The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published its most recent data concerning fatal traffic accidents throughout the county. The NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), whose most recent statistics are through 2009, show that there was an overall 10 percent decline in fatal traffic accidents from 2008 in the United States. While the downward trend in fatalities can be linked …
“Drive Safely – In Memory Of”: GDoT unveils memorial signs
On Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced that it will permit signs memorializing the victims of traffic accidents on federal and state highways. The Department unveiled the 15 inch circular signs that will state “Drive Safely- In Memory of” with the victim’s name at the bottom. The approved memorial signs will be installed as close to the scene of …
Quick Facts: Closed Head Injury
The effects of a collision – whether automobile, motorcycle, or tractor-trailer- are often not detected immediately. One injury that is often misdiagnosed or even missed altogether because it does not always manifest itself on an MRI or CT is a closed head injury. A closed head injury may lack the outward signs of physical trauma, yet the sudden shock of …
A Nuisance, But It Works
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a new study today, showing the installation of red light cameras, although controversial, has reduced fatalities by 35 percent in 14 of the largest cities in the United States. Deadly intersection crashes fell in other cities with traditional enforcement, but only by 14 percent. The study also stated that by having tradition police …
Practice Pointer #3: Clue the Client in on Everything
One of the most important ways to gain confidence and build a great relationship with your client is through constant communication. As the legal representative of your client, you are the one to best demystify and debunk myths and stereotypes of the legal profession. From the outside, the legal process is often seen as a quick call and quick settlement, …
Tired drivers as unsafe as drunk drivers
A new study has been released from a leading university in the Netherlands that shows being tired behind the wheel is as hazardous as drunk driving. The study monitored motorists who were behind the wheel for two, four, and eight consecutive hours. The individuals aged 21 to 25 were told to maintain a constant speed of 80mph in the center …
Out-of-state but not out of sight
It is undeniable that Atlanta is a major thoroughfare of the South, as the often frustrating traffic on the highway shows. Unfortunately, it is not an uncommon scenario for an automobile accident to involve an out-of-state driver, especially one operating a commercial vehicle or rental car, who often lives hundreds of miles away. Georgia law offers recourse to individuals who …
Unsafe At Any Speed
Nearly 32,000 people in the United States die each year as the result of automobile collision. Now imagine how greater the number would be if you took away seat belts, shatter-proof windshields, and other safety features. 2011 marks the 45th anniversary of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. After publication of Ralph Nader’s scathing expose on safety standards …
To Friend or “Unfriend”? Facebook enters the courtroom
Defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges alike have found it difficult unplugging jurors from the ubiquitous internet. In September 2010, a juror was sanctioned for posting a guilty verdict on his Facebook wall days before deliberations were concluded. More often than not, people are more comfortable expressing their opinions online than they are in person, as the internet not only provides …
Caveat Borrower: The Uncharted Territory of Lawsuit Loans
We have all heard the phrase “caveat emptor,” let the buyer beware, but there is a growing trend in lending within the legal world – lawsuit loans – that calls for the borrower to be extra cautious. As detailed in a recent New York Times article, lawsuit loans have been around since the late 1990s, and have allowed banks and …