Modesto Injury Lawyer Blog

Researchers are studying a new type of pedestrian accident in Modesto. Experts with Transportation For America are looking at the number of "distracted" pedestrians who have been killed in recent years. The number of distraction-related pedestrian deaths is minimal in comparison to the problem as a whole.

Researchers have determined that the number of headphone-wearing pedestrians who have been killed in traffic-related accidents in the last six years has tripled. While it may sound like this problem is becoming epidemic, the truth of the matter is that these types of accidents still only accounted for about 0.3 percent of all pedestrian deaths during the study time. From 2000 to 2009, there were nearly 48,000 pedestrians killed on U.S. roadways in traffic-related accidents. Of the 48,000 pedestrian fatalities over the 9-year study, only about 115 were the result of pedestrians wearing headphones, according to researchers at The University of Maryland.

In California, where we're blessed with some pretty beautiful weather, our Modesto pedestrian accident lawyers understand that these types of accidents are all too common. During the study period, there were nearly 7,000 pedestrians killed along California roadways. In fact, there were more pedestrian fatalities in our state than in any other state in the country.

In recent news coverage, the media has attempted to shift the blame from motorists to pedestrians. Still, with less than half of a percent of these accidents being attributed to headphone-wearing pedestrians, how could it be their fault?

It's true that it's never a good idea to travel while distracted, whether you're walking, biking or driving. When traveling along the busy roadways of California, you need to make sure all of your attention is on the roadway and your surroundings.

Pedestrian advocates have found this study to be relatively meaningless, saying that it's like trying to help someone who's been stabbed in the chest and trying to find a little Band-Aid to patch the scratch on his knee. It just makes no sense.

The biggest threat was and continues to be motorists. Unfortunately, a majority of motorists travel our roadways with little to no regard for our on-foot travelers, who also have the right to be there.

Did you know that a majority of roadways where pedestrian accidents occurred in the U.S. are in fact streets that are eligible to receive federal funding? This money is supposed to be used for road projects to help make the streets safer, but it continues to be utilized to make roadways bigger and better to equip speedy travel. Nearly 70 percent of all pedestrian fatalities occurred on these dangerous roads.

Some researchers say the number of pedestrian fatalities resulting from distractions hasn't really changed with the advancement of iPods, smartphones and other technologies. The problem is less about headphones and cell phones and more about the lack of smart traffic engineering.

Experts commenting on the new research say the 0.3 percent of pedestrians killed while wearing headphones is not a large enough sample from which to draw any meaningful conclusions. Instead, their time is better spent addressing ways that we can work to protect the other 99.7 percent of non-headphone-wearing pedestrians who were killed in traffic-related accidents.

Continue reading "Motorists Still Main Cause of Pedestrian Accidents in Modesto and Elsewhere" »

As we recently reported on our Modesto Injury Lawyers Blog, teenage drivers are most likely to be involved in a car accident during the first 30 days after they get their unrestricted driver's license. Luckily, there are a few things that can help reduce the risks for these vulnerable drivers. Parents and passengers play an integral role, according to Medical Press.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), new drivers are prohibited from riding with passengers under the age of 20 when they have a restricted or intermediate license. It's important for parents to enforce these rules while their teen is learning to drive. It's also critically important that parents stay involved in their teen's driving habits once they've completed the graduated driver's licensing (GDL) program. The truth of the matter is that passengers greatly increase the risks of car accidents in Modesto and elsewhere among teenage drivers.

A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health determined that passengers had a significant impact on a teen driver's habits behind the wheel. With both male and female drivers, they were more likely to engage in dangerous driving habits when passengers were present. According to a study of nearly 700 teen accident reports, drivers with passengers were more susceptible to car accidents. While boys were more likely to speed and drive aggressively with passengers present, girls were more likely to look at the passenger, make phone calls and text. Regardless of the type of distraction, the danger was there in nearly every scenario.

"Distraction from peer passengers appears to play a prominent role for both male and female drivers," said Allison E. Curry, Ph.D., MPH, who was also an author in the study.

Parents should know, however, that they can significantly reduce these risks for their teens. Another study published in the same journal determined that teenage drivers with parents who knew their whereabouts and passenger count typically had less chance of being in an accident. Parental involvement helped to keep teens focused on the dangers of the roadways, as well as ensuring they would practice their safe driving habits.

Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia concluded, through the study of nearly 200 teen drivers, that graduated driver's licensing laws, coupled with parental involvement, equals safer teen drivers. When teenagers drive with state laws and parental enforcement, they're less likely to screw around behind the wheel. As teens learn to drive, the habits they develop during the first few years behind the wheel will be ones they use the rest of their lives. Let's all do our part to help to mold them into safe and responsible drivers.

Continue reading "Helping to Reduce the Risks of Car Accidents in Modesto and Elsewhere among Teen Drivers" »