distracted driving

For Teens, Distracted Driving Not Seen as Accident Danger

2347598For many teenagers, texting while driving is not as dangerous as people make it out to be. This is according to a new survey from State Farm Insurance. The insurance giant found that most teens believe texting is less risky than drinking and driving, though research shows it could be even more dangerous.

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. Continue reading

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Upstate School Bus Accident Kills Two

school-bus-crash-montezumaThousands of people put their kids on school buses every morning, trusting that their children will arrive at school safely and be carried home again unharmed. But school bus accidents seem relatively common, and often end tragically.

Just this past week, a school bus in Montezuma upstate, was involved in a crash with two cars. Two people died as a result.

According to News Channel 9 (local ABC News channel), the bus and another car were traveling south on State Road 90 when a car traveling in the opposite direction crossed the center line. That car hit the driver’s side of the bus and struck the other car head on.

One person from each car was killed. Two people were airlifted to Upstate University Hospital and one student was taken to Geneva Hospital with minor injuries. Continue reading

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Federal Government Cracks Down on Distracted Driving

The feds are getting involved in what is perhaps one of the leading causes of car accidents: distracted driving. They’ve set up a website (Distraction.gov) with numerous tools to aid in educating drivers and preventing accidents.

According to Distraction.gov, distracted driving is defined as, “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety.” They go on to provide examples of distracted driving, perhaps the most prevalent and widely discussed of which is texting.

If you spend any amount of time on the roads, you see people texting and driving. You also probably see people putting on makeup, fumbling with their music, reaching forward to use their GPS, and eating. Any of these activities can take your eyes off the road. Any one of them could lead to disaster. Continue reading

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Judge Rules Texter Not Liable for Accident

There is no doubt that sending text messages behind the wheel is a recipe for disaster. But what if you are the person on the other side of the text—the one sending messages to a driver—can you be held responsible if an accident happens?

According to Morris County Superior Court Judge David Rand, you can’t.

Last week, Judge Rand ruled that a young woman could not be held liable for the text messages she was sending her boyfriend just before he was involved in an accident that resulted in a man and wife each losing a leg to amputation. Continue reading

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Who Is To Blame for NYC Accidents?

Who can we blame for the majority of accidents in the city? That question was asked of New Yorkers in a recent poll from NY1 and Marist. What they found is that opinions vary and many cyclists, motorists, and pedestrians are quick to point the finger at someone else.

The vast majority, when presented with the question, “Who causes New York City Accidents—bicyclists, pedestrians, or motorists?” said that drivers were the ones to blame. Sixty-eight percent, in fact, said that those driving cars are at fault for most accidents. Seventy percent of men attributed accidents to motorists, while the number was slightly lower (65%) for women.

Coming in a distant second was the people who thought bicyclists contributed to most accidents, with 19%/ Finally 13% of respondents attributed accidents to pedestrians.

But what does this mean? Well, for one, that NYC is crowded and everyone plays a role in avoiding accidents and two, not everyone agrees on who is to blame.

Some of those surveyed admit to their own shortcomings, things that they might do that could increase the likelihood of an accident. One pedestrian, interviewed by NY1, said that he is often oblivious to the traffic around him because he, like many others these days, is usually wearing earphones and can’t hear what’s going on around him. Continue reading

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National Transportation Safety Board pushes to protect bus passengers

Distracted driving has become a focus in the transportation safety world as the number of accidents caused by people texting while driving, checking their email or talking on a cellphone increases on a daily basis.

People who choose to use cellphones while driving are taking the risk that they will be involved in an accident, but commercial drivers who choose to text or talk while behind the wheel risk not only their life in a serious bus accident, but the lives of all of their passengers. Continue reading

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