Car Accident Archive
Why Are Cell Phone Tickets Down?
According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, traffic citations for “illegally talking on a hand-held cellphone and texting while driving” have dropped 25 % over the past three years, but it’s not because fewer drivers are using their cell phone or texting. More aggressive enforcement is needed to curb distracted driving. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Put Down the Phone
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. In 2013, DMV’s California Traffic Safety Survey reported more than 426,000 hand-held cellphone and texting convictions, with more than 57,000 tickets issued in April 2014 alone. That’s a lot of drivers who are not paying attention to the road and who are making the road dangerous for the rest of us. The same study showed in 2014, 61% of California drivers surveyed said they had been in an accident or nearly been in an accident caused by a driver who was talking or texting on a cellphone. That statistic is frightening.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), California Highway Patrol (CHP) and more than 200 law enforcement agencies statewide are working together to promote National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April and California Teen Safe Driving Week, which is the first week of April.
Distracted Driving at an All-Time High with Teen Drivers Most at Risk
All drivers – but especially teenagers – should think first and foremost about safety, but cell phones, text messaging and traffic have taken distractions to an all time high. The result is all time high numbers of accidents. All drivers are susceptible to these distractions, but research shows more experienced drivers can control these distractions, but younger, less experienced driver cannot. As a result, younger, less experienced drivers cause more accidents.
Older Driver Safety Awareness Week
The California Highway Patrol, in partnership with the American Occupation Therapy Association, recognizes this week as Older Driver Safety Awareness Week. To help California’s senior drivers maintain their driving independence for as long as they can safely drive, the CHP offers a 2 hour “Age Well, Drive Smart” program supported by the Keeping Everyone Safe grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. The program allows senior drivers an opportunity to tune up their driving skills, refresh their knowledge of the rules of the road and learn about normal age-related physical and mental challenges and how to adjust to them.
Halloween is a Scary Night on the Road
Halloween is a night full of fun for trick-or-treaters. Keep an eye out for little ones in costume and pay extra attention to pedestrians, as they may be unaware of their surroundings or have difficulty seeing through costumes and masks. Trick-or-treaters – especially small children – can seem to appear out of nowhere; drive extra cautiously.
Talking to Older Drivers About Safe Driving
Last week a 91 year old driver struck and killed a woman on Girard Ave in La Jolla. The elderly driver was backing out of a parking spot and never saw that she backed into the woman, pinning her between the moving vehicle and a parked car. The woman died on the way to the hospital.
Teen Driving
The fiery crash that killed five teenagers last weekend during a late-night drive from Knott’s Scary Farm was a sad reminder that traffic accidents are the No. 1 killer of American teenagers. Almost 3,000 13- to 19-year-olds die in auto crashes each year in the U.S., according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. More than 400,000 more are injured.
Court Rules Drivers Can Use Map App on Phone While Driving
While stopped in heavy traffic, Steven Spriggs pulled out his smartphone to check a map application to find an alternate route around the congestion. A CHP officer spotted him holding his phone and cited him for violating CA Vehicle Code Section 23123, which prohibits drivers from “using a wireless telephone unless that telephone is specifically designed and configured to allow hands free listening and talking, and is used in that manner while driving.” Spriggs fought the ticket on the grounds that he was not talking on his phone, but only looking at a map. It would not have been illegal for Spriggs to look at a paper map while driving. After losing at the trial level, he appealed and the appeals court reversed his conviction, stating:
Delay Tactics by Insurance Company Sparks Outrage
Fred Dickey’s 2/24/2014 column in the San Diego Union Tribune is a must read for all. The column is about an 83-year-old woman who was severely injured in a car accident caused by a 17-year-old driver. The 17-year-old personally apologized to the woman for causing the accident so there is no dispute about who was responsible. At the scene, the woman had to be cut out of her car and life flighted to the hospital. She spent 5 months in the hospital and her hospital bills were more than $800,000. She still has pain from her injuries but, worse yet, she is no longer be able to live on her own and she has been forced to rely on relatives for her care.
“I would highly recommend Eugene Bruno & Associates! They helped me out with a case of mine and everything worked out perfectly. I worked with Amir, one of the lawyers and he was amazing. Definitely would work with him again. Thank you!”
- Mona Hakim, Google Review- “This people deserve more than 5 stars. I would highly recommend them to anyone.”
- Faisal A., Google Review - “You will not be disappointed hiring these guys. Eugene Bruno & Associates are the best car accident lawyers in San Diego and I recommend them 100%!!”
- Adam C., Google Review - “Take the time to speak with Mr. Bruno, he will definitely help you and guide you and make you feel like family! Best decision I have made, I went with the best. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!!”
- Lakeisha E., Google Review
“I would highly recommend Eugene Bruno & Associates! They helped me out with a case of mine and everything worked out perfectly. I worked with Amir, one of the lawyers and he was amazing. Definitely would work with him again. Thank you!”