Fed. Government Says Car Safety Technology Should Be Mandatory
The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has spoken out on the latest advancements in automobile safety, and made a recommendation that these high-tech tools be mandated in all new vehicles.
According to the Associated Press, there are many specific safety features that the NTSB could employ to significantly increase road safety and decrease the number of auto accidents. Those safety technologies include:
- Lane-departure warning that tells drivers when the car is going into another lane without signaling.
- Forward collision warning that can alert or apply brakes when an accident is imminent
- Adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts speed depending on traffic conditions
- Electronic stability control which automatically applies brakes to individual wheels
Some cars already have these features installed, namely, the more expensive models. But, the NTSB says safety shouldn’t be something for only the wealthiest of us. Continue reading
For Teens, Distracted Driving Not Seen as Accident Danger
For many teenagers, texting while driving is not as dangerous as people make it out to be. This is according to a new survey from State Farm Insurance. The insurance giant found that most teens believe texting is less risky than drinking and driving, though research shows it could be even more dangerous.
According to a press release from the company, 36 percent of teens between 14 and 17 years of age strongly agree they could be killed one day if they regularly text and drive while 55 percent believe drinking and driving could lead to a fatal accident. Sixty-three percent believe they could get into an accident from texting and driving, while 78 percent believe they could get into an accident if they are drinking and driving.
The survey was administered by Harris Interactive in July and asked the questions of nearly 700 teens.
Perhaps not surprisingly, those teens who already text and drive don’t see it as dangerous as those who refrain from the practice. Among those who abstain, 73 percent believe texting and driving could lead to an accident, while only 52 percent of those who actually text and drive believe they could be in an accident. Continue reading
Park Ave. Pedestrian Accident Kills One, Injures Another
An older couple had just left a jazz concert and was looking for a cab back to their Upper East Side home when they were struck by an out of control car on Park Avenue. The 80-year old man, Rubin Baum, was killed and his wife was injured.
According to the NY Daily News, a 2000 Mazda sedan hit a minivan that happened to be transporting a Pakistani diplomat. The Mazda then lost control and went into a tailspin. It hit the Baum couple, sending Denise into a parked truck and running over Rubin.
With so many pedestrians always in motion in the city, pedestrian accidents are relatively common. But, the NYC Department of Transportation says the city is safer than other large cities in the country.
They say that for 2009, the last year for which their data is available, traffic fatalities were down 35%. They also say that pedestrians account for 52% of deaths in traffic accidents between 2005 and 2009. Continue reading
Rare Single-Car Accident Kills 5 in Queens
Single-vehicle accidents themselves aren’t rare. But what is rare is for a single-vehicle accident to end with multiple deaths and the vehicle looking like it crashed with at least one other moving car. But in an accident in Queens over the weekend, that’s exactly what happened.
A Mercedes Benz SUV carrying seven passengers in the early Sunday morning hours was mangled when it collided with a pillar. Three women and two children were killed. The driver, one adult passenger and another child were all rushed to the hospital.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the vehicle was leaving a gathering of Nigerian immigrants who had gathered from around the country in Queens for a banquet and meeting. They were heading home around 3 a.m.
Witnesses report that the SUV breezed through two red lights and was traveling at a high rate of speed. The driver, a 45-year old woman, collided with a pillar supporting the AirTran to JFK airport. Continue reading
Two Fatal Hit & Run Accidents in Queens, NY Raise Legal Questions
A Queens man was hit early Mother’s Day morning while crossing Liberty Avenue at 108th Street, according to NY1.com. Police are still searching for the vehicle responsible for his death as his family grapples with the sudden loss.
Forty-seven year old Rohan Singh was struck by a dark-colored sedan as he crossed the street. The vehicle sent him into a metal girder, according to reports. His brother, who had to identify the body, pleaded for people to come forward if they saw anything.
Ironically, another man is facing charges for killing a pedestrian on Greenpoint Avenue in Sunnyside. The suspect was driving drunk when he jumped the curb and hit 24-year old Gabriel Hernandez. He allegedly tried to walk away from the scene before witnesses stopped and detained him.
Hit and run cases pose unique challenges to accident victims, and their families when they are killed. Continue reading
42nd Street Accident Injures 10, Including Pedestrians
An accident on 42nd Street and 6th Avenue this past weekend sent several people to the hospital, including several pedestrians. The accident shows how dangerous it can be, even just to walk the sidewalks in New York City.
According to CBS New York, the accident was triggered when a Jaguar, traveling at a high rate of speed, crashed into the back of an Impala, stopped at a red light. Then, the Jag hit a cab before jumping the sidewalk and mowing several people down.
Witnesses said it appeared as though the taxi turned over on its side and hit a tree, causing the roof to be “shaved” off of the vehicle.
Reports are conflicting but at least three people from the vehicles are listed in critical condition, while three pedestrians are listed in serious condition. According to the NY Times, at least two people at the scene refused medical treatment.
One witness, who had been reading in the nearby Bryant Park when the accident occurred, said he ran over to the scene after hearing the crash. There he found people lying on the sidewalks “screaming for help.” Continue reading
FedEx Truck “Slams” Amish Buggy, Kids Hurt
Near the Canadian border, in the far northern region of the state, it’s not unusual to see Amish buggies. It appears one FedEx driver wasn’t aware of this, however, striking a buggy from behind and seriously injuring the passengers.
According to the Washington Post, the accident happened in the town of Massena on Route 37. Two women and four children were riding in the buggy at the time. As you might expect, a few of them were serious injured simply because such buggies don’t provide the safety of modern automobiles.
One of the mothers is being treated for a possible spinal injury, and two 3-year old children remain in critical condition. The other passengers were treated and released. The driver of the FedEx truck and his coworker passenger were not injured.
At the time of the Washington Post article, the accident was still under investigation. Nearly all rear-end accidents are deemed to be the fault of the accident that was in the rear, however, and it seems there are no indications that the buggy passengers played a role in causing the accident.
Despite how cut and dry an auto accident might seem, the police and insurance companies will each have to do their own investigations. Sometimes their findings don’t jibe with one another, creating a conflict often sorted out by attorneys in a personal injury claim. Continue reading
NYS DOT Plows Not Responsible For Hitting Vehicles?
A Schenectady man was caught completely off guard this month when he was informed that the state wouldn’t be paying to fix his car after a DOT snow plow hit him and caused damage. The reason is a little-known law in New York, which makes plow drivers immune from legal responsibility in such auto accidents.
Frank Palumbo was driving his 1993 Ford Taurus after a snow storm. He saw the DOT plow clearing the road on the right and decided to safely pass the plow on the left. But, as he passed the plow, the truck crossed the center lane, hitting Palumbo’s Taurus. Though Palumbo stopped his vehicle, as you should when involved in an auto accident, the plow driver kept going, not realizing that he had just hit the Taurus. Continue reading
5 Months After Auto Accident, Driver Criminally Charged
He spent about 5 months in the hospital. And when he came out, it wasn’t to a “welcome home” party; it was to an arraignment.
Forty-three year old James E. Anderson was involved in a serious head-on collision on September 11, 2011, an accident that landed two other people in the hospital as well. He was found at fault after it was discovered that he was legally intoxicated. Now he faces criminal charges in addition to any civil liabilities filed by a New York car accident attorney representing the injured parties.
Anderson, of New York City, was driving on the Bear Mountain State Parkway early on that September morning. At about 1 a.m., according to The Daily Cortlandt, he crossed the center line and drove into oncoming traffic. Continue reading
NYPD Slow to Respond in Bicycle Death
Canadian bicyclist and artist Mathieu Lefevre was killed by a crane truck about three months ago, and his family is highly critical of the NYPD, who took all three months to hand over the police records of the accident.
Only after filing a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act did the Lefevre family receive the file which included 115 pages and four videos, including the initial bicycle accident report.
Lefevre was riding his bicycle in Brooklyn when he was killed. The large crane truck was on his left at a corner, and the driver admittedly failed to signal a right turn. When Lefevre went to pass the truck on its right, he was hit, causing the fatal bicycle accident. Continue reading
Red-light cameras, a pain in the rear-end
I was driving on Northern Boulevard, yesterday, heading westbound approaching Douglaston Parkway, when the traffic light at the intersection turned yellow. I was approximately twenty (20) feet away from the intersection traveling approximately 30 mph. Immediately, I realized that if I was going to bring my car to a stop at the intersection, I would have to make what would be an unusually abrupt stop. I immediately glanced into my rearview mirror and observed a van that was more than twice the size of my car was tail-gaiting my car by about ten (10) feet. It was clear to me that if was to hit the brakes I would surely be rear-ended by the van.
Normally, in such a scenario, the defensive driving move would be to go through the yellow light rather than risk being rear-ended; however in this particular instance, I knew that the intersection was controlled by a red-light camera; therefore, I knew that going through the light would almost guarantee me getting a fine for $50.00.
I made a quick decision to blow the yellow/red light regardless of the changing traffic light. I am glad I did. Sure enough, the van also barreled through the intersection behind me.
It is very likely that in a few weeks I will be receiving a summons in the mail with photographs showing me going through the red light. But I am also certain of the fact that if I had stopped for the light, I would have surely been a victim of a horrific rear-end impact.
Rear-end impacts are no joke. They are the number one cause of whiplash injuries in the world, i.e., injuries affecting the human cervical spine (the neck) as well as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
Since the installation of red-light cameras, I have received an increased report of rear-end impacts attributed to the presence of such cameras or the fear of the presence of such cameras.
The City of New York as well as many other municipalities in the state of New York, not to mention the entire nation, claims that these red-light cameras are necessary to curb intersection accidents. I disagree. I submit that red-light cameras, while speciously create the image that our roads are safer, in reality are just a ploy for raising revenues by penalizing frequent drivers on the road.
Recently I observed a red-light camera at the intersection of Marcus Avenue and Lakeville Road on a weekday evening for a period of five (5) minutes. During this five minute period of time, the flash on the camera went off nice (9) times. That is 108 times per hour which equals 2,592 red camera summonses per day. At a rate of $50.00 per ticket, the total revenues equal $129,600.00 daily, for a total of $47,304,000.00 per year. This is from a single red light camera.
According to BIG John there are currently at least 320 red light cameras in NYC alone (54 in Manhattan, 47 in Bronx, 102 in Brooklyn, 90 in Queens and 27 in Staten Island). According to the Nassau County Traffic and Parking Violations Agency, and Suffolk County, in Nassau and Suffolk Counties there are at least 94 intersections with red light cameras some of which have cameras covering two or more directions of travel.
Doing the math, the annual revenues generated from red light cameras in NYC and Long Island on an annual basis appears to be in the ballpark of $19,583,856,000.00. There are more red-light cameras being installed on a daily basis.
If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of an auto accident at an intersection, whether or not the accident is attributed to the presence of a red-light camera, I am interested in hearing from you. Please contact me at 212-529-7848 (that’s 212-LAW-SUIT) or email me through my link at www.omraniandtaub.com