25 June

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July Fourth, the deadliest holiday for car crashes

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the Fourth of July is the deadliest day of the year for motorists in New York and throughout the country. The IIHS studied the five most recent years that have accurate fatal car crash data (2010 to 2014), finding that an average of 118.4 people die each year on July Fourth. This is 28 more deaths than the average daily toll. The second highest is New Year's Day, which has an average of 118.2 deaths on the roads. New Year's Day also happens to be the most...

20 June

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Increased drug use documented among drivers killed in crashes

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law People in New York generally associate alcohol use with impairment that makes driving dangerous. A report from the Governors Highway Safety Association has documented a rise in the presence of opioids and marijuana in drivers who perished in car accidents in 2016 compared to 10 years earlier. Although the data used in the report is incomplete because not all victims undergo drug testing, the authors of the report maintain that the evidence clearly supports the conclusion that drug use has increased. In 2016, 44 percent of tested victims had drugs in their systems compared to 2006 when...

11 June

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The role of new tech in reducing distracted driving

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law posted in Car Accidents on Monday, June 11, 2018. Drivers in New York who are wondering what can be done to address distracted driving, especially when it arises from smartphone use, should know about a couple devices. One of them is on the market already and is called Drive ID. Developed by Cellcontrol, a Louisiana-based company, this solar-powered device attaches to the windshield and is able to block all messages and social media updates as well as access to video games. One of the benefits of Drive ID is that it also automatically detects which phone is the...

21 May

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May is Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law May is Global Youth Traffic Safety Month, which is designed to help young drivers in New York and elsewhere get ready for summer driving season. It also aims to help parents successfully coach teen drivers as they gain experience on the road. The weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day are a prime driving season for many U.S. drivers. This is because school is out, the weather is warm and people want to enjoy graduations, barbecues and family road trips. However, elevated traffic volumes and large numbers of teen drivers can lead...

15 May

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Liver injuries may increase risk of death in an accident

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents, Injuries

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law New York drivers and passengers are encouraged to wear their seat belts at all times even if their vehicles have air bags. This is because individuals who wear one can reduce the odds of experiencing a severe liver injury in an accident by 21 percent. In a study of 51,202 car accident cases, 15 percent of patients had a severe liver injury. Of those patients, 15 percent died as opposed to just 8 percent who had a minor or moderate liver injury. Liver injuries were either defined as low-grade or severe for purposes of the...

09 May

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Wearable devices may not make texting and driving safer

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law Under New York state law, it is illegal to use a handheld device to text or make phone calls. Drivers can get around this law by using hands-free devices to chat while their vehicle is moving. However, a study from researchers at The University of Texas found that using a wearable may not be any safer than using a traditional smartphone while driving. A group of 20 participants were asked to complete a driving simulation while using either a smartphone or a Google Glass to answer and send texts. Ultimately, researchers found that the participants...

03 May

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Phone use while driving continues to be a problem

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents, Injuries

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law When it comes to driving safety, northeastern states such as New York have the worst overall scores compared to the rest of the nation. This is attributable to the prevalence of speeding and hard braking, according to driving safety app Everdrive. However, distracted driving from phone use is a bigger problem in the southern part of the U.S. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that distracted drivers were responsible for 3,477 deaths along with 391,000 injuries in 2015. To get a better handle on how pervasive phone distractions are to today's drivers, Everdrive gathered data from...

16 April

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Report identifies daydreaming as major road safety hazard

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law Road safety experts often blame New York distracted driving accidents on the popularity of cellphones and other mobile electronic equipment. However, a study released by Erie Insurance to coincide with Distracted Driving Awareness Month suggests that daydreaming may actually be an even greater hazard for road users. Researchers studied accidents in the United States that claimed 172,000 lives over the last five years, and they determined that 61 percent of the distracted driving crashes involved a motorist who was lost in thought. While accidents caused by distracted drivers accounted for one in 10 of all road deaths...

10 April

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Autonomous vehicle makers questioned over forced arbitration

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Accidents, Car Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. Lawmakers including New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand have asked companies involved in the development of autonomous vehicle technology to clarify their positions on forced arbitration agreements. Questions have been asked about the safety of self-driving cars in the wake of an accident in Arizona involving an autonomous Uber SUV that claimed the life of a pedestrian. Media reports suggest that Uber's terms of service would prevent individuals injured in such a crash from pursuing civil lawsuits. Manufacturers favor arbitration clauses because they avoid costly litigation and prevent plaintiffs from filing class...

04 April

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Reducing human influence could improve driverless cars

Posted by orincohenlaw

in Car Accidents, Truck Accidents

On behalf of Orin Cohen of Orin J. Cohen Law While a number of issues related to self-driving technologies are debated in New York and across the United States, many hope that autonomous vehicle technology could help to cut down on car accidents and make the roadways safer. However, autonomous vehicles do not have an accident-free record; because of the nature of self-driving cars, crashes involving these vehicles tend to receive widespread publicity. When looking at how to improve the safety of autonomous cars, one professor notes that human influence itself could be responsible for autonomous vehicle accidents. A professor of engineering at Arizona State...