Category Archives: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Federal Law Enforcement Grant To Focus On Texting & Driving

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The Nation Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) announced this week that they
are issuing a federal grant in the amount of $550,000 to police departments in Massachusetts
and Connecticut allowing them to crack down on texting and driving. Police
officials throughout the country have discussed how difficult it is to actually
catch someone who is texting and driving. This new grant will pay for officers
whose sole focus will be staking out drivers who are typing on their phones and
driving. The plan is for the officers to patrol in unmarked or undercover
vehicles and place themselves on overpasses. 

Currently it is illegal
to text and drive in 38 states and in 10 states it is illegal to use any type
of hand held device while driving. Although this is a positive step to curbing
the dangers that come from texting and driving, the question remains whether
this will be enough. I would like to know what the typical punishment or fine
that comes along with a texting and driving ticket. As I have written numerous
times in the past: without higher fines and stricter punishment, it will be
hard to convince drivers to change their habits.

If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago auto accident or Chicago truck accident,
then call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a freeconsultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. 

Ford Recalls 485,00 Escape & Maverick SUVs

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The Associated
Press reported last month that Ford Motor Company has recalled nearly
500,000 of its Escape and Maverick sports utility vehicles. The announcement
from Ford stated that the recall is based on sticking gas pedals that can cause car accidents.  The worldwide recall affects the 2001 through 2004
model years that are powered by 3-litre V-6 engines with cruise control.

The National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received 68 complaints about the
problem, including 13 crashes crashes, nine injuries and one death. A teenage girl
died when an Escape crashed in Arizona in January. It’s the third recall
in two weeks for the Escape, which was the top-selling SUV in the U.S. last
month. A week ago Ford recalled 11,500 of the all-new 2013 models with
1.6-litre engines because the fuel lines can crack and leak gasoline, causing
fires. A few days before that, it recalled 10,000 2013 Escapes to fix carpet
padding that could interfere with braking.

NHTSA said investigators would look into whether
the sticky throttles could have been caused by repairs made as part of a 2004
recall of the same vehicles. About 590,000 of the vehicles were recalled in
December of 2004 to fix an accelerator cable defect, and NHTSA documents say
the repairs could have damaged the cruise control cable.

This is similar to the type of auto defect and
recall that Toyota made two (2) years ago, which involved sticky pedals, pedals
being caught in the carpet and sudden acceleration. This is good to see this
recalls as there are already a reported 68 complaints and 13 car accidents. Hopefully
this will prevent any future car accidents.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or believes they have aChicago auto defect case, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm
website at www.blgchicago.com. 

What Can Be Done To Limit Distracted Driving Accidents?

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 There was an interesting
article in the Chicago Tribune’s business section this week
that asked the question: has technology become so overwhelming that is it
causing a collision course between commerce, consumers and government. This is
an interesting question as we live in a society of social networking that can
all be accessed at any time through our smart phones.  As the article
suggests and numerous studies I have revealed, distracted driving can be just
as dangerous as drinking and driving. The next question is, what can the
government due to protect drivers from distracted driving accidents if it is
just as dangerous as drinking and driving?  The suggestion I have made
over and over is to enact stricter penalties for those guilty of texting and
driving when personal injury is involved. How can drivers take the texting ban
laws seriously if there are no repercussions? If people realize that they could
possibly go to jail or face heavy fines and community service for causing a
serious distracted driving accident, then they may think twice about picking up
their phone while in the car.

The article mentioned
that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is meeting in Chicago
next week to discuss proposed voluntary guidelines for minimizing the distractions
of in-car navigation and other built-in technology systems.  One proposal
would be to require technology in cars that disables built-in phone
calling, texting, emailing, Web surfing and other distracting devices unless
the car is parked, and it would not allow information to be typed into a
navigation system in a moving vehicle.  That would definitely be a start
but could be costly for the automakers and consumers.  It is good to the NHTSA
is taking these issues seriously.

If
you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicagotruck accident, then call Chicago personal injury attorney Aaron Bryant for a
free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com. style=”font-size: 12pt; font-family: ‘Times New Roman’, serif; “>

2011 Safe Drivers Act Introduced In Congress

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I have written many times in the past about the dangers of cell phone use while driving. These dangers including talking on your cell phone, texting, emailing or surfing the internet. Up to this point, the U.S. Congress has left it up to states to regulate their distracted driving laws.

This could change shortly as Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y., has introduced legislation that would federalize driving and cell phone usage, laws that are currently managed by individual states. [1] Under the proposed legislation, the bill would direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to set up a nationwide standard, prohibiting cell phone use while driving. The lone exception would allow drivers to call for help during an emergency.

The proposed legislation includes some exclusions such as allowing drivers to use voice-operated, vehicle-integrated devices, as well as voice-operated GPS systems. McCarthy’s bill would require the DOT to conduct a study on distracted driving, focusing particularly on the issue of cognitive distraction and the impact of distraction on young and inexperienced drivers. Within two years, the DOT would be required to report its findings to Congress, providing recommendations for revising the minimum distracted driving prohibitions and penalties states must comply with. States would be given two years to comply with the law or face a 25 percent reduction in federal highway funding.

This is a similar approach that federal government used in the 1990s when they strongly encouraged states to adopt stricter drinking and driving laws, specifically the .08 blood alcohol limits.

Many believe this is long over-due as distracted driving accidents are one of the leading causes of vehicle fatalities.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 5,474 people died as a result of driver distraction in 2009, accounting for approximately 1 in 6 of all auto crash fatalities that year.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a Chicago car accident or a Chicago trucking accident, then call Chicago car accident attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Illinois Hosting Distracted Driving Summit This Week

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I have written numerous times in the past about distracted driving and the dangers of texting and driving. The National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has hosted a distracted driving summit the past two (2) years, which has been aimed at sharing research and statistics and also spread the word about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving. Illinois is getting into the act as they are hosting their own summit on Thursday April 21 in Addison, IL. 

The speakers for this event include:

Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation                                                                                                             

Jesse White, Secretary of State, Illinois                                                                                                                               

John D. Cullerton, Illinois Senate President                                                                                                                     ]

John D’Amico, Illinois Representative

The summit will include a victim impact panel, updates on new  and proposed changes in legislation, updates on research and, of course, keynote speeches by Secretaries LaHood and White.

It will be interesting to hear the outcomes from this event.

Remember, if you have been injured in a Chicago car accident or Chicago truck accident, then call
Chicago accident attorney, Aaron J. Bryant, for a free consultation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Designated Driver Services Popping Up In Chicago Area

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The Chicago Tribune wrote an interesting article yesterday regarding designated driver services devoted to driving people to and from parties and/or bars. This is a new trend that appears to be timely considering the holiday season that is upon us. There are several components to this service that differentiates itself from a taxi or your typical “limo’ driving service. First is the price. These designated driving services appear affordable as they typically only charge $12.50 per hour or $25 if you have already arrived to your location. Second, is that the designated drivers use the client’s automobile to drive them to and from their destination. (This eliminates an often common worry about leaving your car somewhere away from home for the night and having to retrieve it the next day.) Third, if the client is going to a party, say in the suburbs, this type of service is much more accessible than trying to hailing or calling a cab to a subdivision.

Some of the new companies that have popped up recently include Paddy Wagon Services of suburban New Lenox, Booze Crews serving DuPage County and U Drink I Drive of Chicago.

This is a very enterprizing idea, and most importantly, can save lives and also avoid the hassle and stigma of being arrested for a DUI .  The Tribune article notes that  in 2009, there were 373 alcohol-related car crash  fatalities in Illinois. Nationally, more than 11,000 people are killed in alcohol-related car crashes  each year, accounting for one-third of all motor vehicle crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

If you or someone you know has been hit by a drunk driver, then call Chicago car accident attorney , Aaron Bryant, for a free consutlation at 312-588-3384 or go to the firm website at www.blgchicago.com.

Highway Deaths At Record Low In First Half Of 2009

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ABC News recently reported that there was a sharp decline in highway deaths in the first half of 2009.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported Friday that 16,626 people died in traffic crashes between January and the end of June, a 7 percent decline from the same period last year. It followed up on a record low number of deaths achieved for that period in 2008, when an estimated 37,261 motorists died, the fewest since 1961.

The recession is probably the biggest contributor but it’s not the only contributor,” said Barbara Harsha, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety agencies.

Highway safety officials also reported a decline in the fatality rate, the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. It fell to 1.15 during the first half of 2009, compared with a record low — at the time — of 1.27 in 2008.

Harsha and others noted that seat belt use has climbed to an all-time high, many new vehicles offer safety-enhancing side air bags and anti-rollover technologies and authorities have stepped up enforcement of drunk driving laws.

Seat belt use climbed to 84 percent in 2009, helped by many states allowing police to stop a vehicle for a seat belt violation, even if this is the only violation the officers notice.

To read the entire story at ABC News, click here.

If you look closely, I mean very closely, a few positive things have come about as a result of the recent recession. Hopefully this trend in highway safety continues even as the economy recovers.

If you or someone you know has been involved in an auto accident or a truck accident, then call attorney Aaron Bryant for a free consultation at 312-588-3384.