Seidman, Margulis, & Fairman Blog

Firm News | September 25, 2012

October will bring with it a number of safety initiatives as well as National Teen Driver Safety Week. Teen drivers suffer from elevated car crash rates. Car accidents are a leading killer of teenagers and the third week in October is dedicated to increasing awareness of the challenges facing new drivers. In addition to increased law enforcement surrounding unsafe driving practices, the week will feature programs dedicated to helping teens gain the skills they need to drive safely

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have joined a number of other groups in sponsoring a program called Operation Safe Driver. The program will run during National Teen Driver Safety Week, from October 14-20, and will see law enforcement targeting unsafe drivers in an effort to curb aggressive driving and other dangerous practices. An updated curriculum for the program, “Teens & Trucks: Curbing Distracted Driving” will be released. The program is intended to teach teen drivers some of the tricks and techniques used by professional truck drivers to avoid or eliminate distracted driving behaviors.

Firm News | September 21, 2012

Do as I say, not as I do. As a training tool, that admonition has long proven ineffective. In the case of distracted driving and other dangerous practices behind the wheel, a new study has shown that teens will emulate their parents’ poor driving habits and car accidents will often be the result. In a survey conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Students Against Destructive Decisions, two-thirds of teens indicated that their parents do not obey the driving rules they set for their children. Unsurprisingly, roughly the same percentage of teens ignore the safe driving advice and repeat the poor driving habits of their parents.

The survey reported that teens witnessed their parents engaging in a number of dangerous driving behaviors while the teens were in the vehicle. Those behaviors included talking on cell phones, speeding, sending text messages, driving without a seat belt, drinking and driving, and driving under the influence of marijuana. The vast majority of teens, nearly 90 percent, reported that their parents sped and used cell phones while driving.

Firm News | August 13, 2012

The laws against texting and driving that have swept the nation in recent years draw a distinction between the distraction offered by text messaging and the distractions that have long been part of the driving experience. A new study has shown some distractions are, in fact, more dangerous than others in terms of causing car accidents. The study also demonstrated that people often do not realize how much their driving suffers when they split their attention between tasks.

The study, conducted at Ohio State University, focused on the impact different types of multitasking. The results showed that attempting to do two visual tasks, such as driving and typing out a text message, resulted in a much poorer performance in both tasks than attempting a visual task and an audio task, such as talking on the phone. Despite the significant gap in performance, study participants actually believed they did better when two visual tasks were combined. This shows that many people are overconfident about their ability to multitask visually. That overconfidence could explain why so many people are willing to text while driving, despite the studies proving that doing so is comparable to drinking and driving in terms of overall impairment.

Firm News | July 17, 2012

Sometimes it seems there is a new product recall every day. In truth, the problem of defective and dangerous products is much worse than that. In 2011, there were 2,363 recalls, roughly 6.5 every day. The recalls affect all types of consumer goods from drugs and medical devices to food, toys, and personal products. The recalls were so numerous that there is a new concern that consumers will become fatigued and start ignoring recalls that could seriously affect their wellbeing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Consumer Product Safety Commission saw a 14 percent increase in recalls from 2010 to 2011. The number was a 62 percent over the recalls in 2007. Experts suggested that the increase is based more on oversight and improved communication than an increase in the number of unsafe products. Still, the risk exists that consumers will simply stop tracking recalls if they feel overwhelmed.

Firm News | July 16, 2012

It is a widely known fact that teens suffer the highest rates of car accidents and car accident deaths of any age group. It is no surprise that the least experienced drivers would get into auto accidents at an elevated rate. What is surprising is the widely varying approaches taken by different states in introducing new drivers onto the road. While fewer and fewer teens are choosing to get licenses, particularly in urban areas, teens as young as 14 can be legally on the roads in South Dakota and Iowa. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is now recommending what it calls “best practices” for states in getting new drivers up to speed on safe driving.

Due to advancements in technology, driving fatalities per mile driven have been dropping for years. The rate of fatalities among teen drivers is no exception, but the issue is larger than technology. Since 1996, the fatality rate for 16-year-olds is down almost 70 percent. Much of the credit for that is given to graduated licensing programs. Such programs often limit the exposure of new drivers to potentially dangerous situations. Younger drivers may be forbidden from driving with other teen passengers. They may have intermediate licenses that forbid them from driving at night without a licensed adult in the vehicle. They ensure that young drivers get more experience behind the wheel before facing the most difficult driving circumstances. If you have a teen who has been involved in an accident, seek the help of our experienced Chicago car accident lawyers today for a case evaluation.

Firm News | June 7, 2012

Due to trends in styling and the need to make vehicles more aerodynamic to meet fuel standards, many new vehicles are sacrificing rear visibility. The blind spots behind vehicles are an important issue as roughly 50 children are killed per week in backup accidents. Taller, longer vehicles tend to have larger blind spots, but even small cars are now suffering from blind spots that can extend 40 feet behind the vehicle. Rear-view cameras nearly eliminate blind spots, but they are often an expensive option even in the few models that do offer them.

The Department of Transportation has proposed a federal requirement, mandating the inclusion of backup cameras in all light cars and trucks. The requirement was supposed to apply to all 2014 models. That requirement has been delayed several times now as manufacturers balk at the costs associated with making the cameras standard equipment. While many vehicles come with screens for use with onboard navigation systems, the problem comes from the time it takes for the car to realize it is in reverse, turn the camera on, and put the rearview image on the screen. As many people start their cars and immediately backup out of their driveways, only a few systems are capable of giving drivers the information they need quickly enough to be of use.

Firm News | May 4, 2012

Some people imagine that texting and driving is dangerous because of the moments your eyes are off the road and at least one hand is off the wheel. For these people, hands-free devices are an easy solution to car accidents caused by cell phone use. Unfortunately, the issue appears much more complicated than that. Distracted driving is a problem that extends far beyond the problem of one-handed driving.

Research has analyzed the driving records of 384 psychology students over a period of three years and compared it to their responses regarding cell phone attachment. The more attached the students were to their phones, the more likely they were to get into car accidents. The survey found that the people who were least addicted to their cell phones averaged roughly 25 car crashes per 100 people per year. Those most addicted averaged 38 car crashes per 100 people per year. It should be noted that all the survey participants were younger people and thus suffered from the elevated risk of car accident that comes from being inexperienced drivers.

Firm News | April 6, 2012

There are more drivers aged 70 and older on the roads now than ever before. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, that population will expand, as will the information and misinformation regarding older drivers and serious car accidents. With no set guidelines about how to deal with age and the right to drive, it is important for people understand the real impact of older people on the roads before placing unnecessary restrictions on the licenses of elderly Americans.

Elderly drivers are significantly safer drivers than teens. The crash rate does not begin to go up for older drivers until past their 70th birthday, and does not begin to go up quickly until they turn 80. Older drivers are far less likely to speed or be guilty of drinking and driving. That said, there is no question that at some point, age begins to erode the skills necessary for safe driving.