Many people would argue that drivers that merge at the last opportunity before the lane closure are committing a "Jerk Merge;" however, writer Tom Vanderbilt would disagree. Vanderbilt's book entitled: Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us),...
Year: 2014
Do Crosswalk Countdown Timers Make Intersections More Dangerous?
A recent study by University of Calgary economists Arvind Magesan and Sacha Kapoor investigated the effects of the city of Toronto installing crosswalk-count-down timer lights at 1,800 intersections. The timers did lower the number of accidents involving pedestrians;...
Should Pedestrian Injuries and Fatalities Be A Warning That Requires Fixing the Design of Intersections?
For the past 20 years, Sweden has been building intersections and transportation systems that try to achieve an annual goal of reaching zero pedestrian deaths throughout the country. They named this 1997 Legislative initiative "Vision Zero." The Swedes have narrowed...
“I Was Just Reaching to Pick Up My Phone!”
Why do so many negligent drivers give the excuse that they "were just reaching over to pick up their cell phone" after they have caused a tragic accident? Do negligent drivers feel this is a more acceptable or less blame-worthy response to give the Police than I was...
Dramatic Increase in Women Being Arrested for Drunk Driving
Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) statistics show a twenty-one percent (21%) increase in Driving Under the Influence (DUI) arrests among women during the nine year period between 2003 and 2012. Annual arrests among women increased from 174,000 to 650,000...
Closing Michigan’s Motorcycle Temporary Permit Loophole To Increase Motorcycle Safety
Last Tuesday both houses of the Michigan Legislature passed a law that limits the number of times motorcycle operators can obtain a Temporary Instruction Permit without completing the skills test required for the full motorcycle endorsement on their Michigan Drivers...
Increased use of Party Buses – does the trend increase or decrease safety on Michigan Roads?
The start of N.H.L. playoffs, upcoming graduation parties, prom season, and the increased use of "party buses" across the nation reminds one of the tragic accident involving Red Wings' Vladimir Konstantinov in 1997. Almost seventeen years ago, Konstantinov's limo...
Wrong-Way Drunk Driver Kills Motorist in Kalamazoo on U.S. 131
Toxicology tests confirmed that drunk driver Jeremy Smeltzer who drove the wrong way in the southbound lane of U.S. 131 near Kalamazoo on April 15, 2014 and killed a driver driving the correct direction on the express-way had an blood alcohol content that was more...
Guardian Appointments for Severely Injured Auto Accident Victims
Sadly, it is sometimes necessary to appoint a guardian for person that has been severely injured in an automobile accident in Michigan. Oftentimes, a guardian is necessary because the adult victim has suffered a traumatic brain injury that has temporarily or...