On Tuesday, a tragic accident in Virginia forced the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to fundamentally alter protocol regarding Out-of-Service orders for commercial motor carriers and passenger motorcoach companies. A SkyExpress bus filled with passengers traveling from Charlotte, North Carolina, en route to New York City’s Chinatown, suddenly veered off Interstate 95 in Virgina. The bus hit an embankment, flipped, …
Walk At Your Own Risk
Atlanta is not a city that is synonymous with walking. Transportation for America, a pedestrian and mass-transit advocate group, recently ranked the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta as the 10th-most dangerous metro area for pedestrians. Sidewalks often have cracks in the concrete, are poorly lit, and in many cases, do not even exist. Pedestrians are faced with even more dangerous situations because crosswalks …
Trucking crash predictions
A recent study by the American Research Transportation Institute analyzed tractor trailer driver-specific data in order to relate driver behavior to future crashes. The variables used were road inspection violations, driver traffic conviction information, as well as past crash involvement. Data from 587,722 truck drivers over a two-year period showed that specific behaviors and convictions in aggregate raised a driver’s …
Paying the Price: Expired Tags
Although traffic courts throughout Georgia have made it easier on motorists by allowing online payments of tickets, the same doesn’t apply to those caught with an expired tag. Many think that simply paying the fine will make the citation go away, but an expired tag carries with it a mandatory appearance in court. A fine of up to $500 may …
Practice Pointer #4: Keep in Touch with Your Client Base
One way to ensure that you will continue to be a “family attorney” to both new and old clients is to periodically reach out to your entire client base. Even though their case may be completed, it is important to remind them of your specialty within the legal practice, but also that they can always contact you with legal questions. …
Short Haul and Long Hours
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration recently published a study regarding short haul commercial truck drivers. Short haul, also called drayage, are trips by commercial drivers that can be completed within a single shift, often within 100 miles of the home base. Researchers chose short haul drivers because most work over 50 hours a week and have more rigorous work …
Preventible Tragedies
Due to the disparate height of tractor trailers and automobiles, underride crashes are often the most catastrophic and fatal. In 1998, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration mandated that all tractor trailers be equipped with underride guards. The mandate also increased the width of the bars from 60 inches to a minimum of 94 inches, in order to have the …
A Necessary Boost?
A lot of a debate has surrounded HB 279 over the past couple of days. Monday night a bill sponsored by Allen Howell (D-Hartwell) passed in the Georgia State House of Representatives. The bill, whose summary can be found here, would amend OCGA § 40-8-76(b)(2), raising the age limit of children in required to ride in booster car seats from 6 to 8. The height limit …
On the Field and On the Road – Every Hit Counts
The sportsworld was shocked yesterday when word spread about Chicago Bears’ safety Dave Duerson dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Mr. Duerson had testified before Congress in 2007 about the NFL’s retirement program and its players suffering from long-term concussion-related injuries, and shortly before his death on February 17th, Duerson wanted his brain to be studied to …
A Parent’s Worst Nightmare
The fatal accident in Douglas County this past Saturday is one of the many tragedies that often unfold on America’s roads. While campaigns like Mothers Against Drunk Driving, have helped create a national dialogue, motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of death of young adults aged 15 to 20. Many teenagers think they are invincible behind the wheel of …