Category: Motor Vehicle Accidents

Hi-tech, automated car features are proving to create distractions for drivers. In Las Vegas, where visual distractions are common, hi-tech auto features are increasing the risk of auto accidents seen by a car accident attorney Las Vegas. Today’s drivers are looking for dashboard navigation systems, touchscreen radios, DVD players, and voice automated controls. While these systems can improve the driving experience, there are concerns that they contribute to distracted driving accidents.

Fatalities and injuries within work zones are increasing at an alarming rate. In 2014, the Department of Transportation recorded 669 work zone fatalities in highway construction zones. This was a sharp increase of 13% over the previous year. It also represents the highest recorded fatality rate since 2009. Of these fatalities, 116 were highway workers while the rest were motorists, their passengers, or pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) granted a petition to consider new regulations that would mandate additional safety features on large trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds and greater. The petition requests NHTSA to adopt two safety features, first, automatic braking technology and, second, forward collision warning systems. NHTSA is the federal regulatory body that regulates auto and truck safety.

Motorcyclists face a much higher risk of injury or death compared to other motor vehicles. Bikes are smaller than other vehicles and are harder to see. Injuries are more likely to result if the rider is not properly geared up. Accidents can be caused due to inexperienced riders or by the negligence of other vehicle operators. Injuries may not be immediately apparent. If an insurance company is reluctant to cover a claim, a Las Vegas motorcycle accident lawyer can examine the details of the case.

More Americans move during the summer than any other time of year, raising the risk of accidents from rental moving trucks. When a driver rents a truck that is later involved in an accident, figuring out who is responsible and what insurance company will cover expenses can often be confusing.

Several organizations, including the United Nations, have identified human error and bad driving habits as the number one cause of all road and traffic accidents. It has become so prevalent that the United Nations designated 2011 to 2020 as the Decade of Road Safety. According to Bob Joop Goos, Chairman of the International Organization for Road Accident Prevention, human error is responsible for over 90 percent of traffic and road accidents.

Driving defensively is particularly important in inclement weather. During a bout of recent storms, driving conditions became particularly dangerous on Southern Nevada roads, leading to a dramatic spike in car accidents.

Pedestrian injury and death due to accidents involving passenger cars and big rigs rose by nearly 20 percent from 2009 to 2014. Unfortunately, this steady rise of accidents shows no signs of slowing. While it is true that big rigs spend the majority of their time on highways, in more complicated urban environments, truck traffic can prove deadly.