New York Personal Injury Law Blog

A March 2018 survey of traffic behavior and attitudes in the United States has claimed that self-reported phone use while driving has skyrocketed since 2013. Ironically, the research also reveals that the vast majority of the people who were surveyed consider distracted driving to be a major danger for everyone on the road. Drivers across New York are at greater risk of a collision if they are distracted by their mobile devices while driving.

The study, which was authored by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, was created to highlight attitudes and behaviors regarding traffic safety. The survey data comes from information provided by over 2,600 drivers across the United States that have reported to have driven in the past 30 days.

Different types of injuries will arise from a car accident, with the severity depending on factors like speed, impact location, and the presence of safety features. New York drivers will want to know, or relearn, the types of injuries that occur and how.

The most common injuries (and those of least concern, relatively speaking) are scratches, bruises, and fractures. They can arise from car accidents where one car is stationary and the other is traveling at a low speed. Normally, the impact location is in the rear or the side opposite the victim. Back and neck injuries may arise from rear-end collisions at higher speeds. Whiplash, a condition where the muscles and other soft tissues in the neck are sprained or strained, is a frequent outcome of rear-end collisions.

The threat posed by distracted driving can be a major danger for New York motorists. The ubiquitous presence of smartphones has meant that texting while driving, emailing and using other apps are constant distractions. In fact, a number of experts on safety have cautioned that the apparent ongoing increase in fatal car accidents in recent years is linked to the growing popularity of smartphones. Of course, however, smartphones aren't the only cause of driving distractions; even the car's own built-in navigation and entertainment systems can divert a driver's eyes.

There is a widespread recognition of the practical dangers caused by driving while texting. However, surveys show that large numbers of drivers continue to engage in - and admit to - these practices. In a survey by Consumer Reports, over half of the licensed drivers who are also smartphone owners said that they sometimes browse the web, text or send email while behind the wheel. Sometimes, obstacles can help to prevent this behavior. For example, smartphone manufacturers include driving mode options that block incoming notifications and send automatic replies to text messages that arrive.

Pedestrian accidents can involve just about anyone at anytime, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the three groups that are most at risk are people 65 and older, children ages 5 to 9, and people who have had too much to drink. Drivers in New York will want to consider the following tips so that they can safely share the road with pedestrians.

It all begins with backing out of the driveway. Drivers should take their time and turn their head back rather than rely only on the mirrors. They should also be cautious around crosswalks since pedestrians always have the right-of-way on them. It's easy to forget that any intersection, whether or not it is marked, is a crosswalk by law. Violating pedestrians' safety buffer in these areas can sometimes lead to fines.