Missouri Personal Injury Lawyers Blog

According to research conducted for an article in Men's Health magazine, St. louis has the worst drivers in a survey of 100 U.S. cities. The study analyzed the rate of fatal crashes; the percentage of fatalities involving alcohol, speeding, or hit and run; and the rate of seatbelt use (from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). Then we factored in the average number of years between accidents (data from Allstate) and laws on cellphone use while driving (taken from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and various city governments).

Based on this data, we advise people to be extra careful when driving in St. Louis. Motorists should keep a careful lookout, but don't assume that others around them are doing the same.

Continue reading "St. Louis Has The Worst Drivers" »

We saw this coming. According to a story posted on-line in today's LA Times, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging states to ban all use of electronic devices while driving. The NTSB is also considering options for national restrictions or an all out ban on their use. This is partly in response to a major accident in 2010 near Gray Summit, Missouri in which a 19-year old driver sent and received 11 text messages in the few minutes just before causing a multi-car pile-up involving trucks and buses that left two dead and 38 others injured.

The attorneys at the Injury Law Center have seen an increase in the frequency of accidents caused by distracted drivers on their cell phones. We aggressively pursue these individuals when they hurt innocent motorists.

Continue reading "NTSB Considers Ban On Use Of Electronic Devices While Driving- Urges States To Do So" »

You've either done it yourself or seen somebody else do it recently- caught yourself or another motorist swerving into another lane or onto the shoulder of the road because of a text message. This is an increasing problem in Missouri, and law enforcement officials are taking notice...and more aggressive efforts at stopping the activity.

Missouri has already made it illegal to text message while driving if you are under 21 years old (see Missouri Revised Statutes Sect. 304.820). This is likely just the first step toward an all around banning of texting while driving.

The Missouri Highway Patrol has just initiated a new media campaign aimed at curbing the growing problem of car accidents involving distracted and inattentive drivers sending text messages. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol website, mobile phone use while driving contributed to cause over 1,780 traffic crashes in Missouri in 2009. During the first half of 2010, there were 791 traffic crashes traced to cell phone usage behind the wheel. Of these crashes, 8 resulted in fatalities and 239 in non-fatal injuries. During that same period, there were 17,535 crashes where distracted driving was cited as a contributing factor.

Continue reading "Missouri Highway Patrol Gets Anti-Texting While Driving Message Out" »

In an on-going effort to combat the problem of accidents caused by inattentive driving, the United States Department of Transportation has proposed a federal ban on the use of hand-held cell phones by interstate truck and bus drivers. According to research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), commercial vehicle drivers who reach for a cell phone are 3 times more likely to cause a crash. Drivers dialing on a cell phone are 6 times more likely to crash. The FMCSA banned text messaging by commercial drivers in September 2010.

Proposed penalties for violations of the rule range from up to a fine of $2750.00 to the disqualification of a commercial drivers license for repeat violators. In 2009, five hundred thousand people were injured and almost 5,500 people were killed by inattentive drivers. For more information, see the artcle entitled "U.S. DOT Proposes Rule to Ban Hand-Held Cell Phone Use for Commercial Truck and Bus Drivers" on the FMCSA website.

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