Category: Automobile Accidents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists motor vehicle accidents as the leading cause of death for teens between the ages of 14 and 18. Almost half of the crashes involving teen drivers result in a fatality, and the mortality rate is four times higher than drivers who are 20 and older. In response to these facts, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has initiated a National Teen Driver Safety Week in October to educate parents and teens on strategies to prevent car crashes and highlights dangerous behaviors that lead to crashes. The Nevada Department of Transportation cites data from the 2014 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) showing that the primary cause of teen fatalities in crashes is aggressive driving, which includes speeding or following too closely behind another vehicle. Intoxication and a failure to wear seatbelts are also among the top causes of fatal accidents.

The Huffington Post recently reported on the death of a Clemmons, North Carolina woman who was involved in an accident. The 32-year old was driving to work one morning on a busy interstate when her car crossed the center of the highway, crashed into an oncoming recycling truck and caught on fire. Fortunately, the truck driver was unharmed. Investigators soon learned that the woman was engaging in a new trend: taking selfies while driving. She took several photos of herself and posted them to a popular social media site while she was on the road. Her last post took place at 8:33 a.m., just one minute before the first calls came in reporting the accident. A Las Vegas car accident lawyer understands that this could happen to each and every individual who chooses to take a selfie while behind the wheel.

Self-driving cars were recently introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This show is often used to show the world some of the newest technologies that companies around the world are developing for potential use by everyday people. A traffic accident lawyer in Las Vegas may argue that self-driving cars have some of the greatest potential of any recent invention to reduce the rates of traffic accidents across the U.S.