Category: Car Accidents

When it comes to distracted driving laws, Arizona remains part of the last frontier. But leave the state on a summer vacation and you may find yourself sitting on the side of the road awaiting a traffic citation for using a cell phone while behind the wheel.

Advocates contend the number of Phoenix car accidents, and the number of traffic accidents elsewhere in Arizona, would decline if text messaging and/or cell phone use were outlawed while driving. The state senate passed such a measure last month, though for now Arizona remains one of a declining number of states that do little to regulate cell phone use by drivers.Our Phoenix injury lawyers continue to report on the high number of accidents caused by distracted driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that more than 6,000 people a year are killed and 500,000 injured in distracted driving accidents.

Only school bus drivers in Arizona are forbidden from using cell phones while driving. The Governors Highway Safety Association reports that Arizona joins Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and South Dakota as states without laws aimed at preventing drivers from text messaging or using hand-held phones while behind the wheel.

MSNBC reports the patchwork of laws can create havoc for summer road trips. “Drivers are still responsible for knowing the cell phone laws that apply in each state,” said AAA spokeswoman Nancy White.

Fines range from $20 to $150 for a first offense and could put a real ding in your summer travel budget.

Eight state ban all use of hand-held cell phones altogehter: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington.

-Twenty-eight states prohibit new drivers and teenagers from using cell phones.

-Thirty states now ban drivers from text messaging.

Some state permit cities to enact their own legislation, so the laws can vary even within a state. For example, Illinois forbids drivers from text messaging, which the City of Chicago has outlawed all hand-held cell phone use by drivers. Other states, like Florida, have prevented cities from enacting their own legislation.
Continue reading “Fewer Phoenix car accidents could result from proposed texting ban; traveling motorists face various restrictions”

Arizona motorists no longer have to worry about getting a ticket via one of the state’s radar cameras, after the program nabbed its last speeder on Thursday, the Yuma Sun reported. As we previously reported on our Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog, the state has chosen to eliminate the cameras even as proponents warn of an increase in Phoenix car accidents and traffic accidents elsewhere in Arizona.The company that operated the cameras contends that more speeders will lead to more accidents. A study of a photo-enforced stretch of Loop 101 in Scottsdale found that speeding dropped significantly after installation of the cameras. “We know from past experiences, and what we have learned, is when government agencies have opted to deactivate road safety camera systems, that speeds will spike to dangerous levels,” said Shoba Vaitheeswaran, spokeswoman for Redflex Traffic Systems, which had operated the system.

Speeds fell by an average of 9 mph after the cameras were installed on Loop 101 in 2007, according to a report from the Arizona Department of Transportation. Total crashes declined by more than half, while injury crashes fell by 48 percent. When the cameras were shut down — a move that was publicly announced — ten times more motorists drove at least 11 mph over the limit.

Gov. Jan Brewer ordered the Department of Public Safety not to renew the two-year contract with the company, which expired at the end of last week. The program had 36 permanent monitoring locations and 40 mobile vans. While advocates for ending the program cited privacy concerns, the media has reported that many motorists simply ignored tickets that came in the mail, which drastically reduced the amount of revenue the state had anticipated collecting from the program.

Only about one-third (432,376) of the 1.2 million violations mailed to motorists were actually paid.

While the state has canceled its program, the move does not impact camera programs operated by cities or counties. An increasing number of municipalities are relying upon the cameras to generate revenue and reduce the number of traffic infractions, especially red-light runners at intersections.
Continue reading “State camera program ends as safety advocates warn of increase in Phoenix car accidents caused by speeding”

A Phoenix car accident that led to a police chase in which two news crews were killed has resulted in a 26-year-old man pleading guilty to 35 criminal charges, the Arizona Republic reported.

The news crews died after their helicopters collided in midair at Central Avenue and Indian School Road, killing all four men aboard both choppers. Following his arrest in 2007, the defendant told police he had no memory of stealing two trucks, causing an accident after ramming a police cruiser, or leading police on a high-speed chase through Central Phoenix.

He was not charged in the deaths of the television crews but faced decades behind bars on numerous charges, including aggravated assault, criminal damage and auto theft. The case had been scheduled to go to trial but his defense attorney said the defendant decided to plead out when it became apparent that the state was not going to offer any plea deals.

AZ Family reports other charges included unlawful flight, leaving the scene of an accident, endangerment, criminal trespass and criminal damage. He faces up to 467 years in prison. Sentencing has been scheduled for Sept. 10.

KTAR reported police were chasing the defendant, who was driving a work truck, through downtown Phoenix when the helicopters collided above Steele Indian School Park.

The defendant was arrested hours later after barricading himself inside his home in west Phoenix.