Distracted Driving

December 19, 2014

NHTSA Reports 326 Massachusetts Traffic Deaths in 2013

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is reporting a decline in both the number of Massachusetts motor vehicle crash fatalities as well as how many occurred in total in the U.S. According to the figures for 2013, there were 326 traffic deaths in the state last year, which is a decline from the 383 fatalities in 2012. Alcohol was a factor in 118 of the Massachusetts traffic deaths in 2013.

Nationally, the country lost 32,719 people in roadway crashes in 2013. This is also a decrease from the 33,782 traffic deaths from the year previous.

Overall, between 2012 and 2013, the U.S. saw a reduction in deaths and injuries of truck occupants, passenger car occupants, pedestrians, and young drivers, as well as in accidents where alcohol was a factor.

September 30, 2014

Research Shows Danger of Texting While Driving Using Google Glass

by Altman & Altman

Head-up displays like Google Glass were made to assist drivers in multitasking. Rather than reaching for a phone to manually send or receive a text, a driver using Google Glass would be able to read projected messages and dictate replies without ever having to take their hands off the wheel. The concept seems logical to most, yet groups like the Consumers Union and the National Safety Council have cautioned that hands-free, voice-based interfaces can still pose as a dangerous distraction to drivers.

According to a Forbes article published yesterday, a peer-reviewed study conducted by the University of Central Florida in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory compared 40-something drivers in a car simulator while wearing the Google Glasses, and their responses to when the vehicle driving in front of them suddenly slammed on the brakes. Researchers found that subjects who had been exchanging messages using Google Glass or a smartphone were just as equally slow to respond. Wearers of the Google Glass did appear to recover more quickly after the near crash, but they also left less distance between the car they were operating, and the car in front of them. This data suggested that the Google Glass reduced participants’ perception to risk.

In a similar study conducted at Wichita State University, researchers found while comparing speech-based texting to handheld texting, there was no significant difference in driver performance. “In fact, the researchers found that both methods of texting significantly impaired driver performance and caused variation in speed and lane position.”
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June 16, 2014

Deadly Accident Shifts Spotlight to Truck Driver Fatigue

by Altman & Altman

Comedian Tracy Morgan as well as several other passengers remain in critical condition following a serious accident involving the Mercedes Sprinter van in which they were travelling. Morgan’s friend and writer James “Jimmy Mack” McNair was killed when a Wal-Mart tractor slammed into the back of a Mercedes luxury bus containing the comedian and his fellow performers, causing it to roll and careen out of control and into other cars.

What began initially as a tragic accident grabbed national attention when more details of the dramatic scene were released. Officials believe the accident was caused when Wal-Mart truck driver Kevin Roper failed to observe slow moving traffic in front of him and swerved at the last second in an attempt to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him. As photos and video from the crash site reveal, the truck slammed into the Mercedes carrying Morgan with his friends and fellow performers with enough force to flip the vehicle on its roof, causing a chain-reaction crash with four other cars.
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May 23, 2014

Despite Increased Awareness, Drowsy Driving Remains a Difficult Issue

by Altman & Altman

L’Tonya Johnson was a star athlete and mother of two equally athletic children. The lifelong track and field runner has a passion for leading an active and healthy lifestyle. As a track coach, Johnson pushed other children to live more active lives and took pride in her job. On the morning of December 19, 2010, her life was dramatically altered at the hands of a drowsy driver. Jeremy Wilson, a driver for Southeastern Building Services, Inc. attempted to make a left turn in front of Johnson’s Honda and crushed her car. Court documents reveal the driver “had been out all night with a friend and had not slept.”

After a two day trial in the Alachua County Circuit Court, a Florida jury awarded L’Tonya Johnson $664,328 for “compensatory damages for her past and future medical expenses, and her past and future pain and suffering.” Johnson suffered neck and back injuries that have yet to heal, four years later. “Her injuries have severely damaged her ability to engage in the activities she most enjoys in life,” her attorney Lance Avera said. “Her life passion is coaching children in track and field.”
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