Auto Accidents

Published on: February 20, 2014

In small overlap front crash accidents,most mini cars do not protect the driver from serious personal injury

In a car accident during which the front corner of a car hit another vehicle or an object such as a tree or a pole most minicars do not protect drivers adequately from serious personal injury according to a recent test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The only minicar that provided an acceptable level of protection was the Chevrolet Spark. The worst performers were the Honda fit and the Fiat 500.

Read the complete test results here

Published on: February 20, 2014

Older drivers these days are not only less likely to be involved in a car accident, they are also less likely to suffer personal injury or to die than previously

By GGCRBHS&M

Older drivers Today have a lower risk of being involved in a car accident than their peers did during the mid nineties. Because cars are safer and seniors are generally healthier they are also less likely to be killed or seriously injured if they crash. A new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety demonstrates that drivers 70 and older have enjoyed bigger declines in fatal crash rates per licensed driver and per vehicle miles traveled than drivers ages 35-54, referred to in the study as middle-age drivers, since 1997.

decrease%20in%20fatal%20accident%20for%20seniors.png

decrease%20of%20seniors%20involvment%20in%20crashes.png

Increase%20in%20senior%20population.png

Published on: February 20, 2014

Texting while driving continued to increase in 2012 putting road users at higher risk of an accident, young drivers are texting less while adults are texting more

By GGCRBHS&M

Texting%20and%20driving%20in%202012.png Vehicle Accidents caused by texting and driving are injuring and killing people every day but sadly the percentage of drivers who are texting or manipulating electronic devices while driving continued to increase in 2012 according to the latest National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2012, the rate of drivers texting while driving was of 1.5% compared to 1.3% in 2011.

The rate of people using a hand held cell phone has been steady at 5% since 2009 with a significant higher rate of usage among female drivers (6% compared to 4% for male drivers).

0.6% of drivers used headset cell phone while driving in 2013.
Continue reading →

Published on: February 18, 2014

The Vision Zero Action Plan 2014 to reduce death and personal injury related to traffic accidents in New York was presented yesterday by Mayor Bill de Blasio

By GGCRBHS&M

4000 New Yorkers suffer severe personal injury and 250 are killed every year in traffic accidents and to Bill de Blasio this is unacceptable. Yesterday afternoon the Mayor of New York presented “Vision Zero Action Plan” the first report produced by a multi agency task force that the mayor created last month. (See previous blog) .

Vision Zero has proven to be a successful program throughout different cities of the world because its multi faceted approach brings together government, advocacy and private sector actors as well as the public to become part of the solution. In a similar fashion, yesterday’s action plan contains proposed actions by the City, the Police Department, the Department of Transportation, the Taxi & Limousine Commission, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Some of the most interesting recommendations include

Continue reading →

Published on: February 17, 2014

Should the snow plow driver who killed a pregnant woman in a Brooklyn supermarket parking lot be criminally charged?

By GGCRBHS&M

A pregnant woman was struck and killed by a negligent snow plow driver on a supermarket parking lot in Brooklyn, New York. The baby was delivered by C-section but according to doctors the baby suffered oxygen deprivation and may have brain and other organ damages. The bobcat driver wasn’t charged but received 3 tickets because the vehicle, a Bobcat (skid steer loader), lacked an inspection sticker, a headlamp and a license plate light. The neighbors of the woman are upset and believe the driver should be criminally charged. What do you think?
Read more in the New York Daily News

Published on: February 17, 2014

New York police try different approaches to curb the number of pedestrians killed and injured in car accidents

By GGCRBHS&M

To reduce the number of deaths and personal injuries related to traffic accidents, Bill de Blasio recently launched “Vison Zero” in New York City. In a first step the mayor created inter-agency working groups with members from the Police Department, the Department Of Transportation, the Health Department and the Taxi and Limousine Commission. These working groups had until last February 15th to come up with proposals to improve street safety (see our previous blog). In the meantime, the death of 3 pedestrians in less than 10 days on the Upper West Side prompted the police to take immediate measures to prevent further traffic accidents. Tickets have been issued against drivers and in large numbers against jaywalkers. 215 Jaywalking tickets have been issued from the beginning of the year through February 9th compared to 27 last year.

Bad sleeping habits are the main cause of drowsy driving, one of the leading causes of fatal car accidents

By GGCRBHS&M

Drowsy driving is the second leading cause of fatal vehicle accidents after drunk driving. 6,800 drivers die every year in the US after falling asleep at the wheel. An estimated 250,000 Americans drive drowsy everyday mostly because they have developed bad sleeping habits. Some drivers experience a phenomena called micro sleep during which a vehicle driver falls asleep for a few seconds without realizing it. This video demonstrates how sleep deprivation can put drivers at risk of a car accident.

Published on: February 10, 2014

3 Adults and 16 children suffered personal injury after an Ambulance crashed into a School Bus in Brooklyn, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

3 adults were seriously injured in an accident between an ambulance and a school bus that happened yesterday night in Brooklyn, New York. The 16 children who were in the bus suffered only minor injuries.

The ambulance was speeding down Fort Hamilton Parkway and the bus was crossing on 51st street when the accident happened.

Car Accident Prevention: The US DOT and the NHTSA move forward with vehicle to vehicle communication technology

By GGCRBHS&M

V2V%20technology%20to%20prevent%20accidents.jpg In the future some car accidents may be avoided thanks to vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology. After a successful Pilot was launched in August 2012, the US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have taken the next step by announcing this week that it was taking steps to equip light vehicles with this amazing technology. (see press release)

Research undertaken during the Pilot phase show that safety applications using V2V technology can address a large majority of crashes involving two or more motor vehicles. With safety data such as speed and location flowing from nearby vehicles, vehicles can identify risks and provide drivers with warnings to avoid other vehicles in common accidents such as rear-end, lane change, and intersection crashes. These safety applications have been demonstrated with everyday drivers under both real-world and controlled test conditions.

In this video an NBC TV crew is testing a pilot car. Its pretty amazing.

Continue reading →

Published on: January 31, 2014

Manhattan Borough President lists 57 most dangerous traffic crossings in Manhattan (New York County)

By GGCRBHS&M

To help combat the epidemic of pedestrians who die or suffer serious personal injury in New York, Gale Brewer, the Borough President, submitted a list of the NYC 57 most dangerous crossings. This list include 96th street and Broadway where two pedestrians recently died as well as 17 other locations in uptown manhattan..