A new standing general order published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, released data on hundreds of car crashes involving automated driving technology. As Fox News reported, the report assembled ten months of car crash data gathered in conjunction with the agency’s investigation into the safety of automated vehicles. The NHTSA […]
Personal Injury Law
NYC Lawmakers Pledge to Make School Zone Streets Safer
Responding to a recent Streetsblog report on the deadly streets surrounding New York City’s school zones, Mayor Eric Adams recently said that his administration will “do more” to reduce the traffic violence in those areas, found to be dramatically higher than averages elsewhere in the city, particularly in the morning and afternoon hours when students come to […]
NHTSA Offers Motorcycle Safety Tips
A total of 5,579 motorcycle drivers lost their lives in traffic crashes in 2020, according to data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation. In a resource providing safety tips to motorcyclists, who in 2020 were “28 times more likely than passenger vehicle occupants to die in a motor […]
Suit Against School for Failure to Provide Adequate Supervision Survives
In Amandola v Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Ctr., 2015 NY Slip Op 06099 [130 AD3d 761], the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Department denied a defendant’s motion for summary judgment to dismiss a cause of action for failure to provide adequate supervision in its school. A plaintiff brings suit against his school for failure to […]
Analysis: What’s Behind Pedestrian Highway Deaths?
As recently released data by the Governors Highway Safety Association revealed, almost 20% of pedestrian deaths in 2021 occurred on freeways and interstate highways. Noting that the GHSA speculated that those fatalities were largely among drivers who exited their vehicles, first responders, tow truck drivers, and construction workers, an analysis by Streetsblog proposes that this may not actually be […]
NYC Launches Pilot Program to Strengthen Bike Lanes
New York City’s bike lanes are about to get a little safer. According to a recent announcement, the city’s Department of Transportation is launching a pilot program to protect bike lanes with materials other than jerseys. As the announcement explains, the program falls under the city’s broader two-year initiative to harden half of its bike lanes […]
NHTSA Advises Caution When Driving in the Summer
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, has released a set of “Summer Driving Tips” to help motorists stay safe on the roads during the summer months. “A little planning and some safety checks might spare you from dealing with the consequences of a breakdown,” the NHTSA cautions, “or […]
Why Pedestrian Car Crash Deaths Reached Record High in 2021
In 2021, according to projections by the Governors Highway Safety Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as many as 7,845 pedestrians lost their lives in car crashes, the greatest number of fatalities since 1982. A new analysis by Streetsblogexamines why pedestrian fatalities reached a “40-year high” last year, concluding that the problem lies in street design and […]
NHTSA Widens Tesla Autopilot Probe
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Department of Transportation, has expanded its investigation into electric automaker Tesla’s “Autopilot” automated driving software. Initially launched last year, the probe will now encompass approximately 830,000 Tesla cars, according to Reuters, which notes that the probe is a “required step” prior to any potential recall. The […]
Unpacking the Eight Largest OSHA Fines So Far This Year
A recent report by Construction Dive unpacks the biggest fines issued by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration during the first quarter of 2022. The contractors who received these fines include DME Construction Associates, Boss Construction, Lanigan Construction, and Groundworks Colorado. The smallest of the eight largest OSHA fines identified by the report was a fine of […]
Report Seeks to Make Distracted Driving “Completely Unacceptable”
A new report by the Governors Highway Safety Association and General Motors seeks to change the social norms surrounding distracted driving and “make it completely unacceptable” for road users to engage in distracted driving. According to a GHSA press release, the 50-page report, titled Directing Drivers’ Attention: A State Highway Safety Office Roadmap for Combating Distracted Driving, examines the […]
New York Passes Expanded Speed Camera Operation
New York state lawmakers passed legislation that would not only keep New York City’s speed camera program up and running, but would expand its hours of operation. As Spectrum News reported last month, the agreement reached by state and city officials would allow the speed cameras to operate 24/7, as opposed to between 6am and 10pm on […]
Report: OSHA Faces Challenges Protecting Workers from Covid-19
The Government Accountability Office recently testified to Congress about the measures Occupational Safety and Health Administration has taken to protect workers from the dangers of Covid-19. A report published by the GAO regarding these measures by OSHA, a division of the US Department of Labor, outlines the challenges OSHA faced in implementing standards designed to protect healthcare […]
Study Shows Declining “Hire to Injury” Lag in Workplaces
A new ten-year study by Selective Insurance, “Workplace Injury Trends,” reveals recent declines in the average “hire to injury lag,” or the amount of time between an employee’s hiring and their reporting of a workplace-related injury. The study found that “employees are reporting a workplace-related injury 18% earlier in their tenure compared to 10 years […]
Investigation: New York City’s Streets Are Especially Dangerous Near Schools
An expansive and illuminating new investigation by Streetsblog found that streets surrounding New York City public schools are disproportionately dangerous compared to other streets in the city. The massive analysis is well worth reading on its own, but some highlights are recapped below. To conduct its analysis, Streetsblog gathered data on “nearly one million crashes” in the […]
New Report Examines Construction Industry Injury Trends
“Construction is one of the most hazardous industries in the United States,” begins a new report by The Center for Construction Research and Training. Titled “Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries in the Construction Industry,” the report offers “updated information” on those injuries, based on data gathered from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal […]
Analysis: What Will It Take to Solve Traffic Violence in the US?
Newly released estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the US Department of Transportation, reveal that almost 43,000 people lost their lives to motor vehicle crashes in 2021, a 10.5% increase since 2020 and an 18% increase since 2019. An analysis by CNBC examines why the traffic violence crisis is “a tough problem […]
Analysis: How Local Control of Traffic Enforcement Will Benefit NYC’s Streets
A recent report by the New York Times examines the effort to bring “home rule” to New York City. “Home rule” refers to the local control of traffic enforcement mechanisms, the use of speed cameras and the establishment of speed limits, that currently fall under state authority. City officials are currently pushing state lawmakers to turn […]
Data: Almost 43,000 Car Crash Deaths in 2021
Figures released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the US Department of Transportation, show that almost 43,000 people died of traffic violence in 2021. The NHTSA’s estimates suggest that 42,915 lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes last year, up 10.5% from 38,824 in 2020. This makes 2021 the deadliest year for the […]
Unpacking the Dangers of Substance Abuse to Truck Drivers
A resource provided by American Addiction Centers examines the prevalence of substance addiction among truck drivers. According to the resources, truck drivers in the United States were found to have had “the highest frequency of positive tests for alcohol in the entire world,” with one study finding that 12.5% of drivers tested positive for alcohol, while 30% […]
Are Dusk and Dawn Car Accidents Accurately Counted?
New research by Evari GIS Consulting, a consulting firm based in San Diego, suggests that the number of motor vehicle accidents that happen at dawn and dusk may be inaccurately reported by authorities. Building an analysis of collisions in Tennessee between 2017 and 2020, the firm found that “88% of collisions occurring during dusk or dawn were […]
Will 24/7 Speed Safety Cameras Save Lives in NYC?
A recent publication by safe transit advocacy group Transportation Alternatives argues that a New York state law preventing New York City from operating speed enforcement cameras on nights and weekends is a contributor to the epidemic of traffic violence afflicting the city. According to the organization’s data, “59 percent of traffic fatalities occur at times when the […]
Report: Maternal Deaths 4-5 Times More Common Among Black Mothers
Black mothers are significantly more likely to die from “pregnancy-related causes” than white, Hispanic, and Asian women, according to a recent report by Newsday. Citing an analysis of data provided by the New York State Department of Health, the report states specifically that Black mothers are “four to five” more times likely to die of such […]
Construction Industry Leaders Discuss Fall Prevention
Data provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a division of the US Department of Labor, shows that out of 1,008 construction worker fatalities in 2020, 351 resulted from fatal falls to a lower level, making falls the leading cause of construction worker fatalities. However, OSHA stresses, “These deaths are preventable.” In a recent webinar described […]
Staten Islands Steers Clear of Traffic Fatality Trends in NYC
Even though data shows there were 59 traffic fatalities in New York City in the first quarter of the year, the borough of Staten Island “did not record a single traffic death in January, February, or March,” according to a report by the Staten Island Advance. The report describes a New York Police Department pamphlet offering […]
