Truck Accidents

March 12, 2018

Daylight Savings Time and Car Accidents

It is the first Monday after daylight savings time. If you are like most people, you may have needed some more coffee to get through this morning and this afternoon. In a few days, our bodies make the adjustment to the loss of the hour but until then we are all at an increased risk of car crashes. Indeed, researchers looked at 21 years of car crash data and found the number of fatal car accidents on an average Monday is 78.2. On the Monday following “spring forward”, the average jumps to 83.5. So what can you do?

February 12, 2018

Car Accident Risks: How Much Sleep Did You Get Last Night?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Do you like to stay up late binge-watching Netflix? Does your FOMO result in you getting only a few hours of sleep? Does work stress and anxiety leave you tossing and turning? If these things or anything else is keeping you from getting at least seven hours of sleep at night, you are putting yourself and others at risk on the roadway. Just how big is the problem and the risk, consider these statistics: Continue reading

January 17, 2018

For The First Time, Accidents Are Now The Third Leading Cause of Death

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

In 2016, the United States had a record 161,374 accidental deaths. According to the National Safety Council, every three minutes someone dies from a preventable accident. And every second, an American is injured in a preventable accident. These figures include motor vehicle accidents, falls, drownings, drug overdoses, etc. Obviously, we can and must do better. Safety on our roads, in our homes and in our businesses must become as much as a priority as curing cancer and preventing heart disease (the other top three leading causes of death)

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself and your family: Continue reading

November 13, 2017

Are You A Left Lane Hog?

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Should I Move Over?

We probably all have a long list of driving pet peeves from drivers who tailgate or don’t use their blinkers to drivers who aren’t paying attention when a light turns green so you have to honk to get them to go. My biggest driving pet peeve is drivers in the left lane on the interstate who are going slower than the rest of traffic. (There is a reason the left lane is called the fast lane!) Of course, this requires other drivers who are going faster to pass them on the right, which can be difficult to do safely depending upon the number of lanes and the amount of traffic. Feeling trapped, some drivers will become frustrated and angry and resort to risky driving maneuvers which can cause accidents or the drivers can develop road rage. Exactly what comprises road rage? Continue reading

November 8, 2017

The Unfair Character Assassination of Government Regulations

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Government regulations are often scorned and characterized as job killers, expensive and unnecessary. To be sure, there are some odd regulations on the books that deserve some derision (I am looking at you, T.C.A. 70-4-115, the Road Kill law). But generally, government regulations are a good thing for the public. For example, government regulations (via the EPA and FDA) have stopped the pollution of our nation’s water and air and have ensured we have access to safe and uncontaminated food and drugs. Right now, there are several government regulations in the transportation industry that are being rolled back or nixed that would offer substantial protection to the public. Here are a few: Continue reading

November 2, 2017

Pedestrian Safety (Wyoming and Everywhere)

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

We went to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for Fall Break. While walking in downtown Jackson, we noticed flags stuck in posts at intersections. The first time we saw them we thought they were related to some work being done on the wooden sidewalks. But as we continued to walk, we noticed they were at all the intersections in the busy shopping area. We then realized what they were for: pedestrian crossings. The Jackson Hole area does not have many street lights. Presumably, the community has made a decision to limit the amount of artificial light to offer better star-gazing and protect the natural beauty of the area. So to increase pedestrian visibility, the town has installed these bright neon orange flags at intersections for pedestrians to use while walking in the crosswalk. Once safely on the other side, the pedestrian simply places the flag in the available post. (Yes, that is John in the hat and Kate waving the flag — I was taking the picture)

October 17, 2017

A Few Bad Apples

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

In any line of work, there are always a few that embarrass the rest of the profession whether you are talking about lawyers, plumbers, car salesmen, contractors, teachers, accountants, etc. Unfortunately, some of the bad apples tend to come out after injury accidents, so here is what you need to know. Continue reading

September 27, 2017

Distracted Driving and Self-Driving Boats

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

As a driving community, we recognize distracted driving is dangerous and should be illegal, yet not only do we continue to do it but we also have the nerve to think we are good at it. A recent study by Progressive Insurance Company found that a majority of drivers believe distracted driving is the number one cause of car, truck and motorcycle accidents, 1/3 of drivers are still confident in their own ability to text and drive. Want to know who thinks they are best at it? Continue reading

August 28, 2017

Put Your Cellphone Away While Crossing the Street Unless You Want To Get a Ticket

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Some people can’t walk and chew gum at the same time, but Honolulu thinks too many people are bad at walking and texting. The city has now passed legislation which outlaws pedestrians crossing the street while texting or otherwise using their smartphones. As you might expect, the law is receiving mixed reviews. Some safety experts believe the laws will make pedestrians think twice about using their phone while crossing the street. Others believe the law is just another form of government overreach. Finally, some critics believe the law will allow distracted drivers to blame pedestrians. But one thing is for sure. . . Continue reading

July 20, 2017

Driving Under the Influence of Electronics

by The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

Sit at an intersection and watch the cars go by and notice how many drivers have a phone in their hand. Or, if you are a passenger in a car, watch the drivers of oncoming cars to see how many drivers are using their phones. Perhaps most frightening is to be a pedestrian and see just how many cars that are passing you are being operated by drivers using their phones. If you do any of these, the numbers below probably will not surprise you.

Roughly 3500 people are killed and nearly 400,000 are injured in car accidents involving distracted driving. 11 teens die every day because of distracted driving. A driver distracted by their cellphone is more dangerous than a driver with a BAC of .08. An accident is 23 times more likely to occur when the driver is distracted. From 2014 to 2015, there was a 32 percent increase in deaths attributed to distracted driving. And despite these statistics, drivers continue to text, take photos, surf social media and the internet and more while driving. Now, one State has decided to do something about it. Continue reading