Traffic Safety

Maryland Traffic Safety News: Future Cell Phone Law Hopes to Reduce Car and Truck Accidents

April 4, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Almost anyone who drives a car, SUV or commercial truck will have to admit that the safe operation of a motor vehicle is only complicated by the use of a cell phone. While texting has become a nationwide problem when it comes to traffic accidents, just holding a phone while trying to drive can easily cause a wreck. As Maryland personal injury lawyers and automobile accident attorneys, we understand how a moment’s lapse in concentration can lead to disaster.

Serious injuries can result from a collision between two cars, much less an accident involving a commercial delivery truck or 18-wheeler. Depending on the speed at the time of the accident, fatalities can also happen. So why invite disaster by using a cell phone and increasing the odds of being distracted at an inopportune moment? That is apparently what the Maryland state legislature has been mulling this year.

According to news articles covering the state’s General Assembly, a bill introduced a short while ago would punish those drivers who do not use the hands-free function on their cell phones any time that a vehicle is in motion on a public roadway. That includes sitting still in traffic or just waiting for a red light to change.

Based on reports, the bills aim to create as a primary offense the use of hand-held cellphones in a moving motor vehicle and make stoplight use illegal as well. This action is another in a string of legislation that seeks to close the large “loopholes” in current cellphone use laws and make it easier for police to enforcement prohibitions on cellphone use by motorists.

Hoping to amend laws that went into effect last October banning hand-held cell phone use while a vehicle is in motion, the new bill stipulates that cellphone use be illegal any time a car is in a “travel portion of a road.” It makes no distinction between talking while driving a moving vehicle or talking while a car is stopped at a traffic signal or stuck in traffic.

Baltimore Automobile Accident News: Two Die in Head-on Washington, D.C., Car Crash on Canal Road

March 17, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

With millions of miles of expressways, highways, rural roads and cities streets crisscrossing the U.S. it should come as no surprise that not every one of these public thoroughfares has been engineered correctly. While most high-speed roadways are correctly designed, many secondary roads leave much to be desired when it comes to convenience and even outright safety.

As Baltimore personal injury attorneys and auto accident lawyers, we have seen the aftermath of enough car, commercial truck and motorcycle crashes to make the average person cringe at the thought of a loved one being involved in such collisions. Yet traffic wrecks — whether single- or multi-vehicle crashes — do happen on a daily basis here in Maryland.

It could be said that many motor vehicle collisions occur as a result of another driver’s negligence. But other factors can come into play, which sometimes make it difficult to attach blame to any one party, until further investigation is conducted. Defective vehicle equipment is one such cause of injury accidents and fatal traffic wrecks.

Baltimore Traffic Safety Update: Maryland Drivers Rank 9th in Nation for Reported Seatbelt Use

March 5, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If you’re a Maryland driver, chances are you can count yourself among the tens of thousands of motorists who wear their safety belts regularly to reduce injury in the event of a traffic accident when traveling in their car, light truck, SUV or minivan. As Baltimore auto accident lawyers and personal injury attorneys, we are heartened to hear this and reminded that seat belts are one of the most important pieces of safety equipment found in motor vehicles.

Of course, air bags and other crash avoidance and mitigation technologies play large roles themselves in helping the occupants of cars and trucks better survive a serious passenger car or trucking traffic accident. Ask almost anyone who has lived through a multiple-vehicle collision or single car crash and you will probably find that he or she was wearing their seat belt at the time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Maryland is one of the top-ten states in seatbelt usage. We rank ninth in the nation, says the CDC, when motorists were polled on whether or not they always use their safety belts. In fact, 89.6 percent of Maryland’s residents said they always use their seatbelt. This is a mere four percentage points away from first-ranked Oregon. And, residents in Washington, D.C., even scored higher at 93.7 percent, based on the CDC survey.

Baltimore Auto Injury News: State and Local Authorities Focus on Over-prescribing of Medication

February 11, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Responsibility for injury accidents can take many forms. For traffic collisions, automobile and trucking-related wrecks the focus is usually on the driver who allegedly caused the accident to occur in the first place. But as many have noticed, news articles and television stories abound with references to bars and restaurants that may have over-served a patron prior to that person getting into a drunken driving-related car crash.

As a Maryland auto accident lawyer and Washington, D.C. personal injury attorney, I have seen instances where a third party may have contributed in some way to a car, commercial truck or motorcycle collision. While personal responsibility is certainly a laudable trait, as consumers and patients we rely on and expect other professionals to provide us with safe products and advice.

A news article that we ran across recently speaks to the growing problem of medications being over-prescribed by some healthcare professionals. Based on that article, doctors who prescribe frequently-abused drugs are facing more and more scrutiny. Considering the number of drug DUI arrests that take place every year, this sounds like a good idea.

The article in question describes one case in which a 30-year-old patient apparently told his physician that he lost his prescriptions for Valium and Percocet on more than one occasion. One time, according to the author, the man said that his pills were scattered across the roadway following a car accident. On another, the same patient was apparently re-prescribed the identical medication after he told his doctor that his initial prescription was “no good” and that he had “returned” the defective meds to the pharmacy. In another instance, the man’s wife called the doctor saying that the couple’s home had been searched by “the authorities” hnd that the medication turned up missing following the visit.

Maryland Auto Injury Update: Beware District Roads and Chance of Car Accidents Caused of Drugged Drivers

January 27, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Drivers who attempt to operate their vehicles while under the influence of alcohol have been a source of pain and heartache for decades. Not only do these motorists cause countless injury accidents, they also contribute the unacceptably high traffic death toll on our nation’s roadways. As a Baltimore personal injury lawyers and automobile accident attorneys, we have seen this first-hand over the years.

But alcohol-related accidents are not the only problem. According to published statistics drugged driving could probably become much more common. Add this trend to the already significant amount of alcohol DWI-related accidents and you have a recipe for the continuation of senseless and potentially tragic car and commercial truck wrecks. It’s a problem that is fast becoming a concern for law enforcement authorities and proponents of traffic safety.

As a law firm that represents victims of car collisions and motorcycle accidents in Maryland and Washington, D.C., we are hardly surprised by the hardly inconsequential figures that show drivers in the District are very likely to encounter another motorist driving under the influence of prescription medication or other controlled substance. Known as drug DUI, this dangerous phenomenon if left unchecked could lead to increased instances of fatal single-car accidents and multiple-vehicle traffic wrecks as time goes by.

Based on a news article, three out of 10 motorists who die in car accidents in Washington, D.C., test positive for some type of drug, including over-the-counter medicines and illegal drugs. In Maryland, that number is even higher at about 25 percent. Sadly, the statistics show that drivers in this state are more likely to be driving under the influence of drugs than the rest of the country, which the article states averages around one in five.

It’s important to point out that not every victim testing positive for drugs had significant amounts of a drug in his or her system, according to reports. Nevertheless, this should certainly be a wake-up call for every driver who values safe travel on our public roads and who wishes to protect their family and loved ones from harm due to the possible negligence of another motorist.

Maryland Auto Injury Update: Exercise Care Whenever Your Vehicle Becomes Disabled on the Roadside

January 15, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While many people will be quick to advise a fast exit from a disabled vehicle on the highway or busy beltway, it’s important to realize that injury accidents can happen even when a vehicle is stopped on the roadside. Car and commercial trucks collisions happen daily in Baltimore, Frederick, Rockville and all across this state, and as Maryland auto accident attorneys and personal injury lawyers we can surely say that danger of injury or death still exists when your car, SUV or minivan is stranded on the shoulder of an expressway or heavily traveled rural route.

That said, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Not only do motorists risk life and limb whenever they get out of their vehicle, but in the event of a serious accident medical bills and lost wages can put a terrible pinch on an average family’s bank account. Not long ago, two people were killed outside of their cars in the Washington, D.C. area. This only illustrates, in the saddest of terms, my point about being extremely cautious when venturing out of the relative safety of a disabled motor vehicle.

According to new reports, one of the fatal car accidents occurred just after 1am on the Baltimore-Washington Pkwy in the Laurel area. In that instance, the driver did what many people (mainly men, we suspect) would do in a similar situation. Based on U.S. Park Police reports, a driver was in the process of pushing his vehicle along the southbound stretch of the parkway when he was struck from behind by another vehicle.

Maryland Accident News: Hazardous Winter Driving Can Lead to Injury Accidents as well as Property Damage

January 12, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

While it may be a too little too late, be advised that the latest spate of winter weather has caused thousands of traffic accidents throughout Maryland and the rest of the east coast. Car and truck crashes have accounted for numerous injury accidents over the past couple months in cities like Frederick, Annapolis and Washington, D.C. As a Baltimore auto injury accident lawyer, my concern is that driving conditions will continue to exacerbate what can be serious automobile and commercial truck wrecks throughout the area.

There are, of course, proper techniques to drive in snowy and icy road conditions. Although no amount of training can guarantee an accident-free commute, applying some tips from driver training organizations can go a long way toward improving one’s chances of arriving at a destination without serious injury.

Already, through the 2010 calendar year, the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) reportedly had a number of driving instructors who trained more than 8,000 students in the important skill of operating a motor vehicle. Even with this practical knowledge, however, many new drivers have had little or no experience with piloting a vehicle through snow, ice and sleet conditions.

While some students are “lucky” enough to have taken a driver’s ed class during the winter months, and thus received hands-on experience maneuvering a car through ice and snow, their numbers are few, according to experts. While most new drivers are schooled mainly in the art of changing lanes and merging into busy expressway traffic, most are unprepared for executing those same maneuvers when visibility is limited and road grip is greatly reduced by a coating of snow or ice.

For those who need a refresher course, here a few tips for winter driving from CSM’s driving instructors:

1) When stuck in snow, avoid spinning your wheels, which only melts the snow and turns it into ice. Use the lowest possible transmission gear and apply the accelerator gently. If your driver wheels start to spin again, let up on the gas and try again once the wheels have ceased spinning. When all else fails, call someone for assistance.

Baltimore Traffic Safety News: Maryland Negligent Car Accidents Can Involve Police and Civilian Drivers

January 3, 2011 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Car, truck and motorcycle accidents happen with alarming frequency these days. In an editorial that asks the question of whether the police in Baltimore have trouble driving well, the author says that the answer depends on who one asks. Not surprisingly, we all expect police officers to maintain exemplary driving records, on- and off-duty. And why not? We expect that most every law enforcement officer receives extensive training in high-performance driving. And, we know that traffic patrol officers spend many hours each day driving hundreds of miles as part of their job.

Still, there is the reality that police officers are human, and just like most of us, they can suffer from the same distractions and potentially deadly driving situations that civilian motorists face. As the editorial writer suggests, pointing to a couple single-vehicle car crashes involving Baltimore officers this past fall, these accidents raise doubts about the quality of training, management and culture of the Baltimore force.

Surprisingly, the columnist said that while he received numerous complains about his column, he heard nothing from the Baltimore PD brass, nor the city’s commissioner of police.

One retired police officer responded to the author’s article, suggesting that sometimes things just go wrong. This is true, as many a Maryland motorist would likely attest; dangerous situations do occur from deer running into the road to another driver’s actions causing distraction at an inopportune moment. As a Maryland auto accident lawyer, I know that the range of possible factors that can lead to a car or motorcycle wreck are too numerous to list here.

To be fair, police officers take an oath to serve and protect the public, yet we ask of them almost super-human abilities. When an officer is racing to the scene of a traffic accident involving a minivan or passenger car and a commercial truck, time can be of the essence and seconds can litterly mean the difference between a serious injury and an untimely and tragic traffic death.

Baltimore Traffic Safety Update: Watch Out, Maryland’s Aggressive Drivers Cause Half of All Automobile Accidents

December 6, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

Over the past year we’ve seen lot of traffic accidents resulting from aggressive driving. While it might be a dream to hope for complete harmony on Maryland’s roadways, the fact of the matter is being civil and courteous to your fellow motorists makes for a safer and more event-free commute. Sadly, there is a portion of the driving public that either has no thought for others or is simply too focused on their own agenda to worry about another individual’s rights or safety.

As Baltimore auto injury attorneys, my firm has represented dozens of people injured as a result of another person’s negligence. Aggressive drivers, it is now known, account for a large number of car and truck wrecks every year here in Maryland and across the U.S. Regardless of whether you living in Hagerstown, Rockville or Frederick, MD, you probably take one or more of Maryland’s highways to get to work, school or to go shopping. And the chances of getting caught in an accident caused by an aggressive driver are pretty high these days.

It’s a fact that the American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that more than half of all fatal passenger car and commercial truck crashes were the result of some type of aggressive driving. Those who survive such accidents can end up with serious injuries as well as long-term medical problems, the cost of which can be a continuing burden on the individual and his or her family for years after the actual crash.

Maryland Auto Accident and Traffic Safety Update: Maryland’s Move Over Law Protects Emergency Personnel

November 30, 2010 | Lebowitz & Mzhen

If you you’re not doing it by now, you had better start. What are we talking about? Moving over a lane to give police officers, fire fighters and other emergency personnel a little extra margin of safety on Maryland’s highways. As a Baltimore automobile accident attorney, I know the kind of carnage that a motor vehicle can cause to a pedestrian, especially at high speeds. Maryland’s legislators finally took this to heart and passed what is known as the “Move Over” rule.

It’s been a few years since the new rule was proposed, but now that it’s law drivers across the state should be extra careful when coming up on a car, truck or motorcycle accident scene or even a routine traffic stop. The potential for severe injury during a traffic accident is quite high even for those traveling in vehicles.

Even so, serious head, neck and spinal injuries have been know to occur even at low speeds, which makes this new law a boon for our hard-working police and emergency personnel. And not a moment too soon, since over the past decade more than 150 police officers alone have been killed nationwide at roadsides when they were hit by passing vehicles.