States have reached their highest numbers since 1988*

USA-  How you sit while riding in a car is important for your safety, according to THEEPOCHTIMES.COM. An X-ray of a young woman in England is being shared to show the risks of sitting with your legs on the dashboard. The victim was involved in a car crash, and the horrific injuries she sustained show on her X-Rays.*

Truck Driver Hours Extended Because of Coronavirus: Could a Resulting Increase in Coffee  Consumption Put People at Risk?

USA- Fleetowner.com writes that truck drivers who drink coffee and energy drinks in larger quantities are more likely to be involved in crashes than those who drink just one cup of coffee a day. As a result of the coronavirus, truck drivers' hours-of-service rules have been put on hold, meaning that many drivers will be traveling for extremely long stretches of time.*

USA- Some states are more dangerous than others when it comes to pedestrian crashes, according to CEOWORLD.BIZ. A recent study conducted by the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) analyzed pedestrian deaths and collision trends from 2017. The number of pedestrian fatalities in 2017 from traffic crashes averaged to 1 fatality every 88 minutes and almost 115 deaths every week.*

BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC- Drunk drivers in the county frequently escape with little or no real consequences, according to ISLANDPACKET.COM.*

USA- There are many pilot programs throughout the nation that are working on learning how vehicle-to-vehicle technology (V2V), will change the driving landscape. The technology may allow vehicles to communicate with one another, and proponents of the tech believe that it will increase traffic safety and efficiency.*

GEORGIA - Georgia has one of the strictest motorcycle helmet laws in the country. While some states have no helmet law many states tend to have laws that only apply to younger motorcyclists. Any rider or passenger legally must wear a helmet while riding a motorcycle in Georgia.*

USA- A new study indicates that the number of fatal car crashes increases by approximately 6 percent in the week following daylight saving time (DST), according to HEALTHLINE.COM. The likely cause of the spike in deadly wrecks is the sleep deprivation caused by the changing of the time. People are hit with fatigue and are driving with symptoms that are similar to jet lag.*

USA- Fortune.com writes that about 40,000 tragically people died in car crashes in 2018. The overwhelming majority of car crashes are caused by human errors. In fact, a 2015 report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that about 94 percent of collisions are caused by driver mistakes.* 

LEESBURG, GA- Walb.com writes that a Lee County man is working to inform young drivers about the risks of distracted driving. The man tragically lost his son in a car crash several years ago and wants to stress the reality of these horrific collisions.*

SOUTH CAROLINA - There have been at least 82 fatalities on South Carolina roads this year, according to THESTATE.COM. In 2018, South Carolina was found to be one of the worst states in the nation for fatal car crashes. In a report that looked at fatalities in each state per population size, South Carolina came in third. According to the study, the state has 20.5 car crash-related fatalities per every 100,000 people. The only other states with higher numbers of reported fatalities were Mississippi and Alabama.*

USA- Journalism played a large role in developing car culture in the United States, according to USA.STREETSBLOG.ORG.  News outlets did not always write in a way that helped the automotive industry, but over the years, journalists began to write in a way that promoted automobile-based transportation.  This different way of thinking assumed that a certain number of casualties were inevitable on our roadways.*

TAMPA, FL- A recent report indicated that pedestrian deaths are up, and a massive 6,590 people died in pedestrian crashes in 2019, the most fatalities in over thirty years. The fatalities are not evenly dispersed across the country, and five states are responsible for close to half, forty-seven percent, of these pedestrian deaths.*

TN- Rainy weather is coming to Tennessee this week.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), well over one million collisions occur on rainy roads each year in the United States. About 5,700 people lose their lives in crashes that occur on wet roadways annually. Wet roads and heavy rain create many risks for motorists. When it comes to driving in inclement weather, caution is warranted. AAA writes that it is important to change driving style when operating a vehicle in the rain.*

USA- The National Transportation Safety Board released details related to two collisions that involved Tesla's autopilot features, according to USNEWS.COM.  The incidents occurred in Florida and California. One of the wrecks investigated by the Board was in response to a crash that tragically killed an Apple engineer on a Silicon Valley road. Reports indicate that the engineer complained prior to the fatal incident about his Tesla SUV not working properly on the same stretch of road where it ultimately collided with a concrete wall.*

USA- The bouldergazette.com writes that investigators are looking into crashes involving Tesla’s Autopilot system. With the new self-driving technology coming in many vehicles around the country, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how these systems are working, and how they are failing.*