Maine Personal Injury Attorney Says New Federal Study Puts Dollar Figure On Highway Accident Costs, Shows Value Of Improving Highway Safety

Auburn, ME (PRWEB) September 22, 2010

Stephen B. Wade, an attorney with the Maine-based law firm of Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, said a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows how costly highway accidents are for all Americans.

The CDC report, based on data from 2005, said automobile accidents drain the U.S. economy of nearly $ 100 billion a year, with a cost to each licensed driver of about $ 500 annually. Fatalities accounted for more than half the cost, or $ 58 billion.

"We all know the high personal toll car and motorcycle accidents can take on individual lives in Maine, but now we can see the financial toll across the country," said Wade, who handles vehicle accident claims. "As a nation, we need to bring down the cost in pain, loss of life and in dollars."

Wade said improving highway safety isn't complex. The steps that reduce the risk of car accident deaths and injuries are well known, he said. Wade endorsed several steps recommended by the CDC to reduce car crashes and other vehicle injuries:

????Increase the use of sobriety checkpoints;
????Mandate the use of motorcycle and bicycle helmets;
????Pass and enforce primary car seat belt laws that would allow police officers to stop a driver not wearing a seatbelt.

Wade added to the CDC list, saying there is a need for greater enforcement of speed limits. In Maine, Wade said the Department of Motor Vehicles found that in one recent year speeding was a factor in 18 percent of accidents and 47 percent of motor vehicle fatalities.

"We know what we have to do to end the carnage on Maine highways. We need to press those efforts to their maximum effect ? fight drunk driving, make people buckle up and wear helmets on bikes and motorcycles and, finally, press motorists to keep within the speed limit," Wade said.

About Skelton, Taintor & Abbott

Skelton, Taintor & Abbott, located in downtown Auburn, Maine, has earned a reputation since 1853 as one of Maine?s most respected law firms. Several of the firm?s attorneys are listed in The Best Lawyers in America and New England Super Lawyers. The trial attorneys of Skelton, Taintor & Abbott practice in state and federal trial courts in a variety of personal injury cases and have successfully handled cases for numerous car accident victims throughout the state of Maine.

For more information, contact the Maine car accident attorneys of Skelton, Taintor & Abbott at 207-784-3200 or through the online contact form.

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Washington DC Car Accident Attorney Hails Maryland's New Ban On Hand-Held Cell Phones And Driving

Washington, DC (PRWEB) October 12, 2010

Michael A. Abelson, a Washington DC attorney who handles car accident cases, says a new Maryland law banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving will bring an immediate improvement in highway safety.

"Distracted driving is one of the fastest growing and most preventable hazards on the road. This law will go a long way towards getting drivers' attention back to driving, not talking," said Abelson, a Washington, DC lawyer who represents personal injury and car accident victims.

Lawyer Mike Abelson is founder of the Abelson Law Firm, with offices in Washington DC and the Maryland cities of Baltimore and Frederick.

Maryland is the eighth state to ban drivers from talking on a handheld cell phone under a new law that took effect Oct. 1. Maryland banned sending text messages while driving last year.

"We are making important gains against distracted driving," Abelson said. "But the scale of the problem and the power of the temptation to make even a quick call or text means it will take more laws and education to keep making progress."

In 2008, an estimated 21 percent of 1.6 million injury crashes were reported to have involved distracted driving, according the National Highway Safety Administration.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's website distraction.gov reports that:

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
Using a cell phone while driving, whether it?s hand-held or hands-free, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.

The push to ban hand-held cell phones while driving began more a decade ago and encountered resistance by lawmakers who thought it would be too intrusive on individual rights. The law that passed takes a gentler approach to offenders than some safety experts advocated.

The bill sets a $ 40 fine for a first offense and $ 100 for continuing violations, but being ticketed for the first time will not add points to a motorist's driving record.

Violating the cell phone ban is a secondary offense which means police cannot stop a motorists only for using a hand-held cell phone. There must be a primary offense, such as speeding or erratic driving.

Abelson noted that seat belt laws became tougher as the public came to appreciate the importance of buckling up. He predicted the cell phone law will evolve in the same direction.

"This is a start, a big start," he said. "Once people see how a reduction in hand-held cell phone makes our roads safer, they will wonder what took so long."

Only eight states and Washington DC have banned handheld cell use for all drivers. California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington state currently ban handheld cell phone use while driving. Delaware also has approved a ban, but it doesn't take effect until January.

About the Abelson Law Firm

The Abelson Law Firm, based in Washington, D.C., assists victims of serious personal injuries. Senior attorney Michael A. Abelson has received the Lawyer of the Year Award from the Trial Lawyers Association of Washington, D.C., and has been listed as among ?The Cream of the Legal Establishment? by Washingtonian Magazine. Abelson has more than 35 years of legal experience, and he is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates as well as being a sustaining member of the American Association for Justice. For a free case evaluation, call (888) 797-4242 or use the firm?s online form.

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South Carolina Attorney Urges Parents To Talk With Teen Drivers About Seat Belt Use

Columbia, South Carolina (PRWEB) October 26, 2010

South Carolina personal injury lawyer Bert Louthian says parents should take the time to remind their teen drivers about the vital importance of wearing seat belts.

?Unfortunately, I think young and inexperienced drivers tend to see seat belts as optional,? says Louthian, a partner in The Louthian Law Firm, P.A., which represents car accident and truck accident victims.

?With National Teen Driver Safety Week having just occurred, it?s the ideal time to remind teens that seat belts are not optional. Instead, they?re required by law and absolutely necessary for protecting them if they are in a motor vehicle accident.?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teen drivers buckle up less frequently than any other age group. In a 2006 NHTSA survey, only 76 percent of teens reported observing seat belt use.

That?s an alarming statistic, considering the high rate of serious injuries and fatalities suffered by those who are not buckled up at the time of a car or truck collision, Louthian says.

Through Oct. 18, 2010, a total of 466 people have died this year in automobile accidents on South Carolina interstate routes, highways and streets, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), including 29 deaths so far in the month of October.

Out of the state?s 2010 traffic fatalities, 256 victims were reported to not be wearing seat belts, or roughly 55 percent, the SCDPS reports.

?Teen drivers need to know the risk of a catastrophic or fatal injury if they drive without a seat belt,? Louthian says. ?They should also know that studies show that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of suffering a fatal injury by as much as 50 percent.?

According to the SCDPS, seat belts help to prevent ejection, shift car crash forces to the strongest parts of the body?s structure, spread forces over a wide area of the body, allow the body to slow down gradually and protect the head and spinal cord from injury.

Since 2005, South Carolina has followed a primary enforcement seat belt law, meaning that a police officer has authority to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt. In the wake of the law, seat belt use has increased from 69.7 percent in 2005 to 81.5 percent in 2009, the SCDPS reports.

?The question is ? are your teen drivers getting the message? Now is as good of a time as any to make sure they are getting it,? Louthian says. ?As a personal injury lawyer, I have witnessed the devastating impact of car and truck accidents on victims and their families, and that?s why I feel strongly that we need to make sure our young drivers are driving safely.?

About The Louthian Law Firm

The Louthian Law Firm, P.A., of Columbia, S.C., has been obtaining fair compensation for personal injury victims since 1959. The firm was founded by Herbert Louthian, who has more than 50 years of trial experience and is licensed to practice in all courts in South Carolina. The Louthian Law Firm focuses on personal injury cases involving medical malpractice; car, truck and motorcycle accidents; and other serious and catastrophic injuries throughout South Carolina. For a free, confidential case evaluation, contact the firm by phone at (866) 410-5656 or through its online form.

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