Culture of Driving and Using Cell Phones Must Change

Last year, a fatal crash involving a Duck Tour boat and a barge in Philadelphia was caused by the use of a cell phone and laptop while operating a nautical vehicle. The Duck Tour boat had engine problems and stalled on the water, but the pilot of tugboat pulling the barge did not see the…

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Bike Accident Statistics In The Bay Area

The Bay Citizen has compiled data about the Bay Area’s bicycle accidents, and it reveals some alarming statistics. http://www.baycitizen.org/data/bike-accidents/charts/ According to this data, Santa Clara, Alameda, and San Francisco counties rank as the three counties with the most bicycle accidents. The statistics also reveal that over half (52%) of the accidents reported in this study…

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What To Do When You Are Involved In An Accident

Hit and Run in the Mission District SFGate.com reports that on Saturday, June 18, 2011, a motorist on the 2200 block of Mission Street near 18th Street struck and killed a man. Witnesses say the vehicle was a white Chevrolet van  driven by an African American man. The driver fled the scene and the investigation…

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Cycling Helmets: A No Brainer?

Motorcycle accident fatalities are around 40 times higher than deaths resulting from car accidents alone.  More frequently however, it is the helmet that makes the difference whether a biker survives or does not survive a serious accident. Because of this rational, motorcycle helmet laws have been enacted in numerous states across the U.S. including, California. …

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Are Roads Safer In Urban Areas?

What makes a road safe?  The answer to this question depends upon whom you ask.  For example, a new study this week put out by USA Today asserts,” Roads are safer in urban areas.” But how could this be?  First of all, you might look to a body of independent studies published over the past…

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Yield to Pedestrians for the Record

Pedestrian safety is a serious issue in California.  One statistic from the California Department of Motor Vehicles provides that “Pedestrian deaths occur in seventeen percent of all traffic fatalities.”  But what is a pedestrian? According to the current California Driver Handbook Laws and Rules of the Road, “A pedestrian is a person on foot or…

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