Safe Routes to School is a nationwide program that seeks to help children make it to school and their bus stops with minimal risk of accidents. In NYC, the program examined accident histories surrounding the city’s nearly 1,500 elementary and middle schools and targeted 135 high priority schools to be considered for improvements.

These improvements included things like upgraded school crosswalks, new traffic signals, new parking regulations, and increased pedestrian crossing times. Now, the program will move onto a new group of priority schools to work on in order to increase student pedestrian safety.

Safe Streets for Seniors is a similar program, though targeted at the city’s older population—another group at a higher risk of pedestrian accidents. This program analyzes city neighborhoods where there are a high number of elderly pedestrian accidents. Then, as in Safe Routes to School, DOT officials make the necessary improvements to reduce accident occurrence. So far, this program has worked to shorten crossing distances, improving curb conditions, and restricting vehicle turns.

Safe Routes to Transit works to make it easier for commuting pedestrians to get to their mass transit stops. While the subway and bus systems may seem safe, getting to them can sometimes be an exercise in danger and risk management. By making these stops easier to reach and more convenient, the DOT says, the city can increase safety while encouraging walking and mass transit—better for personal health and the environment.

Each one of these unique programs takes steps to increase pedestrian safety. Still, you, as a pedestrian need to practice safe walking to reduce your risks. This includes crossing only at corners, crossing with the lights, and always being aware of drivers.

When an accident happens and it’s through no fault of your own, the results can be traumatic. Fortunately if you’ve practiced safe walking and the driver is wholly to blame, you could be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

The attorneys at Omrain & Taub are committed to seeking justice for injured pedestrians of New York City. Contact us today for a consultation on your case and to see how we can help. Call 212-529-7848 now.

According to CBS New York, Victor Viscaino was working at the Icon parking garage on Barclay Street when the accident occurred. The garage is a lift-type garage, where vehicles are raised into spaces with a hydraulic lift. Viscaino was standing underneath the lift when an SUV rolled off and crushed him.

Investigators were looking into the cause of the accident, though it’s believed the SUV may not have been secured per Icon policy.

Viscaino had worked at the garage for years and his death shook many of his customers. They remarked on what a good man and hard worker he was, and how much he would be missed.

“It’s crazy. When I couldn’t get down the block this morning to park the car, I do have his cell number on me and I was going to call him to see if there was any way he could get me into the garage later or something,” said customer Gerard Marini.

We all take risks at our jobs. Even those of us who work in an office setting run the risk of falling or receiving an electric shock from a piece of technology. But, those who work in the construction and labor fields face far more risks.

Some jobs are inherently dangerous. Viscaino’s job could be seen as one of those—where he was underneath vehicles often that, when they fell, could (and did) prove fatal. It’s these jobs that supervisors and company officials have to ensure a particular level of safety. Workers deserve to go home to their families every night in the same conditions they left.

When a worker is hurt on the job, someone has to be held accountable for the situation that led to their injury—whether it’s faulty equipment or lack of training.

Many times, when someone is involved in a workplace accident, they dust themselves off, so to speak, and keep going. Many times, they are afraid of losing their job. But it’s important that injured construction workers know—they have rights and these rights deserve protection.

If you’ve been hurt on the job, the attorneys at Omrani & Taub may be able to help. You can contact our offices for a free consultation and to discuss your rights. We can be reached at 212-529-7847 (that’s 212-LAWSUIT).

According to the Associated Press, there are many specific safety features that the NTSB could employ to significantly increase road safety and decrease the number of auto accidents. Those safety technologies include:

• Lane-departure warning that tells drivers when the car is going into another lane without signaling.
• Forward collision warning that can alert or apply brakes when an accident is imminent
• Adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts speed depending on traffic conditions
• Electronic stability control which automatically applies brakes to individual wheels

Some cars already have these features installed, namely, the more expensive models. But, the NTSB says safety shouldn’t be something for only the wealthiest of us.

“We don’t want safety to be only for the people who can afford it,” said Deborah Hersman from the NTSB.

While critics say that requiring all of this new technology could boost the cost of a new car by several thousand dollars, the agency says that simply isn’t true, that the costs would be minimal, particularly in the face of the potential lives saved.

There were more than 32,000 traffic deaths on U.S. roads last year. Running off the road, lane-change maneuvers, and rear-end accidents (those the NTSB says these technologies can prevent) accounted for about 60% of those fatal accidents.

They have called on the presidential administration to “establish performance standards where still needed and mandate that these technologies be included as standard equipment.”

While the NTSB doesn’t have the authority to implement these recommendations on their own, their recommendations are often taken seriously by lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

In all, the NTSB report makes ten safety recommendations, things they would like to see improved, though automakers say the decision to have such equipment should be left to consumers when they purchase a car.

Even in the safest vehicle, there is a risk of an accident. Even the safest drivers are sometimes involved in a serious crash. But, steps can be taken to reduce the risk of an accident overall.

When you are hurt in an accident, the attorneys of Omrani & Taub can help. Our New York personal injury attorneys represent injured people after being involved in serious auto accidents. If you sustained injuries in an accident that was not your fault, contact our offices today by calling 212-529-7848 (that’s 212-LAW-SUIT).

According to a press release from the company, 36 percent of teens between 14 and 17 years of age strongly agree they could be killed one day if they regularly text and drive while 55 percent believe drinking and driving could lead to a fatal accident. Sixty-three percent believe they could get into an accident from texting and driving, while 78 percent believe they could get into an accident if they are drinking and driving.

The survey was administered by Harris Interactive in July and asked the questions of nearly 700 teens.

Perhaps not surprisingly, those teens who already text and drive don’t see it as dangerous as those who refrain from the practice. Among those who abstain, 73 percent believe texting and driving could lead to an accident, while only 52 percent of those who actually text and drive believe they could be in an accident.

Teens belief in whether or not they will be in an accident seems to boil down to what they think of their reaction time. Fifty-five percent believe they will get into situations when texting and driving that will allow them to narrowly miss an accident by recovering just in time. For drinking and driving, only 36 percent thinks they would recover in time.

The opinions of these teens matter because they are sharing the roads with everyone else. And it seems they are getting incorrect information, or merely assuming drunk driving is more dangerous because the campaign against it has been going on the longest.

In all actuality, the reaction time of someone texting may be slower than one who has been drinking. A study from the United Kingdom found that reaction time when texting was reduced 35 percent in people ages 17 to 24, while it was reduced only 12 percent after drinking to the legal limit.

The bottom line is: teens and all drivers must be made aware of the risks of texting and driving. A single texting driver puts everyone on the road at risk.

According to the Associated Press, 35-year old Tabitha Harris was walking home from the store in Manchester when she became the victim of an unusual accident. Ms. Harris was not hit randomly by a lone car, but was the victim of a two-vehicle accident. She happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A van traveling on the road crossed the center line and struck an SUV pulling a trailer. The SUV lost control, and the trailer they were pulling hit Harris.

The van driver was ticketed for failing to keep right and the investigation is ongoing.

This accident represents a common scenario in New York, particularly within the city. While it’s more unusual to hear of pedestrian accidents in rural areas upstate, they are far more common within the crowded streets of NYC.

What happens when a pedestrian is seriously injured in a car accident depends on the facts of the case. While some believe criminal charges should always be brought when someone is accused of hitting someone with their car, such accidents don’t always equal a criminal violation. But, even when they do, charges aren’t always brought.

Frequently, instead, accident victims are left seeking justice in the civil courts.

If you or someone you love is involved in a pedestrian accident, you could be entitled to compensation for the resulting injuries. This can be done by filing a claim with the driver’s insurance company or, as a last result, taking them to court.

Accidents like this are frequently very traumatic, and the repercussions don’t end at the hospital. Costly medical bills, ongoing treatment, and the inability to work are just a few of the things that can continue to impact you for months and even years after an accident is over. This is precisely why you deserve justice.