Maine Injury Lawyer Blog

Initial statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are that the number of traffic deaths in the U. . has risen by nearly 5.5 percent just in the last year.Unfortunately, that trend doesn’t seem as if it will be abating anytime soon.

SerioussBangor car accidents have so far been plentiful this summer.

A two-car crash around 7:45 a.m. on a Friday on Norridgewock Road resulted in injuries so severe that one woman had to be airlifted by helicopter to the nearest hospital. According to investigators, a 19-year-old female drove directly into the path of a 28-year-old female, with two young children in the vehicle with her, while traveling 55 miles-per-hour. The 19-year-old was listed in critical but stable condition.

Earlier that same day, a tractor trailer crash resulted in the death of a 23-year-old bicyclist.

The day before, a man was killed in a single-car Trenton crash after losing control of his vehicle around a sharp turn, running off the road and slamming into several sizable trees.

And in Augusta, two people were killed when a truck, driven by a Chinese national, crossed the center line and struck a vehicle in oncoming traffic. Both drivers were pronounced dead.

All of this was within a matter of just a couple days. When you start to analyze these figures, those statistics seem to hit the mark, and drive home the point: It’s getting more dangerous out there.

The NHTSA reports that there were 32,267 people who lost their lives in traffic fatalities in 2011. Initial reports from 2012 are that 34,080 people have been killed in motor vehicle crashes. If this figure holds true when the final counts are in, it will be the first annual increase in traffic fatalities this country has seen since 2004-2005. Since that year, it’s dropped about 25 percent.

The figures seem to suggest that we saw an especially dramatic spike of fatal crashes in the first quarter of last year – a 12.6 percent increase. An uptick that high hasn’t been reported since the late 1970s.

Part of the reason we’re seeing these figures climb is that more people are driving than in recent years. We saw a 0.3 percent increase in the number of vehicle miles traveled, which amounted to a total of more than 9 billion last year. That’s a direct result of a steadily improving economy. More people have jobs to drive to and from, more people can afford gas and cars, more people are ordering products and services delivered by truckers and people are more apt to take road trips and vacations than they were before.

Still, this does not give license to people to drive carelessly or under the influence or while negligently fatigued. These remain the top reasons for fatal traffic collisions, and they are all 100 percent preventable.

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The pair were apparently on their way to a beach vacation, as evidenced by the fact that emptied suitcase, piles of clothing, a beach umbrella and a cooler were strewn about the roadway.The crash, on Interstate 95 near Pittsfield, sent both occupants to the hospital, one with potentially life-threatening injuries. Maine State Police have reported that the driver was speeding when he approached a smaller-moving vehicle, swerved to the left and lost control of the vehicle, causing the car to crash.

Our Bangor personal injury lawyers know this was not the way these two intended to spend their vacation. We are thankful no other vehicles were involved, and we hope these two make a full and swift recovery.

It’s our hope that other Maine road-trippers will avoid this same fate by taking into account the recent safety advisory issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association.

Summer is by far the busiest travel season. Maine is a prime destination, but many locals prefer to travel out-of-state to holiday.

Everyone should of course adhere to local laws, which include refraining from speeding, driving intoxicated or texting/operating an electronic device while behind the wheel.

Drivers on road trips, though, should also take special care to provide ample travel time to account for delays (so you aren’t tempted to speed or drive aggressively), make sure you get plenty of rest (so you aren’t driving when you’re too sleepy to do so safely), have your route well-mapped out before you go and keep your vehicle in good working order.

Regarding the last item, many drivers may be unsure of exactly what they need to do to ensure a road-worthy vehicle. Use this as your vehicle safety checklist:

Keep up on your regular maintenance. This is good advice in general, but it’s especially important if you plan to take your vehicle long distances. This means you want to maintain the schedule for oil changes, tune-ups, tire rotations and battery checks. All of this will help you to avoid an unexpected breakdown, which is particularly unpleasant if you’re in an unfamiliar area far from home.

Avoid a blowout or flat tire by using the tire pressure gauge to ensure your tires are all properly inflated.

Make sure all the belts and hoses under the hood are in decent shape, with no signs of serious wear and tear. Bear in mind that summer heat can accelerate the rate at which hoses and rubber belts degrade.

Swap out your wipers, if you haven’t done so in a while. Clear vision is critical in a road trip, and blades that are old won’t offer you that. This is a cheap fix that can literally be a life-saver.

Make sure all your lights are working properly. This includes not just your headlights, but your brake lights, your emergency flashers, your turn signals and your interior lights. For those in an RV or trailing a boat, check the trailer lights as well.

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Whether you’re from here, or you are up visiting for the holiday, all drivers are asked to be safe out there as our roadways will be packed with long-weekend, Memorial Day vacationers.

Our Portland car accidents attorneys are asking you to take a few precautionary steps to make sure that your holiday travel runs smoothly. We’re here with officials from the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) to offer you some tips to make sure that your vehicle is ready for the haul. Avoiding breakdowns is one of the most beneficial ways to prevent a roadside accident.Here are some reminder tips for a safe trip:

-Take a look under your hood and make sure that all of the fluid levels are topped off. This includes your windshield wiper fluid, brake fluid, coolant and oil.

-Make sure that all of your tires are properly inflated and that the tread is not too worn.

-Before heading out, it’s a good idea to check the www.511maine.gov website for the latest travel conditions. Plan out your route before starting up the car. It will help you to stay off of busy roadways.

-Are there any repairs you’ve been putting off?sNow is the time to do it. Don’t take the chance.

-Check your blinkers, taillights, headlights and side marker lights. You want other vehicles to know where you’re going and when you’re going there. Predictability is a good way to help to prevent an accident.

-Are your windshield wipers working efficiently?s

-Have you packed your vehicle so that your visibility is not hindered?sIf your luggage is stored on the roof, make sure it’s secure.

The Memorial Day holiday weekend is not only the kick off to our summer travel season, but it’s also one of the most dangerous weekends to be behind the wheel. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), there will be more than 405 people who will be killed on our roadways during this holiday weekend. Officials also predict that nearly 44,000 people will be injured in traffic accidents during this time.

One of the most important things that you can do to help protect yourself is to buckle up during each and every car ride. Seat belts are your best bet against the risk of injury or death in the event of a traffic accident. Make sure everyone in your vehicle is buckled in every time.

Consider this your reminder to get your vehicle checked out, make sure you’re ready for anything the roadway as to throw your way, you’re prepared for the traffic and congested conditions and you plan for your trip in advance. Preparation is the best way to help eliminate your risks for an accident. Stay safe out there and enjoy the holiday weekend.

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Federal regulators are hoping to reduce the number of car accident injuries in Maine and throughout the country by introducing auto manufacturer guidelines on infotainment centers that will hopefully cut down on driver distractions.Bangor car accident lawyers know that distraction is one of the top causes of serious and fatal crashes, and one of the driving forces are the electronics that are built into our vehicles. These include navigation features, Facebook access, digital music databases, internal WiFi, in-dash voice-activated calling and rear-view camera systems.

When they’re at their best, these devices can serve to reduce distraction levels by limiting the amount of attention we pay to handheld devices. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that too often, these high-tech offerings are in themselves becoming a distraction. That’s why the administration is requesting a voluntary adoption that would restrict systems that requires drivers to push buttons or otherwise manually input information into the built-in systems while the vehicle is moving. Preferably, those systems would be voice-activated.

The ultimate goal with the new rules would be to ensure drivers aren’t taking their eyes off the road for intervals greater than two seconds. Aside from quick glances, the administration holds that no task should consume more than 12 seconds.

Even that, we believe, is really pushing it. A vehicle traveling 55 miles per hour for 12 seconds will cover about 1,000 feet. That is nearly three football fields in length. There is a lot of damage one can do in the span of three football fields while traveling at 55 miles per hour.

A recent study showed that text messaging typically required drivers to tear their eyes from the road for an average of 24 seconds, tripling and sometimes quadrupling the risk of an accident.

The guidelines presented by the NHTSA are based on those that were drawn up by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which pledged support to the goal of reducing distracted driving.

Still, it could be several years before the new measures are fully adopted and integrated. The agency said it did explore making the guidelines mandatory, but said it would require more study to determine whether compliance could be uniformly evaluated.

However, some manufacturers may be ahead of the curve. Honda, for example, hasn’t allowed addresses to be typed into navigation systems of moving vehicles since last year. BMW doesn’t allow video displays in moving vehicles, though it does allow data to be input manually.

So far, the NHTSA hasn’t indicated there would be any penalty for auto makers that don’t comply, to the dismay of the Consumers Union, which is the advocacy division of Consumer Reports. However, the potential for liability in civil litigation could be enough to prod them into action. If a personal injury attorney could prove that a driver crashed while operating a navigation system in a moving vehicle in a newer model after the guidelines were recommended, that could be grounds for manufacturer liability.

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The rush to implement texting-while-driving bans in recent years was viewed as a rush to save lives.But the truth is, such legislative actions do very little if the resulting laws aren’t actively enforced.

Unfortunately, as our Bangor car accident lawyers understand it, very few states appear to have made enforcement a priority.

USA Today reports that while 39 states (including Maine) plus the District of Columbia have enacted driver texting bans since Washington state became the first in 2007, not many law enforcement agencies seem to be taking it all that seriously.

For example, in Tennessee from the beginning of 2010 through April 25 of this year, state troopers reported issuing fewer than 950 texting-while-driving citations. That’s about 24 every month, or fewer than one a day – in the entire state.

In Louisiana, there have been fewer than 1,100 tickets issued since the law passed in mid-2008, meaning troopers have issued less than 18 a month there.

Several states, including Maine, don’t have up-to-date citation information because many agencies don’t even track it.

Maine passed its law in 2011. The law bars texting behind the wheel for all motorists, and it also prohibits cell phone use – both hands-free and handheld – for new drivers under the age of 18. It is also against the law to drive while distracted in this state.

These are primary enforcement measures, which means an officer has the ability to pull you over solely for committing a texting or cell-phone infraction.

But it’s unclear how often police here are doing so. Based on the information that is available in other states with similar laws, it doesn’t look promising. It’s quite troubling when you consider that for some teens especially, the prospect of a ticket is often scarier than the seemingly unreal possibility of death or serious injury.

A number of recent studies have found that drivers know texting while driving is dangerous, but many continue to do it anyway. One of those studies was the AAA Foundation’s Traffic Safety Culture Index for 2012. In that analysis, researchers found that while more than 80 percent of drivers perceived texting and driving as a serious threat to personal safety, approximately 35 percent admitted having done so within the last 30 days.

A representative with the National Organizations for Youth Safety was quoted as saying that regular, consistent enforcement of the laws that are already in place are critical to ensuring they are effective in their intended purpose – which is to significantly drive down the number of distracted driving deaths and injuries.

Officers said in their defense that nabbing a texting driver is not always easy, as many people are working harder to conceal it by holding the phone down lower, so it’s not easily visible to police or other passing motorists. Many agencies said they are working on policies and tactics that will help them to become more effective in this regard.

The one bit of encouraging news we have from those states that have reported figures is that the number of citations appears to have climbed steadily with each year following the passage of the law.

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