Personal Injury Blog

After several years of declining bicycle accident fatalities, those numbers are once again showing an upward trend. According to statistics released by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the number of bicyclists killed in accidents increased by 16% between 2010 and 2012.

In 2012, there were more than 700 bicycle accident fatalities across the country. Some of the sharpest increases were seen in heavily congested cities in the country. States, that have heavy populations and larger urban concentrations, saw some of the highest numbers of fatalities. For instance, California, New York, Texas and Florida accounted for approximately 50% of the total bicycle fatalities between 2010 and 2012.

States such as Nevada have seen an increase in the number of bicyclists, and Las Vegas accident lawyers now find more numbers of people commuting to work on their bicycles. That has contributed to an increase in the bicycle population, and greater friction between motorists and bicyclists on the road. Between 2008 and 2012, 300,000 more people commuted to work by bicycle, than in 2000.

The nationwide movement to get more people bicycling or walking, and out of their cars, has definitely been successful, and part of the reason has been the major benefits of biking, not just on a person's health, but also on traffic congestion. Such measures are especially popular in the most congested cities in the country, where authorities have made a concerted effort to encourage bicycling. Unfortunately, that increase in bicyclists hasn't necessarily been accompanied by an increase in bicycle safety initiatives, or greater awareness of bicycle safety. Many bicyclists continue to ride without helmets, and according to the GHSA statistics, approximately two-thirds of the bicycle fatalities in 2012 were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident.

When states have increased DUI enforcement on the road, including more numbers of sobriety checkpoints and patrols, they are likely to see lower numbers of intoxicated drivers over the holiday season.

According to a study, states that invest heavily in randomized traffic stops, and more DUI arrests, are less likely to have accidents that are related to drunk drivers. These states strongly enforce anti-DUI laws, and are able to prevent drunk driving accidents. The risk of such accidents increases in Las Vegas over New Year's eve.

Particularly, the researchers found that states that had more numbers of random traffic stops and higher numbers of DUI arrests were more likely to see lower numbers of intoxicated motorists. Motorists are likely to drive after having a few alcohol beverages over the holiday season, when alcohol flows aplenty. However, when they are aware that their behavior could very well lead to a DUI arrest, which destroys not only their holidays but also leads to a prominent DUI mark on their record, they are less likely to drive after drinking alcohol. In other words, stringent enforcement of DUI laws is the only catalyst that can help change motoring behavior when it comes to drunk driving.

In states, where the risk of being stopped randomly by the roadside for an alcohol check was below 288 stops for every 10,000 drivers, the odds of intoxicated drivers with a concentration of .08% or more were four times greater than in states that had as many as 1,275 traffic stops for every 10,000 drivers. Interestingly enough, saturation patrols in which police officers specifically look out for impaired driving, like weaving between lanes, did not necessarily lead to a drop in drunk driving rates.

About 75% of motorists in a recent survey admitted that they frequently texted while driving. That is in spite of the fact that an overwhelming majority of motorists are aware that it is dangerous to text while driving.

There has been a strong focus on distracted driving in recent months, including public initiatives against distracted driving, awareness campaigns, and even celebrity – studded PSAs. More than 40 states already have bans on texting while driving. In spite of those facts, a new study of 1,000 drivers found that as many as 98% of them believed the practice was dangerous, but 75% of them texted while driving anyway.

It's clear that people are unable to stop themselves from texting while driving, or picking up the cell phone to read an incoming text. According to some researchers, who have studied such distracting behavior at the wheel, the lure of an incoming text alert is very similar to the attraction of slot machines. In both cases, the person is driven by a compulsion to either play, or to pick up the cell phone to read a text message. Receiving a text message instantly gives you a buzz, and releases a chemical called dopamine in your brain, which triggers excitement in the body.

That's the reason why people continue to read and send text messages while driving, even though they know that this is very dangerous. In fact, according to some researchers, texting is becoming an addiction for some people, and breaking the habit could take years.

While Nevada could do with stronger laws against texting while driving, and stricter enforcement, it is clear that motorists also need to take personal responsibility. They must understand that these behaviors are very dangerous, and that the problem lies with them.