Georgia Truck Accident Lawyers Blog

According to Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary, the “Faces of Distracted Driving” public service announcement has been viewed more than 100,000 times. This PSA was released by the U.S. Department of Transportation back in November of 2010. The 30-second announcement uses a number of stories from residents across the country who have been the victim of distracted driving-related car accidents in Atlanta and elsewhere.

Our Atlanta trucking accident attorneys understand how dangerous driver distractions can be. The need for focused and alert driving is extremely important as we head into the holiday season. Road traffic will be increasing as the end of the year approaches. During this time, the risks for a potentially fatal accident increase as well. Drivers are urged to curb all distractions to avoid an accident.

“I thank all of the families of distracted driving victims who have bravely chosen to share their stories of loss with the world,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

No text message or phone call is worth risking the life of an innocent motorist. The videos from the U.S. Department of Transportation aim to reveal the true consequences of distracted driving to motorists nationwide.

There were approximately 5,500 people who were killed in 2009 because of motor-vehicle accidents that reported the involvement of a distracted driver. About 500,000 people were injured in these types of incidents throughout the year as well.

According to Fox News, truck drivers are currently prohibited from text messaging while driving, but laws to make it illegal for truckers to talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel are still pending. As long as drivers are allowed to engage in distractions behind the wheel, we will continue to see innocent lives lost on our roadways.

Every year, we see far too many accidents on our roadways that are the result of driver distractions. These accidents oftentimes end fatally when a large truck is involved. Transportation officials continue to work at eliminating the life-threatening habit of driving while engaging in distractions. All we need is more driver responsibility to curb the dangers.

"The risks of texting while driving are beyond belief," said Boyd Stephenson of the American Trucking Association.

Distracted driving can be classified in many categories, including:

-Eating.

-Smoking.

-Drinking.

-Playing with the radio.

-Surfing the web.

-Applying makeup.

-Interacting with passengers.

-Operating a GPS device or a paper map.

-Talking on a cell phone.

-Text messaging.

All of these behaviors can lead to a potentially fatal accident and can be prevented. Until there is a federal law banning this behavior and more enforcement efforts to can the act, drivers are asked to make responsible decisions behind the wheel and to pay attention to the roadways and to traffic.

Continue reading " USDOT Announces Success of Distracted-Driving Campaign to Fight Against Car Accidents in Georgia, Elsewhere " »

Highway funding legislation has been extended once again, with the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives pushing it back until March 2012. This legislation is referred to as Public Law 109-59. This is the eighth time that this bill has received an extension and Road Safe America isn't happy about it. This highway safety advocate group continuously pushes for safe roadways for motorists nationwide to help prevent fatal car accidents in Atlanta and elsewhere. The extension of this legislation is doing nothing more than putting drivers on U.S. roadways in danger, according to Road Safe America.

Most of the construction projects and maintenance work on our roadways relies heavily on federal tax money. The budget that organizes the money used for these projects is discussed, altered and renewed only every six years. The legislation that's in office right now expired nearly two years ago. There are a few ways that government can raise the money to keep this fund alive, one of the most popular options being to raise the tax on gas. But instead of figuring out new ways to make money to make our roads better our elected officials are throwing in the towel. With each and every extension, our roadways are getting worse and more dangerous.

Our Atlanta trucking accident attorneys understand how vital of a role roadway conditions plays in the safety of motorists. Our elected officials are supposed to ensure the safety of all roadways. If you feel that the condition of a road has contributed to your accident, you're urged to contact an attorney to help you take on the at-fault parties and to help you to gain the compensation you deserve.

In September, a bridge on Interstate 64 that is used to get from Ohio to Louisville and to cross over the Ohio River had to be shut down because of all of the stress fractures that road analysts found in the I-beams. This bridge could be closed for months, and roadway officials predict that many other bridges could be closed following even more inspections. Without the proper funding for projects like this one, these roadways could remain closed.

Road Safe America believes that if this type of financing was as predictable as other parts of government expenses, then these maintenance and rebuilding projects could have been avoided. The safe road advocate group is calling on Congress to do its job.

According to SmartMotorist.com, here are the common causes for roadway accidents:

-Equipment Failure

-Roadway Design

-Poor Roadway Maintenance

-Driver Behavior

More than 90 percent of traffic accidents are a combination of a driver's skill and a combination of one or more of the factors listed above.

Road Safe America and other safe-driving advocates hope that one day a highway funding bill will be able to introduce more safe-driving rules. In addition to roadway design, many commercial vehicles rely on on-board data recorders and speed regulating technology to help reduce the number of fatal accidents. The organization reiterates that it would rather have a complete bill passed than an incomplete bill rushed through legislation, but eight extensions is far too many.

Continue reading " Road Safe America Addresses Unsafe Roadways to Help Prevent Trucking Accidents in Atlanta, Nation " »

Georgia trucking accidents are becoming all too common on our roadways. Many are fatal. Drivers of passenger vehicles are urged to be extra vigilant while driving near and alongside these large vehicles. Driving safely and defensively can help reduce the risks of a fatal accident.

While looking over the headlines of recent news sources, we noticed far too many of these types of accidents making front pages. Truck drivers are crashing into other vehicles, into road barriers and are flipping over on many of our popular roadways.

Our Atlanta trucking accident attorneys would like to take this time to warn drivers about the risks and consequences of traffic accidents involving large, commercial vehicles. Oftentimes these accidents take the lives of innocent motorists. To try and avoid one of these accidents, you're urged to be on your best driving behavior when traveling among these big rigs. As the end of the year approaches, roadway traffic is expected to increase. More traffic increases you risks for an accident. Remember to be cautious of these trucks' blind spots, and never travel too closely to them.

I-75 on Exit 121 in Dooly County

According to WMAZ, the southbound lanes of I-75 had to be shut down because a tractor-trailer accident took out concrete slabs that were located along the roadway. After the collision, the truck caught fire. Officials are working diligently to remove and replace these slabs. Drivers are urged to be cautious when traveling through this area. Traffic was rerouted through a rest stop at Mile Marker 118.

Hart County near Dad’s Restaurant in Lavonia

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Hart County Sheriff’s Office are currently investigating a fatal hit-and-run accident that happened near Dad’s Restaurant in Lavonia. A 43-year-old woman from Mount Airy died after being hit by the runaway big rig. Witnesses have reported to have last seen the tractor-trailer heading north on Interstate 85 toward South Carolina, according to Access North Georgia.

Interstate 16 near Mile Marker 15

According to Georgia State Patrol, a tractor-trailer that was loaded with heavy steel flipped over into the median of the interstate near Mile Marker 15. The truck driver was transported to a local hospital. Emergency response crews were able to flip the truck back over, according to WMAZ. Transportation officials have yet to determine what caused the truck to flip.

Interstate 20 near Exits 92 and 93

A 19-year-old passenger was killed when an 18-wheeler collided with the vehicle he was riding in. The accident happened in the westbound lanes of I-20, according to the Rockdale Citizen. The man was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the passenger vehicle was injured in the accident and was transported to Atlanta Medical Center.

Continue reading " Headlines Reveal Reports of Several Recent Georgia Trucking Accidents " »

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently made a recommendation to ban all cell phone use for drivers of commercial vehicles. The National Safety Council is proudly backing this new recommendation as it sees it as an effective way to help reduce the risks of distraction-related trucking accidents in Georgia and elsewhere. This recommendation would ban the use of both hand-held and hands-free devices, except for when these devices are used for emergencies.

This proposal comes after the recent investigation of an accident in Kentucky that we previously told you about on our Georgia Trucking Accident Lawyers Blog that killed 11 people. Officials report that the driver of the truck had used his phone about 70 times in a 24-hour period before the accident, both for phone calls and text messages. He was reportedly talking on his cell phone just seconds before the fatal accident occurred.

It all happened when the driver of the tractor-trailer drove head-on into a passenger van after crossing an unpaved median on Interstate 65 in Munfordville. Eleven people including the truck driver died. The truck also took out shops that were located near that roadway.

"It (distracted driving) can be especially lethal when the distracted driver is at the wheel of a vehicle that weighs 40 tons and travels at highway speeds," says Deborah Hersman, a NTSB chairman.

To help make this recommendation into a federal law, we told you that the NTSB handed it over to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). That's because in the hands of FMCSA, this proposal has a better chance of becoming reality. The NTSB does not have the authority to create laws, while the FMCSA has a history of helping laws to get into the books to help keep drivers safe.

Currently, truckers are banned only from text messaging while behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle.

The National Safety Council is applauding the efforts of the National Transportation Safety Board, recognizing that more than 20 percent of accidents every year involve a driver using a cell phone. Many of these accidents are preventable with a little bit more driver attention and common sense.

“The council called for a national ban on all cell phone use among drivers in 2009, recognizing that research shows no safety benefit from hands-free devices," said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO.

There is no phone call and no text message that is worth risking someone's life. While there may be no federal law regulating the use of cell phones or text messaging devices, drivers are urged to do the right thing and to curb the needless distraction while operating a motor vehicle. We will continue to look after the proposal's progress and keep you updated.

Continue reading " Safety Council Backs Initiative to Reduce Distraction-Related Trucking Accidents in Georgia, Nation " »