Driving Experience May Be More Important than Age as an Auto Accident Risk Factor

Many people are familiar with the stereotypes that apply to elderly drivers.  Jokes about “old lady drivers” are common albeit it inappropriate.  Ironically, a recent study suggests that these stereotypes are not only inappropriate but may inaccurate.  The study conducted by researchers at Human Factors Safety Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that the ability to perceive potential accident risks does not decline with age and that elderly drivers are more sensitive to potential accident risks than inexperienced drivers.

The study published in Accident Analysis and Prevention found that driver’s ability to perceive and focus on potential road hazards increases with driving experience.  The study involved comparing drivers of different age groups as they watched a hazard perception movie while connected to an eye tracking system.  The subjects were then exposed to six different hazards including intersections and pedestrians in the roadway.  The results of the study showed that both younger experienced drivers and elderly experienced drivers maintained comparable vigilance for hazards throughout the driving simulation exercise.  By contrast, younger inexperienced drivers tended to pay less attention following exposure to a high risk hazard.  The researchers also found that experienced drivers including elderly drivers focused on approaching traffic from cross streets when approaching intersections while inexperienced drivers focused straight ahead and paid less attention to vehicle approaching on the cross street.

It is fair to note that this study deals only with the ability to perceive hazards rather than the ability to respond to hazards.  Age may impact the speed of a driver’s reaction time, decision-making and judgment.  However, the study confirms an earlier study that compared age related driving risk posed by elderly drivers to that of younger less experienced drivers.  The prior RAND Corporation study found that drivers 15-24 are 66 percent more likely to cause an auto accident than a driver who was 65 or above.  In fact, drivers age 65 and older were at about the same risk of being involved in a car accident as drivers between the ages of 25-64.

This study suggests that driving experience plays a much bigger factor in avoiding Mississippi car accidents than any potential decline in driving ability related to age.  This study re-affirms the well-established fact that teenage drivers are at a substantial risk of being involved in a Mississippi car accident because of their lack of time behind the wheel.  While graduated driver’s licensing programs that grant driving privilege to young inexperienced drivers on an incremental basis have helped reduce teenage accident rates, studies have revealed that teenage accident rates spike as soon as new teen drivers have been granted unrestricted driver’s licenses.  Some states are considering expanding the period of time that must elapse before granting an unrestricted license while removing limitations more incrementally over that period of time.

If you are injured in a Mississippi car accident involving a teen driver, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your injuries.  The experienced Mississippi teen car accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing aggressive representation to Mississippi car accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

 

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Early Start for School Increases Teen Auto Accidents

Teens have a much higher incidence of auto accidents in Mississippi and throughout the U.S. when they start school early in the morning according to a study that was conducted in 2008 and just published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.  There was a comparison study conducted between two towns in Virginia.  In Virginia Beach, VA teenagers started school between 7:20 am and 7:25 am while in the other town, Chesapeake, VA, the kids started school between 8:40 am and 8:45 am.

The data showed that the 16-18 year old drivers in the town of Virginia Beach had a 41 percent higher crash rate than those teenagers from the town of Chesapeake.  There were 65.8 motor vehicle accidents for every 1000 drivers in that age group in Virginia Beach and only 46.6 per 1000 in Chesapeake.  The same study replicated an earlier study conducted in 2007 that found a crash rate of 71.2 per 1000 drivers for Virginia Beach teen drivers and only 55.6 per 1000 drivers for Chesapeake teen drivers.

The researchers theorize that teenagers are experiencing biological changes as they age so sleep deprivation can actually be more of a problem in this age group than in adults.  The average teenager actually requires a little over nine hours of sleep a night according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.  A lot of teens have busy school and sport schedules as well as active social calendars.  These activities can prevent them from going to bed early enough every night so that when then get up in the morning they do not feel rested.  There does not have to be a study done to conclude that a more rested driver is going to be more alert and safe or that fatigued drivers have much higher car accident rates in Mississippi.

Starting Later

It makes sense that maybe it would be better to work along more with these kids’ natural circadian rhythms. In other words, Mississippi school districts might be well advised to adapt to the natural sleep and activity patterns of teenagers by implementing later start times for classes.  A separate study coming out in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine indicates that if the start of school was delayed by just one hour, then students’ attention levels and cognitive performance would increase. There is no specific focus on driving in this study, but it stands to reason that a more alert driver would make for a safer driver.  Given the high prevalence or teen auto accidents in Mississippi, this would seem like a prudent change to consider.

This recent study only confirms the results of earlier studies that indicate a link between the amount of sleep that teens get each night and their likelihood of being involved in an Atlanta auto accident.  A study in Lexington, KY in 1998 analyzed the relationship between auto crash rates and increased sleep in teen drivers.  The school changed the school start time to later in the day.  Researchers then studied data from two years prior to the change and from two years after the change.  The crash rates declined 16.5 percent in this study group compared to the crash rates of teens in the rest of the state, which experienced a 7.8 percent increase in car accident rates.

The study from Virginia does not prove a cause and effect relationship between early school start times and increased car crashes rates.  What it does show is that there is a relationship between increased auto crashes and tired teen drivers.  Later starts for Mississippi schools just seem like a logical place to start so teens get more quality sleep time making it more likely that they will remain alert and safe while driving.  There also may be additional benefits to kids such as increased learning and productivity, which has nothing to do with driving at all.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an accident involving a fatigued driver, then call our office today to consult with our team of personal injury attorneys.  The roots of the Barrett Law Office extend back over 75 years.  We have developed a reputation for providing zealous advocacy and compassionate legal representation to auto accident victims throughout Mississippi.  If you or a loved one have been injured in a Mississippi motor vehicle accident, we invite you to call us today at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help

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How to Hire the Best Lawyer Following an Auto Accident

If you’ve suffered injuries following a serious car accident, then you should definitely hire an experienced and knowledgeable personal injury attorney who has many successes under his or her belt. There are many, many questions you must ask prior to hiring a personal injury attorney, and you will want to ensure that all these questions are answered completely and to your satisfaction. It is especially important to have a personal injury attorney in your corner before you start getting calls from insurance companies or denials of medical claims.

Help in Dealing with Insurance Adjusters

The greatest benefit to having a personal injury attorney who is working hard for you in order to get the best settlement possible is that you won’t have to deal with insurance adjusters. Many insurance companies and adjusters want you to think they are your friend and that they have your best interests at heart, however this is rarely the case. Insurance adjusters have one goal, and that is to maximize the bottom line profits for the company who employs them.

It is not in the best interest of an insurance company to simply hand over cash settlements to injured clients even though you’ve paid your premiums like clockwork for years or even decades. It can be extremely difficult for an individual to stand up to an insurance company, and they will use every trick in their arsenal to convince you to settle quickly and to settle for less than you deserve. Attorneys who deal with insurance companies on a regular basis are wise to all the tricks and are unfazed by the attempts to intimidate. Your attorney will make sure the proper paperwork is filed in a timely fashion, thoroughly investigate the accident and make sure your side of the story is heard.

What Should I Look For in My Personal Injury Attorney

When you are looking to hire a personal injury attorney, make sure you investigate his or her past results. If you know friends or acquaintances who have used a personal injury attorney, speak with them to get their overall impressions. Many people will be happy to recommend an attorney—or tell you which one not to hire. The past results of the particular attorney can prove the attorney’s expertise and knowledge as well as their overall integrity and honor.  You will also want to find out whether or not the attorney was both aggressive and fearless when dealing with insurance companies and protecting your rights. Checking out prospective attorney’s websites won’t give you a full picture, but will give you at least some indication of what you will be dealing with.

How Much will it Cost Me?

Most personal injury attorneys charge you nothing unless they win your case; if nothing is recovered, then nothing is what you owe them. This is known as working on a contingency. You will want to find out what your attorney’s portion of the final settlement will be, because it can vary widely. Contingency agreements are beneficial to the client, because you are not required to put money up front. Your attorney is betting on his skill in obtaining you a good settlement, and his or her payday will come at the end when the case is concluded.

Comparing Attorneys

Once you have your “shortlist” of personal injury attorneys, compare them to one another, then set up appointments with two or three in order to discuss your case and see which attorney you feel most comfortable with—you will be spending a considerable amount of time with the attorney and want to make sure your personalities are a good “fit.”

Ask About Time and Assurances

It’s important to ask your chosen attorney to give you some sort of assurance on the claim he intends to negotiate on your behalf, as well as how much time he expects it to take. Although these are not absolute guarantees, you will want to have some sort of indication about the potential success of your case.

Call and speak with an experienced Mississippi personal injury lawyer from Barrett Law, PLLC.  Be sure to visit our web blog for more helpful information about your case or call us for a free consultation to answer your important questions.

The attorneys at Barrett Law, PLLC serve people throughout Mississippi including: North Mississippi, Jackson, Hattiesburg, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

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When Politics Trump Auto Accident Safety: Government Suppression of Distracted Driving Study

Most people in Mississippi are now aware that distracted driving is a leading cause of fatal car accidents.  The significance of distracted driving as a cause of serious auto accidents in Mississippi and other states has grown at an exponential rate along with the growth of mobile phones and other wireless communication devices.

Cell phone use and texting while driving is now widely acknowledged to rival drunk driving as a leading cause of auto accident related injuries and fatalities.  The significant impact of wireless communication devices on auto accident rates was not yet well established when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) decided to suppress hundreds of pages of research and warnings about cell phone use while driving in 2003.  Among the findings that were suppressed when the 2003 data was gathered:

  • Talking on cell phones resulted in 955 fatalities in 2002
  • Cell phones played a role in 240,000 car accidents in 2003
  • Hands free use of cell phones did not affect accident rates
  • Texting while driving would probably have an even greater adverse impact than talking on cell phones

The NHTSA indicated that these conclusions and the data collected was suppressed to avoid antagonizing Congress who believed release of the information might be viewed as lobbying states in developing specific cell phone related distracted driving laws.  While this is not the first time that politics has trumped public safety considerations, it may be one of the more costly examples.

The NHTSA has since conceded that distracted driving including use of cell phones when driving may have emerged as an even greater threat of causing serious auto accidents than drunk driving.  A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has revealed that drivers who are talking on a cell phone when driving increase the risk of being involved in an auto accident resulting in personal injury by as much as 400 percent.  A study conducted by the University of Utah indicated that a driver who is texting while driving has slower response time than a driver with a blood alcohol level of .08%, which is the threshold at which a driver is considered to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

Many states have been slow to respond to cell phones as a serious auto accident risk.  Tragically, a substantial number of lives might have been saved by making data public earlier regarding the scope of the danger posed by texting while driving and the lack of effectiveness of hands free cell phone laws.  The Barrett Law Office has been representing personal injury victims throughout Mississippi since 1933.

We have helped people throughout the state of Mississippi injured or killed by distracted drivers obtain the financial compensation they deserve.  Our Mississippi personal injury attorneys offer a free initial case evaluation so call us today at (662) 834-2376 so that we can help you on your road to recovery.

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Child Safety Restraint System Failure Can Have Devastating Impact

While child safety restraint systems are an invaluable way to protect children in serious motor vehicle accidents, these car seats have long been known to possess a number of manufacturing and design defects that can pose a serious danger to children when an Atlanta car accident occurs.  Millions of car seats have been recalled in recent years because of design and manufacturing defects.  Despite these recalls, many car seats that are still on the market and can fail during a collision.  Instructions and labeling that are inadequate also cause a substantial number of child safety seat failures.  If your child has been injured or suffered wrongful death in a Mississippi car accident due to failure of a safety restraint system, you or your child may be entitled to compensation.

A product liability lawsuit based on failure of a defective child safety restraint system is based on crashworthiness principles that were developed seven decades ago.  Crashworthiness principles involve the process of reducing the risk of serious injuries through implementation of safety measures.  Evaluating safety systems for crashworthiness entails consideration of the following issues:

  • Vehicle ejection prevention
  • Degree of occupant restraint
  • Fire prevention
  • Impact on crash energy forces
  • Preservation of survival space

Despite the fact that these principles of crashworthiness have existed for decades, vehicle manufacturers continuing to produce and market child restraint systems with known defects that create the risk of injury to children involved in Mississippi car accidents.  When a car accident occurs a child’s body impacts both the car seat and the child’s internal organs impact the bone structure of the child’s body.

There are a number of child restraint system defects that may lead to the failure of a car seat in a car accident:

Type of Harness: The most effective safety restraint system is a five-point restraint system.  This type of restraint system is similar to that used in a racecar.  Many car seats employ only a three-point safety restraint system, which involves straps that come over the shoulders and buckle between the child’s legs.  One of the greatest dangers in a motor vehicle accident for all occupants is the risk of vehicle ejection.  A three-point system is much more likely to result in a vehicle injection.  The chance that a car accident will result in a fatality is almost forty times greater in the event of a vehicle ejection.

Vehicle Base Design: There can be a number of crashworthiness issues involving the base of a car seat.  Many child safety restraint systems utilize a snap in base design that is defective and may become detached under the force of a collision.

Head Excursion Issues: The degree of movement permitted to a child’s head can substantially impact the extent of injuries including head, neck and spinal injuries.  It is believed that limiting the range of head excursion can reduce the risk of catastrophic brain injuries and severe spinal injuries.

Lack of Instructions/Compatibility: Many times child safety restraint systems have inadequate or confusing installation instructions resulting in the seats being installed incorrectly.  A fair number of child safety restraint systems do not fit correctly in specific vehicles.  Although many child safety restraint manufacturers know that their car seats do not fit appropriately in certain types of vehicles, the manufacturers have continued to adhere to the defective design.

Lack of Padding: Car seats should have adequate padding particularly in the head area to protect a child from a side impact collision.

These are just a few of the common crashworthiness issues that involve child safety restraint systems.  If your child is injured in a Mississippi car accident because of a child safety restraint system that fails, your child can suffer serious injuries or even wrongful death.  The experienced Mississippi car accident attorneys at Barrett Law Office PLLC represent car accident victims including children who are injured by defective child safety restraint systems throughout Mississippi.  Our roots helping Mississippi car accident victims extend back over 75 years.  We offer a free initial case evaluation so contact us today at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.

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Can “Talking” Cars Prevent Mississippi Car Accidents

Ford, GM, and Toyota are thinking futuristic and developing a new technology for cars that will allow them to talk to one another.  This new technology is called “Intellidrive”.  The technology utilizes GPS and WiFi that allow the vehicles to send out signals with their location and speed information so other vehicles on Mississippi roadways and know where they are and how fast they are going.  The cars essentially “talk” to each other.

The reason behind the push for this new technology is to keep drivers safer behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes that when this new technology is employed, it will help to reduce the risk of potential accidents by as much as 80%.

Some cars already employ more basic versions of what might be called smart car technology that warns drivers of impending accident risks and/or helps drivers avoid such car accidents.  Some vehicles already on the market let you know when you are drifting into another lane or when you might be in danger of colliding with a vehicle in front of you.  While this new technology that permits vehicles to communicate to each other might sound like something out of a science fiction movie, it could help to cut down on the 5 million car collisions per year in the U.S. that kill approximately 340,000 people and injure more than 2 million.  Any new technology that can significantly reduce Mississippi car accidents is a type of car industry advancement worth embracing.

The Technology

These new systems are not limited to just employing current radar technology to detect what is in front of them or behind them as with some current vehicles.  The smart car technology can detect a signal up to 900 feet away and 360 degrees around. The multi-directional WIFI signals send out a car’s location, cruising speed and brake status information to the other car. That car is then warned of an incoming hazard by a series of beeping noises and flashing red lights. The first warnings would alert the driver.  If the driver does not respond, then the car would take over and employ whatever action was necessary including applying brakes or changing speed or direction.

The goal of the system will be to prevent collisions by preventing a vehicle from changing lanes, approaching a stalled vehicle too quickly or entering an intersection if the light has turned red.  While the technology appears like a promising way to reduce the number of fatal Mississippi car accidents, there are some bugs that need to be worked out.  For example, the automakers are trying to determine an effective way to keep the channels the signals flow through clear.  They are also trying to determine how to keep hackers out of the system and how to protect privacy.

Working Together

There are several car manufacturers that are cooperating to make this happen.  For this system to work, different makes of cars have to be able to communicate with one another.  Even though the investment in the technology has been upward of $40 million dollars in federal money, the end cost to the automakers is only going to be about an extra $100 per vehicle.  The goal is to have this smart car technology become standard in some 2013 automobiles.

It remains to be seen how effective this new technology will be in preventing car accidents or reducing auto accident related injuries and fatalities in Mississippi.  It may help with distracted driving because the car will be interacting with the driver on a lot of different levels which might keep the driver more engaged on the business of driving.  The car may also alert drivers of hazards that the driver has not noticed because the driver was engaged in activities like using one’s cell phone.

It could very well increase the number of lawsuits if there are accidents as a result of the technology. If the system malfunctions causing a driver whom relies on the system to make an error in judgment, it may raise issues as to who is responsible for a resulting auto collision.  Despite these concerns, the technology looks like a promising step in the right direction.

If you or someone you love is involved in a Mississippi car accident, a car accident attorney in Mississippi from Barrett Law, PLLC may be able to help you seek compensation for damages such as medical bills, property damage, permanent disabilities, as well as pain and suffering.  The roots of Barrett Law, PLLC have grown and flourished during the last 75 years.  We represent those who have suffered serious injury or wrongful death throughout Mississippi so contact us today to see how we can help at (662) 834-2376.

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