Rochester Legal Issues Blog

Distracted driving has become an epidemic across New York and the rest of the U.S., and it's not just phones and in-vehicle tech that are contributing to the trend. Of course, drivers should refrain from all phone use, including hands-free phone use, when driving, but they must also be aware that even eating, drinking and having conversations with passengers can constitute a distraction.

Drivers may want to institute a no-eating policy or limit the number of passengers they have in their cars. On the other hand, they could have a passenger take on potentially distracting activities for them, such as sending texts and using the navigation system.

As far back as 2011, it has been recognized that women are more likely than men are to suffer serious injuries in a car crash. New York residents should know that a study from the University of Virginia has analyzed this phenomenon and found out one reason for it: namely, a lack of safety data and safety measures that take women into account.

Crash safety tests use male crash dummies for the most part, and though a female crash dummy was introduced in 2003, its dimensions are not necessarily those of the average woman. It weighs 110 pounds and is five feet tall. It does not reflect physiological and anatomical differences, such as differences in muscle strength, pelvis shape and fat distribution.

Car accidents are not always fender benders. They can result in serious injuries, which was the case for a Massachusetts man who suffered injuries from a traffic collision while in New York in late June. 

The days and weeks that follow may be stressful. You should contact your auto insurance agency right away to begin the claims process so that you can try to receive compensation for medical expenses and car repairs. During this time, you do not want to fall for one of the numerous myths that persist about car accident claims. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 6,452,000 drivers in the U.S. were involved in auto accidents in 2017. New York residents won't be surprised to hear that many of these accidents occurred in metropolitan areas. Allstate Insurance, in its America's Safe Drivers Report for 2019, has ranked 200 metropolitan areas based on how frequently their residents get into car crashes. The results are summarized below.

It turns out that the worst drivers are to be found in Baltimore, followed by Washington, D.C., and Boston. Despite the preponderance of cities on the East Coast, where older infrastructure creates an inconvenience, there were six cities in California that made the bottom 15. Glendale was the worst of them, coming in at number six.