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Government Agencies Seek Ultimate Solution to Curbing Distracted Driving

Posted on | June 12, 2013 | Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone

Government overreach has been the big theme in just about every newspaper in recent weeks. The IRS has been caught targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny, the EPA is in trouble for giving farmers’ information to environmentalists, and the Department of Justice was found to be secretly subpoenaing the phone records of journalists.

While people throughout the U.S. are becoming increasingly concerned about just what the government is doing - especially with electronic data - the government has made no secret of its involvement when it comes to what citizens do with electronic gadgets while behind the wheel. Our Boston car accident lawyers know the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) continue to push for stricter rules to address the dangers.

Feds Aim to Find an Ultimate Solution to Distracted Driving Issues

According to Wired.com, federal regulators are hoping to make it impossible to send texts or use the Internet while driving.  The NHTSA and the DOT have a 281-page report outlining guidelines for stopping the use of electronic devices by drivers.

The plan apparently targets both car manufacturers and those in the electronics industry. New regulations within these industries could perhaps provide a technological solution or innovation that would make using a mobile device impossible while driving. For example, the “ultimate solution” to stop distracted driving could, according to the Feds, is to deactivate mobile devices when the car is being driven. A new and innovative device could be used to recognize when a driver is using a mobile device and to then deactivate the device so the user’s focus would be forced back to the road.

NHTSA lawmakers, in particular, are concerned about video functionality, texting and messaging, Internet browsing and any activity that takes the drivers focus off of the road for longer than a few seconds.

The NHTSA wants the driver to refrain from taking his eyes off of the road or hands off of the wheel for more than two seconds for each input when using an in-car or other device. They also want to ensure that it takes a total of 12 seconds or less for a driver to complete any task he would need to do in the car.

By keeping tasks short and by keeping drivers eyes on the road, there would be fewer distracted driving crashes. Texting and Internet browsing obviously take more than two seconds, so the NHTSA wants these behaviors to end behind the wheel, permanently.

Two paths are being proposed in order to put a final stop to distracted driving behaviors. One would require drivers to physically connect their phones or mobile devices to the embedded system in the cars that disable functionality while the vehicle is driving. The other is a proximity sensor in the car that recognizes when a driver is using a device and requires that the device be passed off to a passenger.

The issue of a proximity sensor in the car is, of course, likely to raise further concerns about government access to data and about the security of our private information. Could the sensor tell who was in the car, for example, or where you were going?

While concerns about government overreach are undeniably valid, some type of technical solution to put a permanent end to distracted driving might be a good way to save lives if there was a way to find a solution with the help of both car manufacturers and electronics companies.

If you’ve been hurt, call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone.

New England Drunk Driving Accidents a Summer Risk for Teens

Posted on | May 13, 2013 | Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone

Since 1998, a biannual survey of Massachusetts high school students has been conducted to learn more about the risks that young kids face. This year's survey revealed that many teens are drinking despite the fact that they are underage. This news is cause for concern for parents since drunk teens who gets behind the wheel present significant risk to themselves and others. Mothers Against Drunk Driving has identified the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day as the deadliest 100 days of the year for teen drivers.

Our Boston personal injury attorneys know that a teen who has even a drink or two may be affected by the alcohol and may not be able to drive safely. Alcohol coupled with driver inexperience is a dangerous combination. Parents need to be aware that many teens are drinking and should do everything possible to help ensure that their kids don't drive drunk.

Teen Drunk Driving A Concern in Massachusetts

According to the Harvard Press, the Massachusetts Youth Risk Survey asks teens questions about violence, suicide, stress, tobacco, drug and alcohol use, and HIV/AIDS education among other topics. Students in several school districts completed the survey, including kids in grade six and in grades eight through twelve. Parents were informed of the survey prior to it being administered so kids whose parents objected did not complete the questions.

The survey is anonymous, so while some kids may answer dishonestly, there is not a strong incentive for kids to be dishonest. As such, one local principal responding to parental concerns about whether the results were accurate indicated that the survey should be taken seriously despite the fact that there is some room for error.

Parents who learn the results of the survey and who do take it seriously have plenty of cause for concern. As many as 63 percent of seniors from one local area school district admitted to drinking alcohol this spring. Further, an average of 35 percent of all kids in grades nine through 12 said they had used alcohol.

Marijuana use was also very common, according to the survey. A total of 40 percent of students in grade twelve admitted to recent marijuana use, while an average of 22 percent of all students in grades nine to twelve said that they had tried marijuana.

Teens who use either alcohol or marijuana are at risk of engaging in many different types of dangerous behaviors. Unfortunately, one of the biggest risks comes from teens who drink or smoke and then drive.

Teens rarely drink in their own homes and then stay there. In fact, the Harvard Press reported on several recent incidents where kids were intoxicated at school dances. These teens had to get to and from the dance somehow, and there is a chance they may have driven drunk to do so.

Because drunk driving is so risky, parents need to be aware of the high percentage of kids who report drinking. Parents should do everything possible to prevent drunk driving including setting clear rules about alcohol use; monitoring where children are and whether they are at parties where alcohol is being served; and offering to be the designated driver if need be in order to prevent a teen from driving drunk or getting into a car with someone who has had too much to drink.

If you've been injured, call 1-800-WIN-WIN-1 for a free consultation with one of the personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone.