Posted on October 10, 2017 in Truck Accidents

Considering a new pickup as your next vehicle? There are inherent safety features, such as a higher ride and greater weight. These can absolutely keep you safe in an accident that would be more dangerous in a lower, lighter vehicle.

However, it's important to note that trucks actually tend not to get safety upgrades as quickly. They've always run behind to some degree.

For instance, passenger cars got upgrades like side airbags before they made their way to pickups. Currently, many trucks do not have driver assistance features, like automated crash prevention systems, that are growing more common in cars. The Ford F-150 is often touted as the best-selling truck in the United States, for example, but the 2017 model does not have automated crash prevention software.

Pickups are coming along, and experts note that these types of safety upgrades are often available now. However, they continue to score poorly on safety tests.

For instance, in 2017, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave out its yearly Top Safety Pick Plus award. That's the highest ranking it offers. Since 2001, when pickup truck testing started for the IIHS, no large truck had ever won. In 2017, the Honda Ridgeline got the award. That's a step forward, but it was also the only truck to qualify.

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 Posted on October 06, 2017 in Firm News

A dump truck driver was killed after his vehicle was struck by a man in a Nissan Sentra trying to flee police. The incident happened at approximately 12:35 p.m., on a recent Tuesday afternoon in Chesapeake after police tried to pull over the Sentra, which had expired tags.

Instead of stopping, the man in the Sentra tried to escape officers until he crashed head-on into a Chesapeake Waste Management truck. The high-speed chase lasted less than a minute before the collision.

Tragically, the 51-year-old driver in the trash truck didn't survive the collision. Although emergency responders arrived at the scene quickly, and they rushed the truck driver to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead several hours later.

The 27-year-old driver of the Nissan survived, even though his vehicle flipped upside down and landed in a ditch along with the trash truck. Authorities have since arrested the man and charged him with second-degree murder. These charges are considerably worse than the alleged larceny charge that authorities wanted him for. Both the 27-year-old and the passenger who was riding with him are at the hospital being treated for injuries.

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 Posted on October 03, 2017 in Pedestrian Accidents

Do you think Virginia roadways are dangerous? A national safety organization agrees with you. Virginia ranks 38th in the nation in overall roadway safety, according to "The State of Safety," a report published in June by the National Safety Council.

While Virginia came in 38th for road safety, it also lags behind our neighboring states of West Virginia (which ranked sixth) and Maryland (which ranked seventh). Our neighbor to the south, North Carolina, ranked 20th.

Nationwide, the current road-safety situation is bleak. The reports says that "after dropping steadily for decades, the nation is in the midst of the deadliest spike in road fatalities in 50 years." There were an estimated 40,200 road fatalities in 2016, the report says.

States play a vital role in making the roads safe, the report says. This includes laws, enforcement of laws and driver education.

Let's take a look at what Virginia's ranking means, and see where we can improve as a state.

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 Posted on September 28, 2017 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Worried about being hit by a drunk driver? Maybe you have a family member who was injured or killed in a DUI accident. Maybe you've just read the statistics and you know how high the risk really is.

Either way, there are things you can do to avoid drunk drivers. Some steps include:

1. Staying off of back roads. Many drunk driving accidents happen on rural roads. Some suggest sticking to the larger, four-lane highways whenever you can. That's not to say drunk driving accidents never happen there, but the risk may be lower.
2. Staying off the roads at night. It's often best not to drive after midnight at all. Drunk driving is very common at night, especially as it gets later and the bars close. If possible, try to make sure you're safely at home during these problematic hours.
3. Don't drive as much on the weekends. The risks of a DUI accident go up at night, and the worst nights are often Friday and Saturday — what technically may be Saturday morning and Sunday morning.

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 Posted on September 25, 2017 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Believe it or not, studies have found that more than 50 percent of all fatal collisions happen after the sun goes down.

Your first instinct may be to assume that this is normal, given that nighttime hours accounting for a significant portion of the day. However, they typically do not account for 50 percent of the day, and the amount of miles being driven after the sun goes down is substantially lower than the amount of miles driven throughout the rest of the day.

Vehicle miles driven is really the best way to look at the odds of being in a crash. A review of statistics shows that the amount of deadly accidents at night is massively disproportionate to the number of miles driven. Why are people so much more likely to be killed after dark?

There are many potential reasons. Visibility is reduced, even with modern headlights, making some accidents harder to avoid. Some studies have found that the distance drivers need to stop significantly increases during the night, and this has been linked to increased reaction times.

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 Posted on September 22, 2017 in Truck Accidents

Accidents between passenger vehicles and semi-truck s tend to result in catastrophic injuries. In many situations, they're also fatal. For this reason, every driver of a passenger car, and every driver of an 18-wheeler, needs to educate him or herself regarding the common causes of semi-truck crashes in order to prevent these scenarios.

Here is how semi-truck crashes often happen in Virginia:

• When drivers don't follow the rules of the road, like speeding laws, passing laws and other life-saving regulations.
• When a truck driver accelerates or stops too quickly, or when passenger vehicles maneuver too quickly around a semi-truck and the truck driver cannot react in time.
• Underinflated tires on both passenger vehicles and 18-wheelers.
• When cargo has shifted inside a commercial truck, leaving it off balance.
• When a truck driver is low on sleep and fatigued.
• When a truck driver is abusing substances to stay awake.
• When a trucking company fails to safely maintain its vehicle.

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 Posted on September 14, 2017 in Drunk Driving Accidents

You always have a lot to do, so you usually multitask in the car. You listen to voicemails, check your email, and talk on the phone. You want to make the most of your time and get things done on your commute, not just after you get to work.

At the same time, you'd never drink and drive. You know how dangerous it is. Yes, you don't want a ticket, but you really don't want to put yourself and others in danger.

According to a number of experts, you already are. They say that multitasking while behind the wheel is really not that different from driving drunk.

One University of Michigan professor of psychology claimed that driving performance was equally poor for those who were under the influence and those who were on their phones. At the same time, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology neuroscientist claimed that many things on the road happen within someone's vision, but that those who are on their phones tend not to see these events, even in their visual periphery.

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 Posted on September 12, 2017 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

You may have heard that the type of vehicle you own can save your life in an accident. In short, people will say that you're safer in a truck or an SUV than you are in a car. Is this true?

It can be. It all depends on the type of accident.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) examined the statistics, and they noted that smaller vehicles are at a disadvantage in multiple-car crashes. Those accidents could be as small as a two-car crash at a stoplight or as large as a 50-car pileup on an icy interstate.

Size is the reason. Larger cars have more mass and a stronger, larger structure to absorb the force of the crash. They also ride higher. This keeps people safe when accidents are unavoidable. Occupant death statistics show that people die far less often in SUVs and pickup trucks.

However, cars are far less likely to be involved in deadly crashes involving only one vehicle. This is especially true for rollover accidents. Most of the people who are in these fatal wrecks are driving trucks and SUVs.

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 Posted on September 07, 2017 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Virginia police do everything they can to patrol the roads and arrest drunk drivers. These efforts have no doubt saved many lives by getting potentially dangerous drivers off our streets and freeways. In this respect, it's always pleasant to see hard-working Virginia law enforcement officers receiving recognition for their good works.

Forty law enforcement officers from Southwest Virginia will be honored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) on Sept. 14 in a special recognition banquet. The officers are from Norton City, Wise County and Dickenson County.

This year's ceremonies will be held in memory of guitarist Thomas Estep, who died last New Year's Day in a drunk driving accident. The guitarist's former band member, Kaitlyn Baker, will be performing in memory of the man who was fatally struck by a drunk driver head-on, after the intoxicated driver crossed the centerline of traffic. The driver was later convicted of aggravated involuntary manslaughter and DUI.

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 Posted on August 31, 2017 in Pedestrian Accidents

Every time you take your bike out for a ride around Manassas, you feel like drivers just won't give you any space. You're always about six inches from being hit — or, at least, that's how it seems.

So, how often are cyclists actually hit by cars? The injury and fatality statistics are telling.

The numbers are holding fairly steady. In 2006, a total of 772 cyclists were killed when they were hit by cars. In 2015, the total was 818. That's an increase of six percent, though the population also increased during that time.

Injury statistics also rose, but not that much. In 2006, reports estimate that 44,000 cyclists were hurt in accidents. In 2015, the total was 45,000. That increase is a mere 2.3 percent.

The cost of all of those accidents is incredible. Estimates put it at $4 billion annually.

Now, you may be wondering if you're at a high risk. Part of it depends on your age. In 1988, the average age of a cyclist at the time of a deadly crash was 24. In 1998, it rose to 32. In 2004, it hit 39. In 2014, it reached 45.

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