Articles Posted in Auto Accident

Indiana drivers are still coping with the dangers of winter weather conditions on our roadways. To help to reduce the risks of a weather-related car accident in Indianapolis or elsewhere throughout the state, there are a few safe driving tips you should keep in mind on every car ride.Our Indiana car accident attorneys and the Indiana State Police are offering Hoosiers and visitors a few winter driving safety tips to help to keep drivers safe. First, we ask all motorists to prepare themselves for the dangerous conditions. Before you head out, check the weather and traffic conditions. If you have a passenger riding along with you, make sure they know where you’re headed so they can help you with driving directions. This way you can keep all of your attention on the roadways and avoid the distractions of a map or a GPS.

Before you head out, also make sure your gas tank is full. You don’t want to get stranded in the biting cold because you failed to put gas in your car. You’re also urged to keep a winter driving kit with you at all times. This kit should include a flashlight, some extra batteries, blankets to keep you warm in case you break down, a brightly colored cloth to tie to your antenna to signal help, sand (or cat litter), a candle, some matches, a shovel, non-perishable foods that have a high calorie count, a cell phone, jumper cables and a first-aid kit.

Adjust your driving to the current road conditions:

-When there are poor weather conditions, give yourself extra time to get there by leaving earlier.

-Be sure to clear all your vehicle’s windows of ice and snow. Remove snow and ice from the hood, the headlights, the roof and the taillights as well.

-Be cautious when traveling near bridges, shaded areas, underpasses and intersections. In these areas ice forms more quickly and takes more time to melt.

-Slow it down. Traveling at a slower speed will help you to increase traction between your tires and the roadways.

-Avoid using your cruise control on slick or icy roadways.

-Try not to start or stop abruptly. Slow down and accelerate at a slow speed. Keep your wheels turning to stop you from losing traction.

-To reduce the glare of your headlights on the ice, use your low-beam headlights.

If you get stranded, there is a whole new list of things you should do. Listen up! If you’re car breaks down in the middle of winter conditions, your best bet is to stay with your car. It is the best protection you have after all. This is where that brightly-colored cloth comes in. Tie it to the antenna of your vehicle to signal to passing motorists that you need help. It may be cold outside, but you want to keep your window cracked to get some fresh air. Keep an eye on your exhaust pipe. If you allow it to get blocked, you run the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Keep your exhaust pipe clear of snow and ice. Avoid panicking. Remember that an idling car uses about a gallon of gas every hour. If you kept your gas tank filled, you should have no problem.
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In the state of Indiana, all drivers who are over the age of 18 are allowed to use hand-held cell phones behind the wheel. According to the Governors Highway Safety Administration, every single driver is prohibited from texting behind the wheel. With such relaxed cell phone laws for drivers, distraction-related car accidents in Indianapolis continue to take the lives of far too many innocent people.How do law enforcement officers know what a driver is doing on their phone? Are they dialing a phone number? Replying to an email? Typing a text message? According to Indiana police officers, it’s almost impossible to tell the difference and for this reason, tickets are difficult to write.

Our Indiana car accident attorneys understand that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is working to get lawmakers to embrace a nationwide ban against the use of any portable electronic device by all drivers. This type of ban would help eliminate the confusion for officers in areas like Indiana that have varying text and cell phone laws for drivers.

Since Indiana officers decided to tighten their distracted driving-related laws and make it illegal for any driver to type at the wheel there’s hasn’t been a lot of drivers busted for texting, according to the Lafayette Journal & Courier. In the six months following the enactment of the law, the Purdue University Police Department hasn’t issued a single ticket, says Capt. Eric Chin.

The same results have been reported by the West Lafayette Police Department.

“Quite frankly, the same movements required to do other things — calling someone, checking a map — are similar to texting,” Lt. Gary Sparger told the newspaper. “Basically we have to see into the vehicle.”

The law was passed as a part of HB 1129 and took effect last July. If busted, drivers can face fines up to $500. But officers are having a tough time pushing this law because law enforcement isn’t allowed to take a driver’s cell phone to determine is the driver was dialing a phone number of sending a message.

Only one ticket has been written since July in Tippecanoe County.

Sparger says that if officers are going to enforce a text message ban, then the laws need to prohibit drivers from using any type of cell phone or electronic device. Officials need to repeal the current law or rewrite it completely to make all of these activities illegal.

According to CNN, the nationwide ban on portable electronic devices for drivers is a long way from reality. Experts believe elected legislators will be hesitant about upsetting constituents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 3,000 people were killed in distraction-related car accidents in the U.S. in 2010. While most people recognize that distractions are dangerous for drivers and cause thousands of fatal accidents every year, drivers just aren’t ready to hang up the phone.
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Indiana State Police have seen it more than they want to remember– drivers asleep at the wheel and the resulting tragic consequences. That’s one of the reasons local officials have joined the efforts of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the National Sleep Foundation to support Drowsy Driving Prevention Week. This campaign has been ongoing all this week, and is being used to raise awareness among drivers about the dangers of drowsy driving.

Drowsy driving-related car accidents in Highland and elsewhere nationwide kill more than 1,500 people and injure another 71,000 every year. Drowsy drivers cause more than 100,000 accidents each year. These sleepy traffic accidents cost nearly $13 billion a year.”People should use common sense if they’re feeling tired,” said Sgt. Bill Redman, St. Joseph County police spokesman. “You’re putting you and others at risk.”

Our Indiana car accident attorneys understand how dangerous drowsy driving can be. Many drivers underestimate the dangers of this behavior. According to a recent study from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, about a third of drivers admitted to engaging in drowsy driving at least once in the last month. This number is alarming because more that 95 percent of those surveyed said that this driving behavior was completely unacceptable. Too many drivers believe that they can just push through the sleepiness behind the wheel and they couldn’t be more wrong.

A person who has been awake for 20 hours straight has the same reaction abilities as someone who is legally drunk, with a blood alcohol concentration of at least 0.08, according to WSBT.

“That driving behavior mimics someone drinking and driving,” said Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Trent Smith.

Indiana has experienced more than 4,600 drowsy driving-related accidents in the last year. These accidents have resulted in nearly 1,500 injuries and nearly 30 deaths.

According to Smith, these accidents most commonly happen when drivers travel too many miles without getting enough sleep. He says the accidents are oftentimes seen on highways, like the Indiana Toll Road.

Symptoms of drowsiness at the wheel:

-Feeling irritable.

-Trouble keeping your eyes open.

-Feeling restless.

-Yawning excessively.

-Daydreaming.

-Swerving your vehicle in and out of your lane.

-Trouble keeping your head up.

-Feeling aggressive.

-Missing road signs and street lights.

-Having difficult remembering the last couple of miles you drove.

If you notice any of these symptoms while driving, you’re urged to pull over and take a break. One of the biggest mistakes that a driver can make is trying to power through the sleepiness. When you do this, you’re setting yourself up for microsleep, which is 3 to 4 second time periods when you actually fall asleep behind the wheel.

Remember to get plenty of rest before heading out on a long road trip, to stop and rest every 2 hours or every 100 miles, drive with a passenger when feasible, and know when to pull over and take a break.

“Drowsy driving is a major traffic safety problem that, unfortunately, is largely unrecognized,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger.
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The topic of distracted driving-related car accidents in Indiana has been a common topic of discussion in recent years. Both the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Ball State Office of Health Education has been working diligently to spread the word about the dangers and the consequences of driver distractions, according to BSU Daily News.Both organizations have been asking residents to sign a pledge to get drivers to curb distractions while driving. AAA and the Ball State groups push the “Heads-Up Driving Week,” which takes place from October 2nd through the 8th. Recently the Ball State Office of Health Education set up a location in the Atrium for students to sign the “distracted driving pledge” as a part of the “Plz Dnt Txt N Drive” campaign. AAA is asking drivers across the state to do the same. The “Heads-Up Driving Week” asks that motorists across the nation sign a pledge to put away all driver distractions for the entire week.

Our Highland car accident attorneys understand how many innocent motorists’ lives are taken because of distracted driving-related traffic accidents. In 2009, there were approximately 5,500 lives lost on our roadways because of these accidents. The good news is that these accidents are completely preventable. All we need is participation from drivers of all ages in the state.

“We are trying to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and the Indiana state law that went into effect in July,” said Julie Sturek, from Ball State Office of Health Education.

The Indiana law Sturek refers to bans all drivers from using a cell phone while driving. Unfortunately, the distractions don’t stop with cell phone use. Distractions can include smoking, eating, pressing the buttons on the radio, other passengers and “rubbernecking,” whereby drivers slow down to look at vehicle accidents.

Distracted driving facts, according to Ball State Office of Health Education:

-Approximately 20 percent of traffic accidents that resulted in injury in 2009 reported the involvement of a distracted driver.

-Cell phone-using drivers are roughly four times more likely to be involved in a serious car accident.

-The use of a cell phone by a driver gives him or her the same slow reaction time as a driver who is legally drunk (with a blood alcohol concentration of .08).

-Drivers who text at the wheel are six times more likely to be involved in a traffic accident than a driver who is driving while impaired by alcohol.

-Cell phone-related distractions reduce brain activity by nearly 40 percent.

We’re asking all drivers to take the “Heads-Up Driving Week” pledge and agree to curb all distractions for just a week. Distraction-related accidents are completely preventable. The first step in making our roadways safer is making a change within us. Take the pledge and urge your friends and family members to participate.
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From 2000 to 2009, there were nearly 1,000 fatalities resulting from traffic-related pedestrian accidents in Indiana, according to Transportation for America. These accidents cost the state nearly $3 billion. Our state ranks 25th out of the 50 states for pedestrian danger. We surely aren’t the worst, but we surely aren’t the best.According to a recent study that was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety the relationship between a pedestrian’s risk of death and the speed of the vehicle upon impact is directly correlated. This topic has been studied extensively, but had not been revisited in recent years. Older studies lack relevancy when compared to today’s cars, technological advancements and modern street designs.

Our Highland pedestrian accident attorneys understand that bicycle and pedestrian accidents commonly result in serious or fatal injuries. Before concluding the study, AAA comprised a list of recommendations that local, state and federal transportation officials should consider to help make our roadways safer for pedestrians and all other travelers.

“It’s time for a healthy reminder that Indiana’s sidewalk and trail network is also expanding to serve a demand for non-motorized modes of transportation and recreation,” said Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) Commissioner Michael B. Cline.

The AAA Foundation reports that there were about 4,000 pedestrians who were fatally injured on U.S. roadways because of motor-vehicle-related accidents in 2009. Another 59,000 were injured in these types of incidents. Through the study of pedestrian accident data, the Foundation has determined that the speed of the involved vehicle was a top contributor in these accidents. Faster accidents more often resulted in serious or fatal injuries to accident victims.

According to the study, a pedestrian faces a 10 percent risk of injury when hit by a vehicle that is traveling just 16 mph. Pedestrians face a 25 percent risk at 23 mph, a 50 percent risk at 31 mph, a 75 percent at 39 mph and a 90 percent risk at 46 mph.

The risks increase just the same when calculating the risk of death. A pedestrian faces a 10 percent risk of death when hit by a vehicle that is traveling at just 23 mph, a 25 percent risk at a speed of 32 mph, a 50 percent risk of death at 42 mph, a 75 percent risk at 50 mph and a 90 percent risk when a vehicle strikes at 58 mph.

Indiana transportation officials continue to move forward with new plans for a Bicycle and Pedestrian Program that is aimed at increasing the safety of our pedestrians and cyclists.

Bicycle and pedestrian plans have recently been approved for the following communities:

-Fort Wayne
-Northwestern Indiana
-The South Bend-Elkhart area
-Muncie
-Indianapolis/Marion County
-Hamilton County, Bloomington
-Lafayette
-Anderson
-Goshen
-The urban portions of Clark and Floyd Counties
-Terre Haute,

-Madison
-Zionsville
-Kokomo
The AAA Foundation summed up its report with a number of safety measures that federal, state and local governments can look at to help reduce the risks of pedestrian accidents.

One of the first recommendations included reducing speed limits. Speed limits should be reduced in areas where a large pedestrian population tends to travel. In areas where fast-traveling traffic is a necessity, officials are encouraged to create a physical separation to keep pedestrians and motor-vehicle traffic separated from one another. The study also reaches out to car manufacturers, urging them to find ways to create smarter in-car technology that has the capability of detecting pedestrians who may be dangerously close to the vehicle and either alerting the driver or automatically rerouting the car itself.
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After yet another fatal trucking accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has decided to make another recommendation for commercial truck drivers to be banned from using a cell phone or any hands-free device while driving. The most recent accident took the lives of 11 people and destroyed some shops off Interstate 65 in Kentucky. The driver’s phone records reveal that he was making phone calls and sending text messages just seconds before the fatal accident, according to Reuters.In 2009, there were more than 100 large trucks involved in fatal trucking accidents in Indiana. Many of these accidents could have been prevented if there were more restrictive laws regulating driver distractions. These types of accidents are in fact preventable.

Our Highland trucking accident attorneys understand that mixing a distracted driver and a 40-ton commercial vehicle is a recipe for disaster. Often, these types of accidents turn deadly and cause serious property damage. With current laws and enforcement efforts, too many drivers are continuing to drive while engaging in a number of distractions on our roadways. Until more comprehensive regulations are enacted, motorists will unfortunately continue to suffer in these accidents.

“Distracted driving is becoming increasingly prevalent, exacerbating the danger we encounter daily on our roadways,” said Deborah Hersman, chairman of the NTSB, according to Reuters.

According to the phone records of the commercial trucker who was heading down the Kentucky interstate, he made four calls within the minute before the accident. He also made nearly 70 phone calls and text messages within the 24 hours leading up to the accident.

The new recommendation from the NTSB supplements a proposal from federal officials. There have been previous suggestions of a complete ban on the use of all hand-held phones by commercial trucks and drivers of buses.

“This is the most comprehensive recommendation we’ve made,” said Hersman.

The NTSB doesn’t have the authority to make a proposal a law. The Board does have high expectations though. The recommendation has been sent over to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Previous recommendations have been transformed into laws in the past. The NTSB is using this platform as a catalyst.

Support for this type of ban is universal but authorities are having a hard time figuring out who’s best to enforce it. If the proposal takes effect, lawmakers in every state would have to take action to help hold up its end of the bargain, according to FOX News.

“It’s going to be pretty difficult politically to get that kind of law through a state,” said spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association, Jonathan Adkins, according to FOX News.

As of now, there are more than 30 states that prohibit commercial truck drivers from texting behind the wheel. That means that the 2.8 million commercial truck drivers who were recorded in the U.S. in 2008 must pull over and park before sending a text. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case and that’s how people get killed.
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Students in Vigo County are mourning the death of a classmate who recently died from injuries sustained in an Indiana teen car accident. The collision happened when the vehicle of the teen driver and her two passengers drifted into the path of another vehicle while traveling along State Highway 246. The two passengers remain in the hospital.

“She was a great art student she was really creative. I will always remember her smile and enthusiasm. It was her goal to get it done, she was going to graduate,” said Christy Eileen, an art teacher at McLean High School, according to a WTHI Channel 10 report. The students and the faculty made posters and crafts to display at the student’s funeral, the report stated.Our Indianapolis car accident attorneys understand the risks that young drivers face on our roadways. Newly-licensed drivers possess much less driving experience than older drivers and are usually unable to properly judge the hazards and dangers on our roadways. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, young drivers in our state are required to complete two stages of restricted driving, or a Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) program, before receiving an unrestricted license once they’ve reached the age of 18. Unfortunately, recent studies illustrate that these GDL programs aren’t as effective as one thought. Studies conclude that drivers who have completed the program are at more of a risk for an accident once they receive a full license than they faced in the program. Parents and guardians need to understand that our job doesn’t stop once they’ve received an unrestricted license. Education and reminders need to continue long after our young drivers are out of school.

GDL programs first started in 1996 and according to a recent study that was printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 16-year-old drivers witnessed a 26 percent decrease in the rate of fatal accidents from 1986 to 2007. But, during this same time period, 18-year-old drivers experienced an increase of more than 10 percent in the number of fatal accidents. This increase in the older teen drivers completely wiped out any progress in the death rate for all teen drivers, according to CNN Health.

The GDL program in Indiana started back in July 2009. Through this program, 16- and 17-year-old drivers are under probationary restrictions until they reach the age of 18. These stages in the program are meant to expose young drivers to potential hazards gradually instead of overwhelming them with everything at once. Once they’ve mastered a level of driving, they’re permitted to move on to the next stage.

“Right now, we’re not getting the net effect across all teens that we’re hoping for,” says Scott V. Masten, Ph.D., author of the recent study cited in the JAMA article.

Experts believe that 18-year-old drivers are experiencing more fatal traffic accidents because youngsters are choosing to opt out of the restricted driving privileges and are avoiding driving until they’re 18. Others believe that younger drivers are at more of a risk after completing the program because they’re forced to miss out on valuable experience, meaning they’ve been coddled throughout the learning process.

The study reveals that no one is guaranteed to avoid a car accident, regardless of education. Parents are urged to continue to remind their young drivers about the responsibility and dangers of driving. No one is ever too old or too smart for a better driving education.
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