USDOT Releases 2016 Fatal Traffic Crash Data

October 12, 2017 | Tapalian Law

On October 6^th, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released fatal crash data for 2016. NHTSA data reports a 5.6% rise in traffic fatalities from 2015. Collected from all 50 states and the District of Columbia, data shows that 37,461 lives were lost on U.S. roads and highways in 2016 and equates to 102 traffic related fatalities, per day. An enormous 94% of serious crashes are related to human error, or human choice. At Tapalian Law, we are personal injury lawyers who pride ourselves on fighting hard to help victims of auto accidents in Providence and the surrounding communities. We make it our duty to seek the just compensation our personal injury clients deserve.

Drunk Driving Crashes Continue to Cause Biggest Number of Fatalities

It comes as no surprise that the biggest culprit of auto accidents deaths is drunk driving, as this has long been the trend. Speeding-related crash fatalities closely follow behind drunk driving deaths. The NHTSA continually creates programs with the goal of expanding awareness of the acute risk of driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Alcohol-related fatalities in 2016 continue to account for a third of all motor vehicle deaths, following the trends of 2015 and 2014. Astoundingly, these accidents accounted for 10,497 deaths in the U.S. in 2016. This is especially tragic as drunk driving crashes are completely preventable. Impaired motorcycle drivers with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 or higher accounted for the type of vehicle most frequently involved in these types of accidents, followed closely by passenger cars and light trucks. The age groups most often responsible for these fatal alcohol-related accidents were ages 21-24 and ages 25-34.

Warwick Drivers Tested by Undercover Pedestrians

October 5, 2017 | Tapalian Law

Warwick police put drivers to the test last week when they conducted an undercover assessment to see if drivers complied with Rhode Island state law that requires them to stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk. Financed in part by a Rhode Island Department of Transportation grant, “Walk Wise Warwick” was formed to create awareness after a pedestrian was hit and killed earlier this year trying to cross Main Avenue in Warwick to reach a convenience store. At Tapalian Law, as Providence personal injury attorney’s we see pedestrian injuries often caused by a driver who does not obey the law requiring them to stop for pedestrians in a crosswalk. This may be due to distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving, or general lack of knowledge of the law. Whatever the reason, pedestrian fatalities are on the rise and are at the highest number in more than two decades.

Rhode Island Pedestrian Fatalities Saw Huge Increase in 2016

Rhode Island saw 7 pedestrian deaths during the period of January-June 2016. This is a tremendous jump, 250%, compared to that same 6-month period in 2015, when there were 2 pedestrian fatalities. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), the number of pedestrians killed in U.S. traffic accidents jumped 11% last year, the biggest single-year increase in pedestrian fatalities ever seen. Alarmingly, this equates to nearly 6,000 pedestrians killed in accidents. As Rhode Island auto accident lawyers, we continually hear about new automotive safety technology designed to decrease car crashes and their resulting deaths and personal injury. It would make sense that new safety measures would increase the safety of drivers and pedestrians, however the GHSA is showing differently. They are finding a spike in the motor vehicle related deaths of both pedestrians and cyclists. In 2016, traffic related deaths went up 6% across the U.S. One might assume this increase in crash fatalities accounts for the jump in pedestrian accidents, however the National Safety Council tends to think there is something else causing the upturn in pedestrian accidents.

Most Drivers Say Distracted Driving Should Be Illegal, But They Still Do It

September 14, 2017 | Tapalian Law

Effective June 1, 2018, Rhode Island law will prohibit the use of hand-held cell phones while driving in a move to prevent accidents caused by distracted driving. The new law will further the distracted driving laws Rhode Island put into effect in 2011 making it illegal to send, read, or compose text messages while driving. Since the “no texting” ban went into effect, police officers across Rhode Island have issued hundreds of tickets for violations, with few issued for repeat offenders. As a personal injury law firm, Tapalian Law hopes the existing ban on texting and the cell phone ban coming forth in 2018, will contribute to a decrease in severe injuries and tragic deaths due to car accidents caused by distracted driving. Interestingly, the majority of drivers agree that distracted driving is the biggest cause of auto accidents and should be illegal, according to an online study by Progressive Insurance, but many drivers still knowingly do it.

Key Findings from Progressive Distracted Driving Study

Not surprisingly, teenagers make up the largest group of drivers reported as distracted at the time of a fatal crash. In fact, the American Automobile Association (AAA) released a report earlier this year that states millennials exhibit the riskiest driving behavior of all age groups. The Progressive study reports 62% of 18-34 years old’s are very, or somewhat, confident in their ability to text while driving, even though 64% agree that using a phone to text while driving is a main cause of car accidents. Only 6% of those ages 55 and older feel comfortable in their ability to safely text and drive. More men than woman feel “very confident” in their ability to text while driving, even though the majority of men and woman agree it should not be allowed.

Self-Driving Cars Could Be on The Road Sooner Than You Think

September 12, 2017 | Tapalian Law

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would speed the introduction of self-driving cars to the road. Following a rise in deadly car crashes in recent years after a decline, proponents say that self-driving vehicles could help remove the human error factor that causes about 94% of fatal car crashes in the U.S. each year. As personal injury attorneys who help injured car accident victims daily and see the gravity of serious vehicle accidents, we realize finding a way to eliminate the bulk of car crashes, collisions and related injuries and deaths would be tremendous. Police in Providence and throughout Rhode Island respond to vehicle accidents with injured victims multiple times a day due to distracted driving and human error. Is it really possible to remove all human error from driving with self-driving cars and greatly lessen crashes and save lives?

SELF DRIVE Act

The SELF DRIVE Act (Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution) passed through the House with a two-thirds vote. In summary, the proposed bill would give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the power to regulate the design, construction, and performance, of self-driving vehicles. The NHTSA is responsible for doing so now for driver-operated vehicles. Individual states, including Rhode Island and Massachusetts, would keep the authority to dictate vehicle registration and licensing. The NHTSA would be given a timeline to come up with safety rules and performance standards that automakers must meet for the autonomous vehicles. The vehicle manufacturers would be required to provide a plan for how its passenger’s privacy would be protected- for example, where does the passenger travel to each day and what are its driving style preferences? How will this information be kept private? The legislation would also increase on a yearly basis the number of autonomous cars that are able to travel and be tested on public roads.

Preventing Backover Accidents: Backup Cameras Mandatory May 2018

May 3, 2017 | Tapalian Law

Every year, thousands of children are seriously injured or killed in backover accidents, where a driver backs up their vehicle and doesn’t see the child. On average, there are 232 deaths and 13,000 injuries due to backovers every year. Beginning next May 2018, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will require mandatory backup cameras on all new model vehicles. The finalized requirement has been in the works for many years after much deliberation. This is reassuring to many including the car accident attorneys at Tapalian Law as we hear too often of backover accidents, which occur when a driver backs over another person without noticing- usually in a driveway or parking lot. Being smaller in stature, children are all too often the victims of these tragic accidents. In over 70% of these incidents, a parent or close relative is the driver of the vehicle. With this new regulation going into effect, it should make great strides in preventing injury and death in these types of accidents.

Children Most Common Victims in Backover Accidents

Kidsandcars.org, an organization that brings awareness to child and auto related tragedies, reports that 50 children are backed over every week in the United States because a driver could not see them. Children under age five are the most at risk and the most common age of those hurt or killed in backover incidents is one year old. These numbers are astounding and tragic. Over 60% of the backovers involve a truck, SUV, or van. Just this past weekend a toddler in Bristol, Connecticut was killed when the child’s father was moving a vehicle in the driveway. A Providence toddler was killed in 2014 when a neighbor unknowingly backed over the child while backing out of her driveway. The following month, a Barrington woman was killed when a young family member accidentally accelerated while backing up in the driveway.

Boston Duck Boats Under Fire After Deadly Pedestrian Accident

March 6, 2017 | Tapalian Law

Boston Duck Tours are a popular and fun Boston tourist attraction. This February two dozen duck boats carried the Super Bowl winning New England Patriots through the Boston streets to celebrate their victory. However, after a string of deadly accidents including a collision in Boston last spring that left a 28-year-old woman dead, the safety of these vehicles is being questioned. Accident Attorney David Tapalian understands the repercussions of these types of accidents all too well. As a personal injury attorney and car accident lawyer in Massachusetts and Rhode Island with over 15 years of experience, he has seen his fair share of serious, and sometimes deadly, pedestrian injuries caused by motor vehicles in the Boston and Providence area.

Driver Negligence & Inherent Design Flaw Cause Deadly Accident

The vehicles, designed to travel on both land and water, were originally used in WWII to transport US Military Troops and supplies over land and water. They were later adapted to act as sightseeing vehicles to attract tourist in cities such as Boston, Seattle, Miami, and San Diego. Critics claim the 2 ½ ton vehicles are dangerous for reasons including that their design causes multiple blind spots making it difficult for the driver to see directly below and in front of them. Often, the driver narrates the tour at the same time as driving. This seems to be a clear distraction that could easily result in a deadly accident caused by driver negligence. In the case of the deadly crash involving the young woman in Boston, video was examined by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and showed the driver taking his eyes off the road as well as turning in his seat while driving and narrating the tour.

Fatal Hit & Run Accident in Coventry, Rhode Island

February 23, 2017 | Tapalian Law

February has been a fatal month for car accidents and pedestrian accidents in Rhode Island. Nine people have been killed in Rhode Island traffic accidents so far in 2017, six of the deaths have occurred this February. The most recent fatality took place just last week in Coventry when 19 year old Matthew O’Gara was struck in a hit and run by a truck with an attached plow while walking down the street with a friend. The truck driver fled the scene. Fortunately police were able to use surveillance cameras from a local business to track down the driver and 34 year old William Fallon of Coventry has been arrested in the hit and run. Fallon faces charges of driving to endanger with death resulting and failing in his duty to stop in an accident resulting in death.

After a high number of motor vehicle accident related deaths this month, the Rhode Island State Police say they will “crack down on speeding, aggressive driving and other motor vehicle violations”. In addition to the recent hit and run fatality in Coventry, the other motor vehicle fatalities in February occurred in West Warwick, Scituate, and North Smithfield, and Richmond, RI.

Drivers Have A Duty to Stop in Rhode Island After An Accident

Rear-End Accidents On Martha’s Vineyard

February 9, 2017 | Tapalian Law

It is easy to see why so many people choose Martha’s Vineyard as a vacation destination — it is a gorgeous place to relax and unwind. Unfortunately, it is also easy to see how a driver could cause a rear-end accident because he or she is distracted by the scenery.

Distracted driving is one of the most common reasons for rear-end accidents. When you add an unfamiliar location where people are busy looking at the sights outside of the car windows or busy trying to read road signs or look for landmarks to help guide them to their final destination to the other common distractions that cause accidents, rear-end accidents can be common. If you are injured in a Martha’s Vineyard accident, call our RI & MA rear-end accident attorneys at

401-552-5000

for a free legal consultation.

Why Do I Need Underinsured Motorist Insurance In Massachusetts And Rhode Island?

February 2, 2017 | Tapalian Law

Thousands of people are injured in motor vehicle accidents throughout Massachusetts and Rhode Island each year. Massachusetts and Rhode Island require drivers to carry liability insurance to protect others in the event the driver causes a motor vehicle accident. Liability insurance pays damages to victims of a car accident when a driver is responsible for the crash.

Just like all other states, Rhode Island and Massachusetts set minimum insurance requirements for all drivers.

In Rhode Island, drivers must purchase the following insurance coverage:

Can These Safety Technologies On New Vehicles Save Your Life?

January 13, 2017 | Tapalian Law

In the past, vehicles were designed to provide safety to passengers in a collision. Airbags and seat belts are examples of safety features car designers added to vehicles to help reduce the risk of serious injury and death. Today’s manufacturers and engineers are focused on preventing accidents in addition to reducing the risk of injury in an accident. Some of the latest advances in the automotive manufacturing field help save lives by providing alerts to the driver before an accident occurs. Below are four of the latest technologies you can find on new vehicle models that are focused on preventing collisions.

Adaptive Headlights

Headlights have changed over the years to improve visibility. The latest trend is a design that changes directions to increase lighting around hills and curves. Adaptive headlights also adjust the intensity of light when the vehicle is in traffic to reduce glare for the driver. The benefit for drivers is that they can see road hazards sooner and be alerted to pedestrians after night.

Drunk Driving Crashes Continue to Cause Biggest Number of Fatalities

Rhode Island Pedestrian Fatalities Saw Huge Increase in 2016

SELF DRIVE Act

Children Most Common Victims in Backover Accidents

Driver Negligence & Inherent Design Flaw Cause Deadly Accident

Drivers Have A Duty to Stop in Rhode Island After An Accident

Adaptive Headlights