The race is on to get driverless trucks on the roads, and experts say the impact on professional drivers 'is going to be huge'. Driverless trucks will be safer and cheaper than their human-controlled counterparts, but that doesn't mean America's 3.5 million professional truck drivers are giving up to the machines without a fight.
Safety Alert: Is Your Child Safely Restrained?
Did you know how many child restraints in vehicles are used incorrectly? Anywhere from 72% to 84% of child restraints show critical misuses. The most common forms of misuse are using the wrong seat for the child's age and weight, loose safety belt attachment to the car seat and loose harness straps on the child. This is scary because another statistic says 96% of parents believe their child safety seats are installed correctly. Meanwhile these misuses increase a child's risk of injury during a crash.
Traffic fatalities on the rise: What's causing them?
The National Safety Council (NSC) recently reported that car accident fatalities increased nine percent in the first six months of 2016 when compared with 2015. Unfortunately, Florida tops the list of states that have been hard hit. Since 2014 the agency reports a staggering 43 percent increase.
Reckless Driver Incident Unveils That There Is A Shortage Of Florida Highway Patrolmen In Our Area
WEAR-TV reports on an alarming issue that many of us living in Northwest Florida had no idea was a problem. We have a dramatic shortage of Florida Highway Patrolmen. This information came to light after an Okaloosa County woman approached WEAR-TV to find out why her report of reckless driving went unanswered by law enforcement. The dangerous driving was caught on camera by the local woman after the tractor-trailer almost ran her off the road. The Okaloosa woman started to follow the tractor-trailer and after seeing the truck dramatically swerving all over Interstate 10 heading west, she called Okaloosa County dispatchers to report the dangerous truck. She called Florida Highway Patrol three times, one of those times she was rerouted by 911. Troopers never showed up to pull the driver over. All the while, this truck continued to swerve, all the way into Pensacola. According to the woman, the truck was swerving from the left side of the right lane to the shoulder. No one ever came to pull the truck over.
Safety Alert: Forward-Collision And Lane-Departure Systems
As advanced safety technology spreads throughout vehicle lineups, automakers and suppliers are getting broader feedback about their effectiveness. Two safety systems illustrate the varying results.
Distracted Driving: The Things We Do Behind The Wheel
According to a recent article in US News & World Report, reading emails and texting are at the top of the list of what's considered distracted driving, but there are a number of things we do while driving that are not safe or smart. Eating, personal grooming, and reaching back to referee an argument between the kids can distract us long enough for something terrible to happen. Despite the increasing availability of safety features like automatic braking, lane departure, and blind spot monitoring, distracted driving is a growing cause in accidents.
Will Trucks And Buses Get Devices To Limit Their Speed?
Recently, the White House Administration proposed a rule that would force truckers to have a device on their big rigs limiting their top speed.
Who Is An Essential Party To An Automobile Lawsuit?
Insurance Co. of State of Pennsylvania v. Ramirez, __ So. 3d __, 2016 WL 2908445 (Fla. 4th DCA 2016)
Was Distracted Driving The Cause For Two Deadly Accidents Last Week?
It was a deadly Monday, here on Emerald Coast roadways, several weeks ago. There was a popular teacher at Mosley High School who recently retired that was killed in last Monday morning in a car wreck. The incident happened at about 8:15 a.m. on County 389 just east of the intersection with Delaware Avenue. The 63-year-old-male from Lynn Haven was traveling west on his bicycle on County 389 as was the driver of a truck, a 50-year-old male of Fountain. The retired school teacher attempted to make a left hand turn, crossing County 389, onto Delaware Avenue and was subsequently struck by the semi-truck. He was transported to Bay Medical Sacred Heart Hospital and later died from his injuries. The crash remains under investigation.
Car Accidents: What About The Passengers?
Various news agencies reported that a Tallahassee woman was significantly injured several weeks ago when she was involved in a car accident. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the car she was riding in was t-boned in Northern Bay County at the intersection of Hwy 20 and Blue Springs Rd. The male, who was driving the 2005 Honda Civic, the 32-year-old-female, and their two young children were driving home to Tallahassee from Panama City Beach when the driver told troopers he didn't see the stop sign at Blue Springs and skid into the path of a Chevrolet Equinox going west on 20. The 32 year old female was rushed to Bay Medical Sacred Heart, where she underwent surgery. The 28 year old male was also taken to Bay Medical with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The two children ages two and four didn't have a scratch and credited that to the fact they were restrained in age appropriate car seats. The other driver wasn't injured.
Trim Those Trees: Cities Are Not Protected By Sovereign Immunity
Piedra v. City of North Bay Village, __ So. 3d __, 2016 WL 2339857 (Fla. 3d DCA 2016)
Does Uber Reduce Drunk Driving?
Guess what? Drunk driving has not been reduced by the popularity of Uber taxis, new research has found. The study debunks the theory that those who have over imbibed use their smartphones to arrange a safe route home instead of getting behind the wheel themselves. You would think it would be a no-brainer. The ride-hailing service picks up the usual Friday and Saturday night crowds of inebriated partiers, preventing them from drinking and driving. Thus the conclusion would be that Uber saves lives. It's a claim the company has made repeatedly, as recently as this past 4th of July. On its website it says cities with Uber have "fewer drunk drivers on the streets." . According to Uber, surveys that it has done indicated that 80 percent of participants declared that they found the company's services helpful in preventing them from driving drunk. This was a statement it made early in July when it partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), as well as local law enforcement agencies in over 25 cities. The purpose of the campaign was to raise awareness regarding the dangers of drunk driving, Digital Trend reports.
