The enormous economic burden of motor vehicle crashes
When we talk about the unacceptable toll of motor vehicle crashes in the U.S., we are talking about more than the 35,000 fatalities every year. We are talking about more than the hundreds of thousands of injuries. The cold, hard fact is that crashes are a huge economic burden. Not just a burden on crash...
The enormous economic burden of motor vehicle crashes Continue reading…
This is how much time you save by speeding
The average driver saves 26 seconds a day by speeding. People think it saves time. Maybe it does occasionally, if you run through a yellow light to avoid stopping for a minute. But, the time saved that speeding makes, on average, is about 2 minutes a week. Considering that: Speeding through an intersection is driving...
This is how much time you save by speeding Continue reading…No tolerance for short cuts in repair after car wreck
A jury recently awarded $42 million to a young couple who suffered major burns and crushing injuries in a car wreck. A Dallas body shop fixed their hail-damaged Honda using a cheaper, but untested, method of roof repair. Just before Christmas, the couple was headed for a family visit when a truck hydroplaned and hit...
No tolerance for short cuts in repair after car wreck Continue reading…Is marijuana related to car crashes going up in Washington State?
Since Washingtons State approved recreational use of marijuana, we have watched to see how it would affect drivers and road safety. A study completed by the Highway Loss Data Institute found an uptick in car crash claims in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Read the HLDI Study bulletin: Recreational marijuana and collision claim frequencies. Increase...
Is marijuana related to car crashes going up in Washington State? Continue reading…What are we going to do about fatal distracted driving crashes?
Just a couple of decades ago, alcohol was a factor in nearly half of all fatal crashes in the U.S. Since then, social and legal changes have sliced that number in half. Even thought it is still far too many senseless deaths, it is a lot of progress. We looked at lessons from...
What are we going to do about fatal distracted driving crashes? Continue reading…Why we don’t say “car accident”
We have changed the language on Coluccio Law's websites and blogs: here's why we're using car crash, not car accident. There is a public health crisis on the roads About 36,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. in 2019. (The total number of fatalities for 2020 is expected to be even higher.) That is the entire population...
Why we don’t say “car accident” Continue reading…No one wants take the car keys from elderly people – and that’s a problem.
Driving a car means keeping mobility and independence for many elderly Americans. But about 14 million drivers have been in a car crash or other road incident caused by an elderly driver in the last year. The good news: Even though older drivers are involved in a high number of car crashes, they have low...
No one wants take the car keys from elderly people – and that’s a problem. Continue reading…There’s a 10% chance your car has been recalled – the fastest way to check
Just this year, about one out of every 10 cars on the road in the U.S. has been recalled. General Motors alone has recalled more than 14 million cars in 2014. That’s more than the number of GM cars sold in 2013, and accounts for 50% of this year’s recalls. Ford and Toyota have also...
There’s a 10% chance your car has been recalled – the fastest way to check Continue reading…How do you know when to take away the car keys?
It’s hard to tell. We know a teenager is more likely to cause an accident than a senior citizen. And you don’t want to curb your elderly parent’s independence. You also don’t want to wait until a serious accident makes the decision for you. Before you even suspect that aging parent might not be a...
How do you know when to take away the car keys? Continue reading…When a lawsuit is a moral imperative
The family and the lawsuit behind General Motor's ignition switch recall Brooke Melton was killed when her 2005 Chevy Cobalt spun out of control, hit another vehicle, and flipped off the road. Her parents, Ken and Beth, knew Brooke to be a very safe driver. They felt sure that something had gone wrong with her...
When a lawsuit is a moral imperative Continue reading…