Category: Car Accidents

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, only school bus drivers in the state are prohibited from using a hand-held cell phone while driving. All other drivers are allowed to make calls and send text messages while they drive. As we recently reported on our Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending that a law be passed that bans the use of portable electronic devices by all drivers. Currently there are 35 states that have made text messaging at the wheel illegal and only nine that prohibit talking on hand-held cell phones.Officials with the National Safety Council (NSC) point out that it’s not just hand-held phones and text messaging that serves as a danger on our roadways. Hands-free devices may be just as dangerous. Still, no state has made it illegal for drivers to use a hands-free device while operating a motor vehicle.

Our Phoenix car accident attorneys understand that legislatures have been enacting laws to curb driver distractions since 2000, but no state has yet to completely ban all devices. Officials believe that such a law wouldn’t go over well with residents. Many have claimed that similar laws were in fact a violation of their personal freedoms, according to CNN.

“It’s just one of those things that would be the equivalent of the 18th Amendment today. It’s a Prohibition that would not work,” said David Adkins, of the The Council of State Governments.

Prohibition laws take time to gain the participation of the country. Think of our seat belt laws. The first of these laws were passed back in the ’80s. In recent years, a few remaining states enacted such laws to make it a nationwide law. Still, less than 85 percent of motorists wear a seat belt.

There have been a number of studies that have looked at driving quality when a hands-free cell phone us being used by a driver. The study concluded that driving skills are hindered just as much by hands-free use as by hand-held use.

Scenarios affected by hands-free cell phone use:

-Drivers who are using a hands-free device at the wheel have the same reaction time as a drunk driver.

-Drivers using hands-free devices in work zones take longer to slow their speed when following a vehicle. These drivers are more likely to brake hard than a driver who isn’t using a cell phone.

-In vehicles that have a rear-end collision warning system, a driver who is using a hands-free cell phone reacts slower to the device than a driver who isn’t using a cell phone.

Driver distractions have joined the list of top accident causes alongside speeding and alcohol. Every year, nearly one and a half million accidents occur because of accidents involving cell phone-using drivers. These accidents are completely preventable. While legislators argue the effects and regulation efforts of cell phone use by drivers, the bottom line is that talking on a phone, hands-free or otherwise, is dangerous.
Continue reading “Hands-Free Cell Phones Dangerous, Causing Car Accidents in Phoenix and Elsewhere, says NSC”

As we recently reported on our Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, we witnessed nearly 800 fatalities resulting from car accidents in Arizona throughout 2010. Our state saw nearly 110,000 car accidents during the year. While car accidents are a huge threat to residents of all ages, they serve as the number one cause of death for individuals aged 3- to 34-years-old. We always hear about these incidents being the number one cause of death for teenage drivers. But the truth of the matter is your risk of being involved in a serious or fatal traffic accident is alarmingly high regardless of age group.

Our Phoenix car accidents attorneys understand that traffic crashes are the third highest ranked cause of loss of life in the country. This means that these accidents account for the third highest incident calculated by the number of years that a resident reasonably had expected left to live, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).Top Causes for Deaths, Calculating by Years of Life Lost:

-Cancer
-Heart Disease
-Motor Vehicle Accidents
-Stroke
-Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease
-Suicide
-Perinatal Period
-Diabetes
-Accidental Poisoning
-Homicide
As we get closer to Christmas and New Year’s, drivers are asked to be cautious on our roadways as the volume of traffic is expected to increase significantly with holiday travelers. An increase in traffic flow significantly increases your risks for a fatal accident.

Whether you’re in the warm and sunny Arizona weather or in a cold-weather climate, drivers are urged to consider the following safety driving tips from Tiiu Napp, a Phoenix Travel Photographer for the Examiner, to enjoy a safe and injury-free holiday.

Holiday/Winter Safe Driving Tips:

-Reduce speed and drive cautiously, even if you have a 4WD vehicle. Four-wheel drive means you can accelerate quicker, but not that you’re able to stop quicker.

-You should try to avoid stomping on the brake or making quick, sudden turns to help avoid losing traction with the road.

-Speed is the top cause for winter weather car accidents. Obey speed limits, or travel even slower, to get to your destination safely.

-Try not to tailgate. Vehicles have a tougher time stopping on ice and snow.

-Try not to use your cruise control. In inclement weather, it’s difficult to regain control of your vehicle if it spins out, hydroplanes or loses traction.

-Keep in mind that bridge roads freeze quicker than ground roads.

-If you’re uncomfortable driving in the current weather conditions, pull over and wait for the weather to improve. There’s no need to rush and jeopardize your safety.

As we mentioned earlier, car accidents are the number one cause of death for a large portion of residents in the state. Please be super careful on our roadways to avoid a potentially fatal accident. Have a safe and happy holiday season.
Continue reading “Car Accidents in Phoenix and Elsewhere Top Cause of Death Among 3- to 34-Year-Olds”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced this week that it will be pushing for a nationwide cell phone ban. The board would like for government officials to make it illegal for all drivers in the country to talk on a cell phone while driving, according to the Phoenix NewTimes.

The board is claiming that talking on a phone, texting, e-mailing or surfing the web is far too dangerous and contributes to too many car accidents in Phoenix and elsewhere. The recommendation comes with some exceptions though. Drivers would be allowed to use devices that help aid driver safety, including GPS devices, and to use devices in the event of an emergency.Some states already ban texting at the wheel, while others have yet to enact a law to regulate this activity. Cell phone regulations for drivers vary throughout the country as well. The NTSB understands that a complete ban on cell phone usage for drivers isn’t going to win any popularity contest, but it could be the key to making our roadways safer.

Our Phoenix car accident attorneys understand that only school bus drivers are prohibited from talking on cell phones behind the wheel in our state. But drivers who text message or are distracted by phones has increasingly become a serious safety issue.

The National Safety Council is backing the NTSB’s proposal to ban cell phone usage for all drivers in the U.S. The recent proposal comes after a meeting that was used to discuss the 2010 distraction-related traffic accident that happened in Gray Summit, Missouri. In this accident, a trucker’s vehicle killed two people and injured nearly 40 more. Cell phone records indicated that the driver blamed for causing the accident was using his cell phone behind the wheel just seconds before the accident happened.

The NTSB is also recommending that states figure out a way to increase the visibility of enforcement officers on their roadways to enforce such a ban. In addition to the increased patrolling efforts, government officials are urged to launch a campaign to communicate the rules of the new ban along with the dangers and risks of using a cell phone at the wheel.

“This (distracted driving) is becoming the new DUI. It’s becoming epidemic,” said NTSB’s Robert Sumwalt.

In an even more extensive effort to halt this dangerous behavior, the NTSB is asking cell phone manufactures to create features that would disable the functionality of a driver’s cell phone as long as the vehicle is moving.

“This recommendation by NTSB is a national call to action to end distracted driving due to cell phone use. This is a growing public safety threat that needs to be addressed by legislators, employers and every person who operates a motor vehicle on our nation’s roadways,” said Janet Froetscher, of the NSC.

According to the NSC, there are nearly 1.5 million traffic accidents that happen every year because of distracted drivers. These accidents account for nearly a quarter of all traffic accidents. Drivers are asked to voluntarily commit to roadway safety and curb all distractions. With responsible driving habits, we can all do our part to contribute to a reduction in roadway fatalities. No phone call or text messaging is worth a life.
Continue reading “NTSB Proposes Full Cell Phone Ban to Help Curb Car Accidents in Phoenix and Elsewhere”

According to the new statistics released from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the number of fatalities and injuries from car accidents in Phoenix and elsewhere in 2010 reached a low not seen since 1949. The number of fatalities didn’t decline everywhere though. The number of fatalities among large truck occupants, motorcycle riders and pedestrians in fact increased significantly.”While we have more work to do to continue to protect American motorists, these numbers show we’re making historic progress when it comes to improving safety on our nation’s roadways,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood.

Our Phoenix car accident attorneys understand that our state still experienced more than 760 traffic-related fatalities in 2010. While this is a decrease in the total number when compared to 2009, this number is expected to increase as the economy continues to recover. As Arizona pushes efforts to combat drunk driving, distracted driving and speed-related traffic accidents, motorists are asked to exercise safe driving habits to help to reduce these numbers.

As technology advances, distraction-related car accidents are becoming more and more common on our roadways. The NHTSA recognizes this increasing trend as well. The Administration is now using a new measure to count these accidents. It’s called “distraction-affected crashes” and was first used in the 2010 statistics, released this week.

In 2010, there were more than 3,000 traffic fatalities resulting from car accident that involved a distracted driver. While we commonly hear about cell phones and texting being the cause for driver distractions, we still see an alarming high number of distractions caused by eating, drinking, smoking, applying makeup, messing with the radio and talking to other passengers.

Back in 2006, the FARS unveiled a new measure to keep track of alcohol-related accidents. In an attempt to focus on these types of accidents, the NHTSA recently introduced its measure called “alcohol-impaired driving crashes” to better define and keep track of these types of accidents.

Key Findings of the 2010 Motor Vehicle Accidents Overview:

-There were nearly 33,000 people in the U.S. who died because of traffic accidents.

-More than 2 million people were injured in 2010. This is approximately 100,000 more than in 2009.

-Alcohol-related accidents accounted for more than 30 percent of all fatal traffic accidents.

-Motorcycle fatalities increased and accounted for nearly 15 percent of all traffic fatalities.

-Fatalities among large truck occupants increased by nearly 10 percent from 2009.

-The number of rural accidents increased, while the number of urban-area accidents decreased slightly.

-The number of motorcycle fatalities decreased among riders under the age of 50, but increased significantly for riders over the age of 50.

-Twenty states experienced increases in the number of traffic-related fatalities.

As we recently reported, the state of Arizona witnessed more than 106,000 car accidents in 2010. Drivers are urged to be cautious and practice safe driving habits on our roadways to help to further reduce the number of accidents.
Continue reading “NHTSA Released New Reports Regarding 2010 Car Accidents in Arizona, Nation”

Redflex Traffic Systems already has cameras at 12 intersections in Chandler. The company is introducing a new camera that could potentially prevent even more intersection car accidents in Phoenix and the surrounding area. This new technology supposedly knows when a car is going to run a red light and will stop other drivers from crossing the intersection, according to AZ Central. The camera would stop traffic until the red-light runner has passed through the intersection.Our Phoenix car accident attorneys understand just how dangerous intersection collisions can be. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car accidents commonly occur at intersections because these are locations where two or more roads intersect and activities such as crossing over, turning left and turning right have the potential for conflicts resulting in crashes. Data from the National Automotive Sampling System-General Estimates System (NASS-GES) and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) conclude that approximately 40 percent of the nearly 6,000,000 traffic accidents in 2008 were intersection-related accidents.

A majority of fatal intersection accidents happen when a vehicle that is turning left collides with another vehicle traveling through an intersection, according to the Chandler Police. When cars run red lights, they’re likely to run into a vehicle coming from another direction. But when they slam on the brakes to avoid a red-light ticket, their risk for a rear-end accident also spikes significantly.

This new technology claims that it can hold off other vehicles when a driver is running a light and therefor would reduce the risks of another car being struck in the intersection.

The new technology is serving as backup for the current red-light cameras, which initially claimed to be the solution to intersection accidents. Frank Milstead of the Mesa Police said that the red-light camera technology has improved and now they’re able to see the whole intersection and make adjustments to avoid an accident.

Redflex and a number of other companies have installed the technology at intersections across the country in exchange for a portion of the ticket profits. But this move caused controversy for those who say drivers are slamming on their brakes at these intersections to avoid a ticket. Unfortunately, these brake-slammers are causing their fair share of intersection accidents by causing an increase in the number of rear-end collisions.

Sherry Kiyler of the Chandler Police says that she approves of the cameras and supports their purpose. She says that they’ve not only reduced the number of intersection accidents, but have reduced the severity of them.

While technology at intersections will continue to be a topic of debate among residents and city officials, drivers are reminded that there’s nothing more beneficial in preventing an accident than awareness and attention.
Continue reading “Cameras Stopping Traffic to Avoid Intersection Car Accidents in Chandler, Arizona”

Phoenix accident attorneys at Abels & Annes have signed on to represent a Scottsdale resident who was recently injured in a Scottsdale car crash. The collision occurred earlier this month at the intersection of 92nd and Thunderbird.

There is a four-way stop sign at the intersection. Our client stopped at the stop sign and proceeded through when it was her turn. At that moment, the defendant approached the intersection going approximately 40 to 50 mph and did not notice the stop sign. He failed to slow his vehicle and slammed into the plaintiff’s car.

The Scottsdale Police Department responded to the scene of the accident. After investigating, police placed the defendant at fault and issued him a citation for failing to obey the stop sign.

Our client sustained neck and back injuries and a concussion in the crash, with symptoms of dizziness and nausea. Shortly after the accident she was seen at Scottsdale Healthcare on Shea.

At the ER she was examined by physicians and x-rays were taken. Doctors diagnosed her with a concussion and cervical strain (whiplash). She was prescribed several types of pain medication and instructed to follow-up with a physician.

Over the days following the accident, unfortunately her pain did not resolve. She is now treating with an orthopaedic group in Scottsdale.

The plaintiff has hired our office to pursue a negligence claim against the defendant auto insurance carrier, American Family.

According to the United States government, there are nearly 700,000 auto accidents reported to police annually that occur at stop signs. Around one third of these collisions cause injuries.

A study done in 2003 found stop sign violations caused about 70% of the above-mentioned accidents. This compared to about 12% caused by rear end collisions. The study also found that drivers 65 and older as well as drivers under the age of 18 were much more likely to be at fault in stop sign accidents.

The government study was performed by looking at police reports from accidents at stop sign intersections from 4 different cities in the United States during 1996-2000.
Continue reading “Arizona injury lawyer takes on new auto accident case”

In in an effort to reduce Arizona car crashes, Phoenix is contemplating installing more red-light cameras at intersections where car accidents have been a problem after a task force studying traffic in the city made the recommendation. According to the Arizona Republic, of the 12 intersections that have the cameras, only the one at 15th and Missouri avenues is ranked in the top five for car accidents.

The photo-enforcement manager for the Phoenix Police Department attributes this to the cameras, which he says saves lives by changing motorists’ driving behavior. Drivers are more hesitant to run red-lights, reducing the potential for accidents.

“In a perfect world, all the intersections would be monitored,” he said. “We’re currently evaluating more sites.”

He says the city looks at speed, the number and seriousness of accidents, and fatalities in determining where to place the cameras. The installations would come at no cost to the city as the company that provides the cameras is paid based on the citations issued.

A recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety claims that red-light cameras in 14 large cities reduced the rate of red-light running accidents resulting in death by 24%, saving 159 lives in 2004-2008. In 2009, red-light running killed approximately 676 people, the majority of whom were not the drivers of the vehicle running the red-light.

The study claims that the cameras deter would-be violators from running through the intersections, and the effect can spill over to intersections where there are no cameras. It also allows police officers to use their time more efficiently, as patrolling intersection for red-light runners can be difficult and even dangerous.

While the study states that there is there is widespread report for the cameras, there are a growing number of opponents to the scheme who claim that the cameras are an invasion of privacy, a threat to due process, and can actually increase accidents.

The ACLU have voiced their concern that the cameras run by private companies can be used to gather data unrelated to traffic violations and made available to non-law enforcement parties. The organization cited a situation where cameras installed on the Texas-Oklahoma border were used to capture the license plate numbers of law-abiding citizens crossing the border so officials could question them as to why they crossed.

The ACLU also contends that individuals’ due process rights are being diluted by the system. A person may not receive notice of their violation for weeks or months after the incident, making it difficult to defend against erroneous citations. Also, the fact that a citizen may be ticketed for someone else violating the law in their car is unfair, and the requirement that they prove they were not driving at the time goes against our country’s presumption of innocent until proven guilty.

A 2005 Washington Post study of red-light cameras in Washington D.C. revealed that accidents had actually gone up at those intersections. The analysis revealed that crashed more than doubled at the intersections and T-bone collisions, which are especially dangerous, increased by 30 percent. The study then cites numerous studies leading to conclusions on both sides of the argument.

Phoenix injury attorneys implore motorists to drive cautiously regardless of the presence of red-light cameras. Running a red-light can result in very serious injuries to yourself and others, as well as subject you to civil liability.
Continue reading “Phoenix looks to install additional red-light cameras to reduce accidents at problem intersections”

Phoenix accident attorneys know how jarring a car collision can be and understand the confusion that arises in its aftermath as you decide what to do next. A new app for the iPad and iPhone released by AAA attempts to alleviate this confusion by guiding the user through a post-crash process that includes properly documenting the crash itself and requesting roadside assistance if necessary, ABC news is reporting.

According to the AAA press release, the app provides is one-touch calling to police and emergency services if they are needed. It then guides you through a step by step process of gathering the relevant crash information you need to submit an insurance claim and document the incident for any potential litigation that may arise. This process includes taking photos of the crash site and any damages, documenting the parties, vehicles, and witness involved in the crash, and storing the information in an easily accessible file on your phone.

The app can also hold all the details of your insurance policy and the contact information of your insurance provider. This allows you to collect all the crash data and send it to your insurance company directly from your phone.

Our experience as Arizona auto accident lawyers has taught us that while the moments after a car crash can be chaotic, it could be helpful to document the incident if at all possible. A well-documented car accident could make it easier for attorneys to later help you obtain the compensation you deserve for your injuries and alleviate some of the stress of the post-crash process.

The new app is available to download for free on either your mobile phone or desktop through the iTunes store. For more information on the app you can visit www.aaa.com/mobile. This is the fourth free iPhone app offered by AAA, joining the AAA Discounts app, the AAA Roadside app, and the AAA TripTik mobile travel planner.

If you have been injured in an Arizona crash by a motorist who failed to follow rules of the road, contact Abels & Annes for a free consultation. Call 866-99-ABELS to speak to a lawyer now.

This blog was co-authored by Shane Nichols, a second-year law student at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago.