Category: Car Accidents

Sep 2, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

A recent report by the National Safety Council indicates that while Labor Day marked the close of a period known as the 100 deadliest days for teens on the road, these issues don’t stop being a concern just because class is back in session. Rather, awareness and prevention of teen roadway fatalities should be a year-round priority. It’s estimated that some 1,500 young driver-related crashes occur from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Because parents recognize this as a particularly dangerous time, they practice a kind of hyper-vigilance in ensuring their teens are following safe driving practices. But as this tragedy reveals, our vigilance can’t stop there.

Aug 29, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Alabama car crashes are expected to soar this Labor Day weekend, as traffic forecasters are predicting a surge in travelers this year, due to a brighter economy and cheaper gas prices. Our Tuscaloosa injury lawyers understand that a new report from the American Automobile Association predicts a 4.2 percent spike in overall Labor Day holiday travel. Meanwhile, the National Safety Council is anticipating a nearly 6 percent increase in the number of Labor Day weekend fatalities on the roadway, from about 375 last year to nearly 400 this year. About 56 percent of those, the NSC estimates, will be alcohol related (as compared to roughly 33 percent on any normal weekend). Of those, the majority of drivers are expected to be males, particularly those between the ages of 18 and 34.

Jul 28, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

We just recently passed the halfway mark of the 100 Deadliest Days for Teen Drivers. It was July 15, and while you may have let out a sigh of relief, just know that it’s not over yet. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), this is the middle of the most dangerous time for our teens to be behind the wheel and out on our roadways. Our Tuscaloosa car accident lawyers understand that there are 2 million teenagers in the United States who are under the age of 18 and are currently within their first year of driving. Break that number down, and it’s more than the population of Houston. These drivers are always at serious risk — but never more so than through the long summer months. Yearly, there are close to 1 million teen drivers who are involved in a motor vehicle accident. When you break that down, that means we’re seeing close to 3,000 of these accidents on U.S. roadways each and every day.

Jul 21, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Every driver should have auto insurance because it is required by law. However, there are a lot of things that many people just don’t understand about their policies. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion and problems in the event that an accident happens.  Our Birmingham injury attorneys know that understanding your insurance coverage is important to protecting your rights and making informed decisions. A good place to start is to consider some of the myths and misconceptions about auto insurance recently discussed by the Digital Journal. Some Common Auto Insurance Misconceptions

Jul 18, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Over a weekend in early June, off-duty Alabama law enforcement officers in St. Clair and Bibb counties stopped traffic in several locations. The researchers asked the drivers to participate in a “voluntary” anonymous study. The study involved asking the motorists to answer several questions, provide a blood sample, provide a throat swab and undergo a breathalyzer test. The motorists who gave blood were paid $50.00 and those who gave the throat swab were paid $10.00.  The survey is called the “2013 National Roadside Survey of Alcohol and Drugged Driving.” It aims to determine how many drivers may be driving drunk or with illegal drugs in their system. Our Tuscaloosa accident lawyers know that answering this question is important to determine how the safety of our roads. Yet, while the study may have a noble purpose, some have expressed concern over the manner in which it was conducted. Concerns Over Research Safety Study According to Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, which is the group that coordinated the study, the public was “very receptive” to the study and the experience was “all very pleasant.”

Jul 3, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

A crash recently in Central Florida claimed the lives of two developmentally disabled women, one in her late 70s and another in her 40s, who were being transported back from a day trip in a van when a tire blew out on the interstate, causing the vehicle to flip. Our Birmingham accident attorneys understand that in addition to the two women killed, two others, both staffers, were severely injured in the wreck. According to a spokesman for the agency, the van tires had been inspected prior to the trip. One of the tires was replaced when mechanics who, initially inspecting the vehicle for an oil change and windshield wiper replacement, noticed it had dry rot. However, it was a different tire that blew. The agency spokesman insists the vehicle was inspected after that tire replacement and was found to be “in good shape,” adding that the firm’s vans are routinely inspected, particularly prior to longer trips, such as this one.

Jun 27, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Laws related to cell phone use and education campaigns related to distracted driving usually stress the dangers of handheld phone devices. In fact, drivers may be required to use hands-free tools or urged to make use of Bluetooth and text-to-speech as a means of reducing the risk of a distracted driving crash. Unfortunately, recent studies indicate that hands-free devices may not actually be any safer than using a phone that you are holding onto. Our Tuscaloosa accident lawyers know that your brain is still focused on something other than the road whenever you are texting or talking, regardless of whether you have a hands-free device or not. The recent studies confirm not only that you face cognitive distractions from the use of a hands-free phone but also that texting via voice may be even more dangerous than sending a text the old fashioned way.

Jun 25, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Police, paramedics and EMTs are on the roads to respond to accidents and to monitor safe driving. What if, however, these first responders and law enforcement personnel are actually a safety-risk themselves? Police, EMTs, first-responders and paramedics have many electronic devices in their cars, are generally exempt from distracted driving laws and often depend upon using this technology while traveling through traffic at high speeds. Unfortunately, while these first responders may be immune from distracted driving laws, they aren’t immune from the risks associated with distracted driving. As the New York Times reports, one paramedic described the combination of technology use and high speeds as having the “potential for disaster.” Our Tuscaloosa accident lawyers know that such disasters have already happened, as there have been several documented accidents in which police or EMTs have caused serious accidents while using the technology in their vehicles.

Jun 23, 2013 - Car Accidents by Cross & Smith

Recently, the NHTSA released estimates regarding the number of traffic fatalities in 2012. While the numbers have not yet been finalized, the news is not good. The NHTSA data shows that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who died in car wrecks over the course of the year. This is the first year-to-year increase since 2005. Our Birmingham accident lawyers know that the number of traffic fatalities has been steadily declining over the past six years, decreasing as much as 26 percent from near-record highs in 2005 up through 2011. Unfortunately, the 2012 increase indicates that it may be difficult to continue this downward trend. Still, if every driver makes a commitment to staying safe and if states continue to improve their driving regulations and safety enforcement, hopefully the traffic fatality rates can get back on the decline for 2013 and beyond. Preliminary Data Shows Significant Increase in Traffic Fatalities According to the NHTSA’s preliminary data, an estimated 34,080 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic accidents in 2012 as compared with just 32,367 in 2011. This would mean that the number of people killed in car accidents over the course of 2012 increased around 5.3 percent when compared with 2011.

Jun 10, 2013 - Birmingham by Cross & Smith

For all the time and technology we’ve had to tackle the issue of fatal crashes in Alabama, we have yet to get a firm grip on the problem. Our Birmingham injury lawyers know that between 2/car-accidents/alabama-traffic-accidents-likely-to-increase-with-economic-recovery/ and 2011, there were nearly 600 people killed in some 530 crashes just in Jefferson and Shelby Counties. There were also more than 27,000 non-fatal crashes in those counties just in 2011, according to a report by the University of Alabama. Speed is often cited as a factor. So is the increase and traffic levels. But also, we have the issue of those who drive distracted. The number of fatal crashes between 2009 and 2011 spiked by approximately 22 percent.