May
22
2012
Seat belts save lives. It’s not just an empty slogan. The Missouri Department of Transportation has startling facts about the link between fatalities and the failure to wear seat belts: Seven out of 10 Missourians killed in traffic crashes in 2011 were unbuckled, and three out of four teens killed in 2011 traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt. Only 67 percent of Missouri teens (13-19) wear seat belts.
As Missourians killed in traffic crashes in 2011 , we have seen the devastating effects caused by not wearing a seat belt. The proper use of seat belts reduces the risk of serious injuries and even death. In Missouri, 79 percent of the citizens wear seat belts, but the state’s seat belt usage rage is well below the national average of 85 percent.
The Missouri Highway Patrol, Department of Transportation and local law enforcement are cracking down on wearing seatbelts from May 21 – June 3 with their “Click It or Ticket” campaign.
While it’s frustrating to be handed a fine for not being buckled up, the risks of not wearing a seat belt are just too great to ignore the law. In 2011, 784 Missourians were killed in traffic crashes. If everyone were buckled up, the number of deaths likely would be lower.
As of May 6, 2012, there were 255 traffic fatalities in Missouri, an increase of 22 percent when compared to roughly the same time period in 2011 (208 fatalities).
The good news is that Missouri car accident deaths have dropped 37.6 percent since 2005. But Missouri traffic fatality statistics reveal much work is needed to drive the numbers down even further.
In Missouri, 30 percent of traffic deaths involve an impaired driver. The leading causes of car accidents include speeding, driving under the influence and inattention.
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May
18
2012
How many times have you been cut off in traffic, or watched another driver run a stop sign, only to notice that the driver was talking on a cell phone?
How many times have you yourself started to veer toward other cars when you stumbled to reach your cell phone or tried to respond to a friend’s text?
Most drivers recognize that cell phones are a distraction that can be dangerous on the road. Yet few drivers want to give up the convenience of ‘talking or texting while theyre driving.
An article in USA Today reports that the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that 94 percent of drivers think that texting while driving is a “serious threat” to safety and that 87 percent of drivers are in favor of texting bans. However, more than a third of drivers also admitted to reading texts or e-mail while driving, and nearly 70 percent said that they talk on their cell phones while driving.
Cell Phones and Safe Driving
Data about the dangers of texting or talking on a cell phone while driving is unclear. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that cell phones were a factor in about 13 percent of fatal crashes See: Personal Injury Lawyers Serving Fayetteville North Carolina
last year, officials note that reporting is unreliable. Drivers are not likely to report that they were engaging in risky behavior while driving, such as talking on a cell phone or texting, especially if those behaviors have been banned in that region.
USA Today reports that the National Transportation Safety Board called on states in December to ban handheld and hands-free cell phone use while driving.
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May
10
2012
Women often spend a lot of time driving their children to and from school, extracurricular activities like sports, and family activities.
Because they spend so much time on the road with such precious cargo, women often choose vehicles based on their safety rating and other perceived safety features. Yet new vehicle ratings reveal that safety information had been skewed for men, and that women and children may actually be at greater risk of serious injury from car accidents than previously thought.
Starting with 2011 models, the federal government began using a smaller “female” crash-test dummy for some safety tests, instead of the standard, average-sized “male” dummy. The result has been a lower safety rating for many vehicles – as much as two stars – to reflect the increased risk of serious injury for smaller passengers, such as women and children.
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May
09
2012
SPRINGFIELD Mass Live – A 41-year-old city man, who apparently named the sledgehammer that he uses for work after a prominent personal injury lawyer, allegedly used it to break down the door of an ex-girlfriend’s Windsor Street home early Wednesday and threaten her, police said.
The woman and another occupant of the home escaped injury after they barricaded a hallway door with a refrigerator, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.
The incident began about 1:40 a.m. when the suspect, Eric Turhan Northrop, approached the woman’s home and threatened to use the sledgehammer which he referred to as ” Mark E. Salomone” to break down the door if she didn’t let him in, Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said. Salomone is a well-known Massachusetts lawyer who airs commercials on television.
Delaney, quoting from the arresting officer’s report, said that Northrop “broke through the front door wildly swinging Mark E. Salomone'” and yelled “I am going to get medieval on you like Thor.” A
Responding police officers found the sledgehammer on a table inside the home and arrested Northrop, of 40 Windsor St.
He was charged with home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, threat to commit a crime and assault with a dangerous weapon, police documents state.
