Pedestrian safety is key everywhere, but especially in a city like Ann Arbor. There are many walkers and bicyclists, thanks to accessible walkways and bike lanes. There are far too many pedestrian fatalities in cities across the United States. Between 40 and 50 percent of traffic deaths are pedestrians in large cities.
This is why the City of Ann Arbor released a report on driving behavior and pedestrian safety. Here are the findings of the study.
Not every high-net-worth divorce generates much watercooler talk in Michigan unless this type of split involves the head of one of the biggest online retailers in the world. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife of 25 years announced plans to end their marriage shortly after the beginning of 2019.
As is often the case with a high-asset divorce that comes after a long marriage, the couple has many joint interests and obligations along with four teenage children. A general recommendation for handling a split like this is to focus on certain priorities. This may require that both spouses make a mutual effort to avoid negative talk in public about the divorce while continuing to attend social events and functions involving the children and their various charitable interests.
A recent study conducted for AAA regarding infotainment systems shows that modern vehicles could have added distractions for drivers. Participants in the study, who were aged 21 to 36, were asked to engage in various activities like calling, texting and programming navigation while driving. The results should make many drivers in Michigan think hard about the distractions that they allow in their vehicles.
It was discovered that GPS use and texting distracted drivers for more than 40 seconds -- a startling number considering how taking one's eyes off the road for 2 seconds can double the risk of a car crash. Even using voice commands and listening to the radio were found to be distracting at some level. When distracted, the participants failed to halt at stop signs, swerved out of lanes and traveled at speeds far below the posted limit.
The death of a pedestrian temporarily closed eastbound Interstate 94 in Roseville on Christmas Eve. The preliminary investigation by the Michigan State Police has revealed that the victim was a 23-year-old man from Clinton Township.
A state police lieutenant said that the man had been walking on the shoulder of the freeway near Masonic Road and was hit at 8:35 p.m. Authorities have yet to learn why he was on foot on the interstate after dark. The driver of the vehicle who hit him stopped at the accident scene and has been cooperating with the police investigation.
When Michigan business owners get a divorce, it may be necessary to determine what portion of the business the other spouse is entitled to claim. The first step in this process is to get the business appraised.
An accurate appraisal will take more than just the company's books into account. It will also consider both tangible and intangible assets ranging from equipment belonging to the business to the company's reputation. It is important to have someone perform the appraisal who is experienced enough to identify when a person is trying to make the business look as though it is worth significantly more or less. This could be done by altering the expense reports or hiding profits. Another consideration is that in a family business, there could be handshake deals with no official paperwork.
A divorce can be an emotional and trying time. You have to consider several different elements, including finances and various financial contributors.
For those with a business, this can be more challenging than a regular divorce. It is good to understand and address a few key aspects in regards to your business during a divorce.
Car accidents aren't only a serious safety concern for people in Michigan. The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning about the threat that traffic collisions pose to people around the world. At a global level, vehicle crashes are now the leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 5 and 29. They are also the eighth most common cause of fatalities for people of all ages, taking more lives than tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. According to the WHO's 2018 Global Status Report on Road Safety, motor vehicle collisions took 1.35 million lives around the world in 2016.
That's why the WHO has highlighted roadway safety as a major international public health concern deserving of serious attention. The United Nations set a goal to halve fatalities from traffic accidents between 2016 and 2020, but the report noted that this is unlikely to be achieved. However, it did say that while the number of roadway accident victims has escalated, the death rate has remained relatively stable in terms of the world population. That rate has remained at around 18 car crash deaths per 100,000 people for the past 15 years.
New safety data regarding the emerging technology of external airbags is out from the ZF Group, a car parts manufacturer. Michigan drivers should know that these airbags, in the event of a side impact crash, could lessen the severity of occupant injuries by as much as 40 percent. While many manufacturers are developing external airbags, it seems clear that they will not be perfected for a while yet.
ZF has developed an external airbag that goes on either side of a vehicle, inflates within 15 milliseconds and acts as an added crumple zone, absorbing the shock of the collision. This reaction time is comparable to that of a steering wheel airbag. It's all the more impressive considering the external airbag's bulk: 13 pounds in all, and 80 inches long, 21 inches high and 15 inches wide. Dimensions will vary, of course, with a vehicle's size.
Winter driving in Michigan means sometimes icy and snowy roads, reduced visibility and cold. It can also mean a greater risk of accidents, as hazardous weather conditions make it harder to drive safely. The National Safety Council has released recommendations for drivers to carry certain items in their vehicles if they're going to be driving in winter weather.
Specifically, the NSC recommends drivers have a spare tire, properly inflated, along with a jack to raise the car and a tire iron. It also recommends drivers have a shovel, tow chains, tire chains, a toolkit, a flashlight, extra flashlight batteries, a compass, a first aid kit, windshield cleaning liquid, an ice scraper, a snow brush, matches, scissors, string or cord, blankets, gloves or mittens, warm socks and a hat. When a vehicle skids or slides off the road or gets stuck in winter weather, these items can be of significant use to the driver.
Michigan residents who have vehicles with automatic braking features may be in less danger of getting into an accident. This is according to a recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study. It looked at General Motors vehicles of various sizes and styles from 2013 to 2015. The reason researchers chose the 2013 to 2015 time period is because not all vehicles from those years came with the automatic emergency braking system standard.
The study found that cars with front crash warning and automatic emergency braking were in 43 percent fewer rear-end collisions. They were also involved in 64 percent fewer crashes that resulted in injuries. The study into the GM vehicles was not the only one to show that this feature was an effective way to reduce the occurrence and severity of rear-end crashes. Previous studies found that the same was true of Volvo and Subaru vehicles.
Kline Legal Group P.L.C.
483 Little Lake Drive, Suite 200
Ann Arbor,
MI
48103
Phone:
734-249-6100
Fax:
734-302-7222
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