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Frequently Asked Questions about Dangerous Highways

Q: What highway conditions cause the most accidents?

A: Most lawsuits for injuries claiming dangerous highway conditions involve either a roadside hazard, sight obstructions, pavement edge drops, construction zones or rail-highway grade crossings. These highway dangers cause a significant number of accidents each year and those accidents frequently involve serious injuries and death.

Q: Who is liable for injuries caused by unsafe highway conditions?

A: Responsibility for dangerous highway conditions rests with the state or federal agencies charged with their construction and control. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, private companies who contract with such agencies to perform highway repair, modification, construction or maintenance might also bear legal responsibility for highway injuries and deaths caused by unsafe road conditions.

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The Highway Dangers of New Technology

Each year, an estimated 284,000 distracted drivers are involved in serious crashes. A recent research study shows that the major sources of distraction are:

• An outside person, object or event
• Adjusting radio, cassette or CD
• Other occupant in vehicle
• Other object or device in vehicle
• Adjusting vehicle or climate controls
• Eating or drinking
• Using or dialing a cell phone
• Smoking

If you were injured or lost a family member in a highway accident, a personal injury attorney, can work with you to obtain the compensation to which you are entitled for your injuries or the death of a family member.

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Vehicle Safety & Restraint Devices

Every new passenger vehicle must meet federal standards specifying minimum safety levels, but this doesn't mean all cars are equally safe. There still are important safety differences. Identifying the safest car on the road is impossible, but it is possible to shop for a safer car-some vehicle characteristics are inherently safer than others, and many automakers offer safety features beyond the required minimums. If you were in a motor vehicle crash and suffered injuries because of an unsafe air bag, restraint system, or structural design, a personal injury attorney who is experienced in handling motor vehicle accident claims can help you to recover all compensation to which you are entitled.

Vehicle structural design

A vehicle's structural design is the starting point to look for protecting you in a serious crash, and minimizing any injury that may result. A good structural design should have a strong occupant compartment, or safety cage, and front and rear ends designed to buckle and bend in serious crashes to absorb crash forces. It is important for these crush zones to keep damage away from the safety cage because, once this cage begins to collapse, the likelihood of injury increases rapidly. If it is effectively designed, a longer crush zone lowers both the likelihood of damage to the occupant compartment and the crash forces inside it. Not all vehicles are equally well designed. Some have crush zones that are too stiff and/or too short and safety cages that aren't strong enough. These can contribute to the collapse of the occupant compartment in serious crashes.

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New Strategies for Highway Safety

The annual toll of roadside crashes is staggering. Each year crash incidents kill approximately 15, 000 people, injure an additional 1,000,000 and cost society more than 150 billion dollars. Crashes most often occur due to driver error, medical emergency, vehicle malfunction, a roadway deficiency, or some combination thereof. Over the years, different organizations have dedicated themselves to addressing these accident causes and improving roadside safety. Leading organizations in this effort include the Federal Highway Administrations (FHWA), the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Transportation Research Board, Roadway Safety Foundation and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

If you were injured or lost a family member in a highway accident, a personal injury attorney, can work with you to obtain the compensation to which you are entitled for your injuries or the death of a family member.

Despite the efforts of these organizations, roadside accidents remain a significant problem in the United States. Organizations seeking to improve highway safety must deal with constantly changing conditions that create new traffic hazards. For example, the amount of traffic, environmental conditions and the kinds of vehicles driven have increased the likelihood of particular types of crashes such as rollover.

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Helmet Laws

A helmet is by far the most important and most effective piece of protective equipment a motorcycle driver or passenger can wear. Helmets save lives by reducing the extent of head injuries in the event of a traffic accident. A helmetless motorcyclist involved in an accident is three times as likely to suffer a brain injury as a motorcyclist wearing a helmet.

When a motorcycle is struck or falls during operation, the rider's head often hits the pavement, and a high percentage of motorcyclists involved in accidents die each year because of head injuries. Because of this danger, motorcycle operators and passengers in many states are required by statute to wear safety helmets. If you were injured in a motorcycle accident, a personal injury attorney can work with you to obtain all compensation to which you are entitled.

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