Articles Posted in Car Accidents

This might be the most memorable time of your teen’s life. We’re talking about prom and graduation season. While one of the best times, it can also be one of the most dangerous. That’s why officials with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) are here to help parents and guardians to address these risks with the young drivers in their family.Our Highland accident lawyers understand that reasonable judgment is one of the first things to go when we consume alcohol. If you’ve seen someone drink, then you’ve probably seen it firsthand. Our teens are on top of this list. They’re more likely to get into fights, they’re more likely to have unprotected sex and they’re more likely to drive drunk or to get into the car with a drunk driver.

According to USA TODAY, motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death among U.S. teens ages 16 to 19. They may not be old enough to drink legally, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t get their hands on it and it definitely doesn’t mean that they won’t drink. Make sure they know the dangers associated with alcohol before they’re put into that position.

To help to get this conversation started, use PowerTalk 21 day. That’s a day, April 21st, that was dedicated as the national day for parents to talk to teens about alcohol. It was created by officials with MADD to jump start the conversation. It all goes along with Alcohol Awareness Month, which takes place throughout the entire month of April.

It’s a pretty serious situation. As a matter of fact teenagers are more likely to drink in excess than any other age group. They’re more likely to have both blackouts and brownouts. A blackout is when your brain completely stops recording new memories, so forget about prom night. A brownout is when you have lapses in your memory.

When you pair these memory loses with alcohol’s influence on bad decisions, you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

To help your teen, make sure you talk with them about the risks associated with drinking and driving. This scenario kills more than 10,000 people annually. And these are accidents that can be prevented — completely. Make sure you’re talking with your teen about the different choices they have as a responsible adult. Talk with the about scenarios that they might be presented with and practice with them the safe and responsible ways to deal with those situations.

Make sure your teen feels comfortable calling you if they need a ride home. There may come the time in their life when their peers are drinking and driving, and you want them to feel comfortable enough to call you for help. You want to offer a helping hand, not scold them for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It’s also a good idea for you to talk to parents of kids with whom your teen spends time. Make sure everyone in the circle is one the same page.
Continue reading

It has long been established that texting and driving is one of the most dangerous things that you can do as you drive. However, one recent study indicates that cell phone use may not be the number one most common reason for a distracted driving accident. The study suggests that simple daydreaming may be to blame for most crashes.

Our Highland accident attorneys know that a driver who is distracted by anything – from a phone to a music system to the thoughts going through his mind — can be dangerous. Unfortunately, if daydreaming really is a major contributing factor in distracted driving accidents, it may be even harder than expected to combat the problems of distracted driving and to get all drivers to focus on what’s going on in front of them as they travel the roads.Daydreaming a Top Distracted Driving Cause?

According to a recent article on Fox News, Erie Insurance Company recently did a study of more than 6,500 fatal accidents between 2010 and 2011 that had been classified as distracted driving crashes. Erie Insurance Company reviewed the police reports and other relevant available information about the crashes in order to assess what types of distracted driving behaviors were most dangerous.

Surprisingly, it turned out that the study did not reveal texting or cell phones as a top cause of distracted driving crashes. In fact, based on the written police reports, 62 percent of the crashes reportedly involved one or more people who were “lost in thought” as opposed to on the phone. The percent of accidents caused by daydreamers was far more than the 12 percent of accidents that were attributed to phone use.

“Lost in thought” also topped several other common distractions as a potential cause of distracted driving accidents. For example, using in-vehicle controls like a GPS or music system was listed as a contributing cause of only one percent of accidents. Smoking and animals in the car were also attributed to only about one percent of accidents.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone has given up texting and that the only risk to people on the roads is a daydreaming driver. The Erie Insurance Company’s data and conclusions were ascertained using police reports explaining how the crash happened. The information in the police reports was determined based on what the drivers at the scene said, as well as based on the police officer’s own reading of the situation.

Some drivers who are in accidents might try to deny they were talking on a phone or doing something else equally distracting at the time, especially if the accident was a serious one and the driver is afraid he or she will get into trouble. This means some of the drivers who said they were daydreaming to explain their distracted behavior may actually have been doing something else entirely.

If daydreaming is a top cause of distracted driving, however, the problem is going to be a tough one to solve because no lawmaker can make or enforce a law against daydreaming.
Continue reading

Officials are kicking off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and they’re working to save lives. Safe driving advocates with the National Safety Council (NSC) are using the entire month of April to get drivers to hang up the phone.Our Gary car accident lawyers understand that these dangerous driving behaviors continue to take the lives of thousands of people each and every year. In 2010, there were more than 3,000 people killed across the nation because of distracted driving. It’s a trend that’s on the rise — and it’s a trend that we’ve got to stop.

According to the State of Indiana, there are three types of distracted driving — cognitive, visual and manual. It is important to note, that not all three types of distracted driving must be engaged to attribute to driver inattention.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), drivers in the state of Indiana are not banned from using hand-held cell phones behind the wheel, but they are banned from text messaging. The problem with these laws is that officers are not able to easily determine if a driver was composing a text (illegal) or dialing a number (legal), which makes it tough to ticket. Far too many drivers are still taking their attention off of the road to engage in both of these activities.

If it’s so dangerous, why hasn’t the federal government made it illegal for all drivers? Currently, passenger car driving behavior falls under the jurisdiction of the individual states, so the USDOT cannot ban it. Congress has considered a number of effective laws to prevent distracted driving, but nothing has passed yet.

Join in National Distracted Driving Awareness Month!

The NSC is asking drivers to:

-Sign a pledge to drive cell free. Sign this pledge and share it with your friends and family members to make sure everyone is on the road to safe driving habits.

-Understand and share the risks associated with distracted driving. Go beyond the distractions from cell phones and text messaging devices and get familiar with the dangers associated with all distractions.

-If you happen to call someone who is driving while they answer, just tell them you’ll call them back when they’ve stopped. It’s a move that could wind up saving their life.

-Get others to join in on National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

-If there’s a newly-licensed driver in your family, make sure you’re setting a good and safe example behind the wheel for them. Talk with them often about the risks of distracted driving as they’re commonly the most frequent offenders.

Still don’t think distracted driving is that dangerous? Give this game a whirl. It’s used to measure how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.
Continue reading

There a new iOS app for iPhones and iPod Touch devices and it’s going to help to get you real-time vehicle safety information.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) this information is going straight from SaferCar.gov to your phone. You can get information regarding each make and model, help with installing a car seat, recall information, filing a vehicle safety complaint and even signing up for vehicle recall information.”Safety is our highest priority, and we’re always working to find new and better ways for people to access SaferCar,” said Ray LaHood, Secretary with the USDOT.

Our Highland car accident attorneys understand how vital this information is to our safety. With today’s technology, it’s important that this information is easily accessible. What better way to get it on the go than to slap it on a cell phone app?

With the New App, Drivers Can Access:

-5-Star Safety Ratings: If you’re looking to get a new vehicle anytime soon, this is going to be like gold. You want to make sure that you’re not only getting a car that fits your personal needs and style, but you want to make sure you’re getting one that’s safe, too. With this part of the app, you can access the latest crash test ratings and compare the vehicles you’re considering.

-Complaints and Recalls: You can stay up to date with the most recent safety issues and keep an eye on your vehicle. Get notifications for the latest issues involving your vehicle. You can even file a complaint without the hassle of sitting down and logging on. Just do it from your palm.

-Help with Child Car Seats: These things can be confusing. Did you know that a majority of child car seats are installed incorrectly? This part of the app is going to help to correct that. If you still can’t figure it out, the app will point you in the direction of the closest child seat inspection station so you can have someone do it for you.

-Safety Headlines: You can stay up to date with breaking safety news.

It’s important that we’re listening to these updates and warnings because without them, we may be driving straight into danger. Unfortunately, defects are oftentimes undetectable to the naked eye, and defective parts may operate normally for some time and then, suddenly fail. Faulty parts and design flaws are both vehicle defects.

With all of this information, safety is more accessible than it’s ever been. It’s not effective if we’re not using it though. It’s important that consumers and drivers are taking advantage of these services and putting them to good use. A knowledgeable driver is a safer driver.

If you’re interested in getting this app, you can download it here or you can check it out in iTunes. Either way you decide, the download is free and it could wind up saving your life.
Continue reading

A four-car pile-up just after dusk in central Indiana resulted in the death of a 68-year-old beloved city clerk-treasurer, whom witnesses say was traveling at a high rate of speed when she braked suddenly, causing a chain reaction.Our Highland car accident attorneys recognize this incident as a stark reminder that everyone needs to practice safe driving habits, especially as we round out the last several weeks of winter and particularly at night.

A recent snowstorm has had numerous agencies across the state reporting people sliding off the roads, many of which are caked with at least some amount of fresh, slick snow or slippery ice.

In fact, the weather was blamed in at least three serious accidents in a single day recently, including a fatal crash on I-70 near Cloverdale, just outside of Indianapolis. There was also a semi-truck accident on Indiana 37 that prompted the highway to be shut down for several hours.

Dozens of counties were under a state-issued travel advisory, and a handful were even under watches and warnings.

Travel advisories are issued by the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, and they can be an invaluable resource for motorists who are planning to head out. Especially during the winter, it would behoove you to check with the agency by visiting http://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/, just to see what kind of weather you will be dealing with. If it’s bad enough, you may want to skip your trip altogether, if possible.

There are three levels of advisories in Indiana. Those are:

• Advisory – The lowest-level of local travel advisory, which means that your routine activities or travel in certain areas could be restricted due to perilous conditions. Use caution.
• Watch – This means there is some condition that is a threat to public safety and that only essential travel (to and from work, emergency situations) should be carried out.
• Warning – This is the highest level of travel advisory, wherein travel may be restricted to emergency personnel. During a warning, individuals should refrain from all travel, comply with necessary emergency measures, cooperate with and obey public officials.

Even if you check on the advisory in your location and still choose to head out, it’s important to expect the unexpected. Weather, of course, can change at a moment’s notice, and winter weather can be particularly hazardous.

You want to make sure your car is “winterized,” (check all ignition, brakes and wiring, antifreeze levels, tires, batteries, make sure you have spare tire, jumper cables, bag of salt or cat litter, tow and tire chains, shovel, etc.).

After that, the main thing to keep in mind is your speed. In snowy and icy conditions, you need to give yourself more reaction time, which means you need to slow down considerably. Give yourself about three times more space than you otherwise would between you and the vehicle in front of you.

Go easy on your brakes. That is, slamming them on will likely cause you to spin out of control in snow or on ice. Don’t use cruise control in those conditions and pay particular attention on bridges or overpasses, as these areas will freeze first and may catch you off-guard if you aren’t careful.
Continue reading

Teen drivers in Indiana are at high risk of being involved in a traffic collision.In fact, our Highland car accident lawyers understand it’s more dangerous for them here on our roads than anywhere else in the country. That’s not a scare tactic. That’s reality, according to a recent study by the Governors Highway Safety Association.

While Indiana tied with Tennessee in terms of the sheer number of teen driver fatalities in the first six months of 2012 (which totaled 16 for each state), Indiana was far higher in terms of the reported increase from the first six months of 2011.

While Tennessee saw its teen driver deaths spike from 6 to 16, here in Indiana, we went from 3 to 16. That is the biggest increase in the country. It’s not something we want to be known for as a state, and it’s certainly not a price we are willing to continue to pay.

Just last month, Indiana was given a mid-level “yellow light” rating by the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in terms of our implemented highway safety initiatives. Two of the top safety measures we had yet to enact were graduated driver’s license restrictions that required teens to be at least 16 years-old in order to have a learner’s permit and a similar provision that would restrict teen drivers’ ability to operate a vehicle at night.

We would sincerely hope that such measures could gain significant support now that we have learned that we are without question the worst in the country when it comes to protecting our youthful drivers – and those who share the road with them.

The GHSA indicates that if the final 2012 statistics follow this same trend, it will be the second year in a row that we will have seen increases in teen driver fatalities nationwide. That is an extremely troubling prospect, especially as states had managed to reduce that figure every year prior since 2003.

Researchers say there are a number of reasons why we may be seeing this sharp increase. One is an improving economy. Of course, there are many great things about this, but lower gas prices, more jobs and pay increases inevitably mean that Americans – including teenagers – have more ability and opportunity to be on the roads in the first place.

But that’s not truly where we need to place the lion’s share of the blame. At the end of the day, it’s distraction, distraction, distraction. Teens who are talking and texting behind the wheel pose an enormous risk to themselves, their passengers and those in the vehicles around them. While the GHSA’s report focuses on fatalities, the fact is, traffic accident injuries stemming from teen distracted driving are numerous.

In fact, a recent study conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration and Virginia Tech found that distracted driving accounted for an eye-popping 80 percent of all crashes, with 18 to 20 year-olds four times more likely to be involved in accidents overall.

Teens need to know that absolutely no text message, conversation or favorite song is worth dying for. In teaching your teen to avoid distractions behind the wheel, drive home the following points:

• Don’t eat in the car.
• Wait to mess with the controls, mirrors, heaters, and radio until you have come to a complete stop or are in park;
• Don’t drive with friends in the car, if you can avoid it.
• Keep your cell phone in your purse or tucked inside the counsel to avoid temptation.
• Keep the radio volume to a minimum, otherwise you might risk a failure to hear emergency vehicles or other important roadway sounds – particularly if you’re driving in reduced visibility;
• If something falls to the floor while you are driving, leave it. You can pick it up when you’re stopped;
• Don’t try to read while you’re driving – that includes e-mail, internet surfing and text messages.

We can’t get back those precious young lives we’ve already lost, but we can make it a point to do everything in our power to prevent the same fatal errors from happening again and again.
Continue reading

The fact that most drivers are aware of the potential dangers of actions like speeding, texting and drinking behind the wheel is a testament to the intensive efforts of public safety officials.However, our Hammond car accident attorneys know there is a disconnect between this awareness and actual driving habits. That is, people recognize that these actions are risky and many even support tighter laws for violators – but they also continue to commit such offenses themselves.

This phenomenon was most recently highlighted in the AAA Foundation for Safety’s Traffic Safety Culture Index survey, which polled some 4,000 drivers – oversampling the 16-to-18-year-old crowd – regarding their road safety views and habits.

What researchers discovered was that with almost every major safety concern, there was a very clear “Do as I say, not as I do” pattern. Drivers expressed the belief that while things like driving drowsy aren’t acceptable and should be harshly penalized, many admitted to committing such offenses themselves at some point over the last year.

For example, almost half of all those questioned reported that sleep-deprived motorists are a serious threat to personal safety and almost 100 percent said it was unacceptable for someone to drive a vehicle when they were so tired they were fighting to keep their eyes open. Yet almost a third admitted to driving drowsy within the past month. A fifth reported having done it more than once. A small portion said they do this regularly, with men about 7 percent more likely than women.

We have to consider too that this is all self-reported, so the actual numbers are in all likelihood much higher.

Red light running was another problem on which researchers focused. More than 90 percent of respondents said it was unacceptable for a driver to run a red light if they could have safely made a stop. More than 55 percent said they would support the use of automatic ticket cameras to issue citations for red-light running in urban settings. Yet astonishingly, nearly 40 percent said that they had done it themselves in the 30 days prior (which makes you wonder why there aren’t even more serious accidents every day!). A quarter of respondents said they had done it more than once.

Speeding too is widespread. Almost half of all motorists said they viewed going more than 10 miles per hour in a residential area posed a significant safety threat. Roughly 35 percent said the same of those who traveled more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on the expressway. At the same time, about half conceded to doing one or the other during the previous month. Twelve percent said they sped frequently.

The use of cell phones – both calls and texts/emails – is also a leading cause of accidents. Almost 60 percent of drivers said that other motorists talking on the phone posed a serious personal safety threat, and almost 100 percent said the same about texting. Yet, nearly 70 percent admitted to talking on the phone while operating a vehicle in the last month and another 35 percent said they had typed or responded to a text or e-mail. Researchers noted their belief, based on crash statistics involving phones, that the actual rate was likely much higher.

Impaired driving is another risky behavior that most people agreed poses a significant hazard on the road and were in favor of tougher DUI laws. In this case, about 15 percent of motorists admitted to at some point over the last year driving when their blood alcohol content was either close to or over the legal limit of 0.08 percent. About 10 percent said they had done so more than once.

As this research reveals, we can’t always trust that other drivers are going to be engaging in safe behaviors. Cautious, defensive driving is paramount.
Continue reading

Today is an unofficial U.S. holiday – Super Bowl Sunday. Across the country, hosts are cooking up pots of spicy chili, marinating those burgers and brats for grilling – and making last-minute beer runs.Our Highland personal injury attorneys know that Super Bowl Sunday is a notoriously dangerous day to be on the road. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, alcohol was a factor in 43 percent of all fatal crashes on Super Bowl in 2011. On most other days, alcohol is a factor in about 30 percent of all fatal crashes.

Some research has indicated that historically, the statistics have been worse – especially if your team loses.

Scientists at the University of Toronto recently looked at crash data on Super Bowl game days dating back 27 years – and found significant increases. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the data showed that while there was actually a 10 percent drop in DUI crashes during the game, the hour immediately after the game was deadly – with a 70 percent increase in accidents overall. Throughout the evening of Superbowl Sunday, the average accident rate rose by 40 percent compared to an average Sunday evening.

Whereas the average number of people who died in traffic accidents on a typical Sunday was 17, the researchers found it rose to 24 lives lost on Super Bowl Sunday. (Last year, it was even higher, with 27 people killed in alcohol-related traffic crashes on Super Bowl Sunday, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.) And those injured in traffic crashes increased from 1,300 on an average Sunday to 1,900 on Super Bowl Sunday. The number of overall crashes went from 3,000 to almost 4,000.

Of course, that’s nationwide. We can’t speak to the specific statistics in Indiana, but we do know law enforcement officials here are taking it seriously, promising to be out in full force conducting saturation patrols to nab suspected drunk drivers.

According to Bankrate.com, the average DUI arrest – after fines, court costs, attorneys’ fees, traffic school, probation and higher insurance rates – is going to run you about $10,000, maybe more.

Still, it doesn’t appear fans intend to refrain from imbibing. NBC News reports that the amount of money spent on beer in the two weeks surrounding last year’s Super Bowl was more than $1 billion.

Studies have indicated that in addition to alcohol, driver inattention is a big factor in crashes following the game, with fans replaying the highlights (and lamenting the bad plays) in their minds – consuming the attention they should be giving to the road ahead.

In Indiana, hosts, too, may be held liable if one of their guests to whom they served alcohol gets into a serious wreck – especially if that driver is underage. So if you are hosting a party tonight, make sure the following is part of your checklist:

• Make sure all guests have a designated driver.
• Make sure to offer plenty of non-alcoholic drinks and food.
• Cut off alcohol consumption at the end of the third quarter, just like the stadiums do it. Give your guests a chance to sober up, and offer coffee and desert.
• Have the phone numbers of local taxi companies on hand.
• Take the keys away from anyone who seems to drunk to drive.

Continue reading

When it comes to nationwide roadway safety, Indiana did not fare as well as we would have hoped, according to a recently-released annual report highlighting legislative deficiencies.Our Highland personal injury attorneys aren’t surprised by the findings, though we hope it serves as an eye-opener and a starting point for lawmakers to advocate for change.

The “2013 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws,” conducted by Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, reveals that 750 of the more than 8,300 traffic fatalities occurring in the last decade happened in 2011. These crashes have an annual economic impact of $4.35 billion to the state of Indiana, including costs of property damage, injury, hospitalization, lost work, law enforcement and emergency resources and disability. (Nationwide, that figure was $300 billion in 2011 – up from $230 billion in 2000.)

While we may never be successful in the complete eradication of inexperienced and irresponsible drivers, there is certainly more we could do. The state has been given an overall “yellow light” rating – a mid-range rank falling between optimal traffic safety measures (green) and abysmal (red).

Specifically, the report outlines the following areas where Indiana can improve:

• Enact an all-rider motorcycle helmet law;
• Enact graduated driver’s license programs that require drivers to be at least 16 years-old for a learner’s permit and strengthen nighttime driving restrictions for those drivers;
• Enact a law requiring ignition interlock devices for everyone convicted of DUI – not just repeat offenders;
• Enact a law that additionally penalizes impaired drivers who have minors in the vehicle with a charge of child endangerment.

There really is no excuse not to move on these actions, particularly considering that Congress passed a multi-billion dollar transportation initiative offering states monetary incentives to do so.

With regard to motorcycle helmet laws, only 19 states and the District of Columbia have them. Indiana is one of those lacking. The study indicates that the lives of nearly 40 motorcycle riders could have been saved last year if we had implemented an all-rider helmet law.

Indiana did earn a “green light” rating for its passage of optimal child booster seat laws, which is important given that traffic crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for children over the age of 5. Booster seats are believed to reduce the injury risk for kids aged 4 through 7 by about 60 percent.

We were also given a “green light” rating for our GDL laws, but it’s noted that we only have five of the recommended seven GDL laws in place. Between 2006 and 2011, some 900 people were killed in crashes involving drivers who were between the ages of 15 and 20. Passage of enhanced GDL laws, which allow novice drivers to gain experience gradually and safely, could serve to reduce that number even more.

For example, states with nighttime driving restrictions for under-18 drivers report teen fatality reductions as high as 60 percent during those hours.

With regard to impaired driving, Indiana gets only a “yellow light” rating. Of the 1,140 children under age 14 killed in traffic accidents in 2011, more than 15 percent were alcohol-related crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that somewhere between 50 million and 100 million drunk driving trips are made each year with children under the age of 15 in the vehicle – illustrating why the implementation of a child endangerment law to enhance criminal penalties for such violations is so critical.

Of course, we have laws to protect our children from abuse, neglect or negligence. And while driving drunk with a child in the car is clearly negligence, it’s not clearly stated as such under state law. Indiana is behind the curve on this, as one of only eight states lacking such a law.
Continue reading

With only a small swath of northern Indiana bordering Lake Michigan, it’s natural that flooding isn’t as great of a concern here as in low-lying areas of states bordering the Gulf of Mexico.But our Munster injury lawyers know it’s unwise to ignore the potential risks, particularly when we see a combination of widespread rainfall, melting snow and saturated soil – all of which contributes to flooding, particularly in lowland regions of the state.

In fact, the Indiana Department of Transportation recently issued a warning urging motorists who encounter a flooded roadway to immediately turn around. It’s not worth the risk of vehicle damage, injury and even death that can occur when drivers try to take a chance in high water.

IDOT is taking the risk so seriously that it has launched a public awareness campaign titled, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown.”

While state traffic crews have been working around the clock to barricade highways that have seen flooding and remove excess debris from drainage sites, the fact is, flood waters can rise quickly and with little warning.

Sport utility vehicle drivers in particular may be at risk because drivers may have a false sense of security upon encountering flooding. Unless your vehicle doubles as a boat, be warned that six inches of standing water is sufficient to cause passenger cars to stall out. A foot of water is enough to cause you to float away.

The National Weather Service reports that the vast majority of flash flooding deaths occur when people encounter the flood waters in motor vehicles. It’s especially risky when the water is moving rapidly.

Bear in mind that if there are barriers blocking the roadway with warning signs of flooding, you would be taking an enormous risk with your life and those of your passengers by driving around them.

Note too that if you choose to travel flooded roadways and get stranded, emergency crews may not risk their own lives to save you. It’s possible you may not even be able to call for help, particularly if flooding results in downed communication lines. And even if help is on the way, it may take much longer than it normally would, due to the impeding water.

And if you get stuck and think you can simply wade through, consider that exposure to standing flood water has been documented by the Centers for Disease Control to be associated with a high risk of infectious diseases, chemical hazards and injuries.

You should also be cautious of roadways in the immediate wake of a flood. The fact is, flooding can cause damage to both roads and bridges. And just because the damage isn’t visible doesn’t necessarily mean it’s safe to proceed.
Continue reading