Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog

Drivers can take a few easy actions while driving to reduce the risk of injury or death in an Arizona car crash. Sometimes it's just as easy is remembering to wear your seat belt and making sure that your kids do the same.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently reported that some of the old and true methods of safety are still more significant than the advancements of technology in new cars. Our Phoenix personal injury lawyers agree that buckling up is one of the biggest safety factors in the event of a collision. In 2009, more than 12,700 lives were spared when people took the time to put on their seat belts. Tragically, research shows that around 3700 lives of children ages 4 and above could have been saved if seat belts were used. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in the year 2009 more than 32,000 people nationwide lost their lives in motor vehicle collisions.

On a positive note, the rate of people buckling up has increased significantly over the past 10 years. Safety advocates believe this improvement is due to law enforcement actions and a greater number of states passing seat belt laws. In 2010 it is estimated that approximately 85% of drivers are buckling up.

"Primary seat belt laws" that have been passed make it permissive for police to stop a motorist for not wearing his or her seatbelt. Over 30 states now have this type of law in place. Unfortunately, Arizona does not yet have a primary law in place for all motorists.

Arizona is currently still a "secondary enforcement" state. Police can issue a seat belt citation during a traffic stop for another violation, but they cannot pull a driver over solely for a seat belt violation.

Adults can help prevent child fatalities by properly seat belting them during all driving trips. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently changed some of its recommendations regarding child safety belt use. They recommend that children be placed in rear facing car seats until the age of two, or until they've reached the height and weight limitations of the car seat. Once the child has exceeded the limitations, they recommend to switch them to a front facing child seat.

Properly installing a car seat is unfortunately not easy. It is estimated that more than 70% of parents are misusing their child's safety seat. CarSafety.org is a good site to visit for reviews on car seats and they also provide instructions on how to properly install the seat in a vehicle. If unsure if the seat is properly installed, most local fire departments and/or police departments have officers available to take a look at your car seat and see if it was properly installed. After the child has outgrown a front facing safety seat, the next step to put them into a booster seat.

It should still be noted that some of the best safety measures for child passengers rests in the hands of their adult drivers. Motorists should operate their vehicles in a safe manner and concentrate while at the wheel with no distractions. Proper safety restraints and good driving habits can help keep child passengers safe in the event of a collision.

Continue reading " Basic suggestions to reduce the likelihood of injury in a Phoenix auto accident " »

Arizona car crashes were significantly down in 2010, according to the Arizona Department of Transporation. Fatalities dropped by around 5.5% from the year before. There were a total of 106,177 accidents, down nearly 1% from 107,094 in 2009, and down from 143,503 in 2006. The amount of accidents in Arizona has dropped every year since 2006.

People say there are several possible reasons to the reductions, such as red light cameras or better vehicle safety devices, but this is really just speculation.

Here are some other 2010 highlights: Of the 106,000 plus accidents in the state, 698 crashes were fatal, or 0.66%, with a total of 762 people killed. Nearly one third, or 33,195 of the accidents resulted in injuries, with a total of 50,110 people injured. Of the 762 people who lost their lives, 406 were drivers, 182 were passengers, 155 were pedestrians and 19 were bicyclists.

The total number of bike riders injured was down by almost 4 percent, and bicycle fatalities were way down by 24 percent. Pedestrian injuries were down by over 5 percent, however pedestrian fatalities increased by a whopping 27.05%. This was the only significant increase reported.

ADOT also reported the following:

Just over 2 people were killed per day;

137.19 persons were hurt every day;

Crashes where alcohol played a role represented just over 5 percent of all crashes and just over 30 percent of all fatal crashes;

Single car accidents represented 17.42 percent of all crashes and 41.12 percent of accidents involving fatalities;

10.77% of pedestrian accidents were fatal, while only .99% of bike accidents were fatal;

73.6% of accidents took place during daylight hours;

Minors ages 14 and under sustained 31 fatalities and 3,881 injuries;

Auto accidents caused $2.668 billion in economic losses to the State of Arizona; and

Just under 80 percent of accidents occurred in urban areas.

A KTAR.com story interviewed someone from an auto body shop who stated that the decline in accidents is a possible reason as to why the collision repair industry as a whole has seen a drop in business. This has occurred even though there has been a gradual increase in miles traveled across the country.

Whatever the reason for the steady decline in Phoenix area injury accidents, I would think we would all agree that it's a good thing. That being said, there will obviously continue to be collisions where Arizona residents get hurt.

Continue reading " ADOT reports significant reduction in Arizona auto accidents in 2010 " »