According to figures recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,328 people were killed in 2012 as the result of distracted driving crashes. In the same time period, 421,000 people were injured as the result of distracted drivers. To combat the ever-increasing problem of cell phone use and texting and driving, U.S. […]
Search Results for: texting
Chappaqua Teen Found to Have Been Texting During Fatal Crash
A New Windsor, NY judge has ruled that a teen was texting while driving, leading to a fatal accident that killed his nineteen year old friend, reports USA Today. The driver, also nineteen from Chappaqua, NY, claimed that he had fallen asleep at the wheel. The decedent’s family subpoenaed phone records from the driver during […]
Massachusetts Teenager Faces One Year in Prison after Homicide Conviction in Texting While Driving Case
Aaron Deveau, an 18 year old Massachusetts teenager, is facing one year in prison after being convicted of vehicular homicide in a case involving texting while driving. In February of 2010, Deveau’s car struck another vehicle, leaving the other driver and passenger seriously injured. The driver eventually died from his injuries. Deveau had been texting […]
Albany, NY: Governor Cuomo Signs New Texting While Driving Bill
New York State Governor, Andrew Cuomo, signed a bill into law this week that allows police officers to stop and ticket drivers whom they see texting while driving. Texting while driving had already been a moving violation, however, prior to the new bill, police officers were only able to ticket the offending motorist if the […]
Federal Ban on Texting for Commercial Truck Drivers Takes Effect
On Tuesday, January 26, 2010, Ray LaHood, U.S. Transportation Secretary, announced a federal ban on texting for commercial truck drivers while driving. This new law, which took effect immediately, expressly prohibits texting by drivers of commercial vehicles such as large trucks and buses. Report shows that drivers who text are more than 20 times likely […]
Study Shows Drivers Misuse Partial Automation as Full Automation
Recent research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that drivers using partial automation systems are often overly reliant on them, even treating them like full autopilot features. According to a report by Reuters, the industry group’s survey found specifically that users of Tesla Autopilot, General Motors Super Cruise, and Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist “said […]
Research Suggests Broader Cell Phone Bans Prevent More Crashes
New research released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that “broader” bans on cell phone usage while driving may prevent car crashes more effectively than narrower bans on texting while driving. As a news release by the nonprofit organization explains, its researchers looked at crash rates in three US states with those broader […]
Traffic Violations
White Plains NY Traffic Violations Attorney Receiving one or several traffic violations can lead to serious consequences, including the suspension or revocation of your driver’s license. The consequences can be even more severe if you drive a commercial vehicle in order to earn a living. In either instance, it is important that you contact an […]
Car Accident Attorney White Plains, New York
How a Car Accident Attorney Can Help You Most of us get in our cars every day – or nearly every day. We probably do it without much thought: driving is simply a way of life. But no matter how safe of a driver you may be, you cannot control how others on the road […]
NHTSA Raises Awareness of Distracted Driving Injuries, Deaths
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, launched a campaign raising attention to the dangers of distracted driving. As a recent release by the agency notes, April is “National Distracted Driving Awareness Month,” and the NHTSA marked the occasion with a weeklong enforcement effort intended to stop drivers who were texting […]
Work Zone Fatalities Up During Pandemic
Even as overall traffic levels fell over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of crashes and fatalities at work zones has risen, according to a recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Workers patching potholes, striping roads, directing traffic or building highways are more at risk than ever,” it states, “as drivers zoom through work zones or are […]
Millions of Americans Say They Drive Stoned
Almost 15 million Americans admit they drive while under the influence of marijuana, according to a new study by AAA. The alarming news does not end with the sky-high number of impaired drivers, either. Millennials (25 to 39 years old) were most likely to get high before driving, followed closely by Generation Z (under 24 years […]
One-Third of Manhattan Bikers Text While Cycling
An astonishing one-third of New York City bicyclists text while commuting around the city, according to a recent study by Hunter College. To perform the study, the local college observed 46 intersections in the busier parts of Manhattan (between 14th Street and 86th Street) this April. Researchers gathered observational data on cell phone use, helmets, and […]
Distracted Drivers 30 Times More Likely to Crash in Work Zone
A distracted driver is almost 30 times more likely to crash in a highway work zone. In a recent study reported on by Science Daily, researchers at the University of Missouri found that drivers who answered a phone call, texted, or reported being distracted by a passenger were 29 times more likely to be in a […]
Distracted Driving on the Rise
The number of car accidents in America has steadily increased since 2014, reversing a previous downward trend on America’s roadways. Experts believe that an increase in distracted driving is largely to blame for the increase in car accidents – pointing to the rise of cell phones, in particular. Distracted driving is a catch-all term for whenever a driver is not focused on the roadways. […]
As a “Textalyzer” Comes Closer to Reality in NY, Civil Rights Advocates Clash With Safety Groups
New York State may be the first state in the country to equip police with a Textalyzer, meant to check whether a driver was using his or her phone immediately preceding a crash. Governor Andrew Cuomo has directed the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to study the technology and the inevitable issues it could create for New […]
As Cell Phone Use Remains Constant, Distracted Driving Is Increasingly a Factor in Car Crashes
Despite almost universal state laws discouraging the practice, Americans are still refusing to put down their phones while in the car. Cell phone usage, especially text messaging, and distracted driving continue to be contributing factors in car crashes. The need to stay in contact all the time is especially high among young twenty-somethings. In New York State, […]
State Legislatures Toughening Laws on Distracted Driving
While most states have laws banning “texting while driving,” states are increasingly strengthening enforcement and penalties for so-called “distracted driving.” In 2016, auto accidents and fatalities increased by 9 percent. As a consequence, in 2017, states have taken varying approaches to solve the problem of distracted driving – which often results in accidents. The states of Iowa […]
Defendant Landlord Failed to Establish It Was Not Responsible for Fall in Premises Liability Case
The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department reversed a trial court order that granted summary judgment to a defendant property owner in a slip-and-fall case that happened in a New York apartment. In 2010, the victim, now deceased, was walking through his apartment when he tripped on the wood floor and fell. He sustained […]
Rate of Cell Phone and Electronic Device Use While Driving Remains Steady, Reports NHTSA
The United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released a research note on the prevalence of drivers using hand held devices while driving. NHTSA is tasked with keeping the roads safe. It does so by conducting research on driver behavior and traffic safety, enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles […]
Parents of NY Teenager Killed in Car Crash Seek Tougher Distracted Driving Laws
The parents of Even Lieberman, a 19-year-old college student killed in a 2011 car accident, are calling upon lawmakers to toughen distracted driving laws in New York. In response to their son’s death, which was caused in part by distracted driving, parents Ben and Debbie Lieberman formed the organization DORCs–Distracted Operators Risk Casualties. The organization seeks […]
Long Island Nursing Home Aides Charged with Photographing and Videotaping Eleven Residents at Three Facilities
Two certified nurse aides (CNAs) were arrested and charged in May 2013 for taking pictures and videos of eleven nursing home residents at three separate nursing homes. David Rover, 25, and Thomas Mocera, 23, are both charged with Unlawful Surveillance and face up to four years in prison if convicted. The two CNAs took photographs […]
NHTSA: Over One Million Drivers Using Electronic Devices at Any Given Daylight Moment
According to a report released in April 2013 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 1.18 million American drivers–9%–are using some type of hand-held electronic device at any given daylight moment. The same study also revealed that 660,000 drivers–5%–are using cell phones during a typical daylight moment. The report states that using a mobile […]
Stricter Distracted Driving Bill Signed into Law
Today Governor Cuomo signed into law the proposed stricter penalties for distracted drivers that had been discussed in Albany recently. The new law affects less experienced drivers, specifically those who possess junior or probationary licenses. Under the terms of the new law, a first offense for being caught texting while driving is an automatic loss […]
N.Y. Governor Proposes Stiffer Penalty for Distracted Driving
Governor Cuomo plans to introduce legislation that would enhance penalties for drivers use cell phones while operating their motor vehicles. For texting drivers, the governor would like to see the current penalty of three points against the license increased to five points. Additionally, for drivers with junior licenses, Cuomo will attempt to pass legislation that […]
