Personal Injury Lawyer in Texas

Last month, Consumer Reports, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the Truck Safety Coalition, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and the National Safety Council Road to Zero Coalition announced their support for the Stop Underrides Act. The Stop Underrides Act is a bill that would “direct the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue rules requiring strong metal bars on the rear, sides, and front of trailers, semi-trailers, and single-unit trucks.” In the event of a collision, underride guards have been proven to help stop a vehicle from continuing underneath a truck. The metal bar guards will improve the likelihood that a car’s air bags and other protection systems can function to keep the occupant safer while also lessening the chances for windshield-first crashes. David Friedman, VP of Advocacy for Consumer Reports, said the following, “Stronger underride guards on trucks will make these crashes far less severe. The technology is there—what’s been missing is the wil...

Last year a self-driving Uber struck and killed a woman in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of the crash, the Uber vehicle was in autonomous mode. Although capable of driving on its own, the Uber still requires a backup driver inside the vehicle to intervene when the autonomous system fails to navigate complex driving situations. In this case, the driver was looking down at his phone. By the time he looked up and could have intervened, it was too late. Police say this accident was “entirely avoidable.” The Yavapai County Attorney recently released a letter made public stating there was “no basis” for criminal liability for Uber, but noted that the conduct of the backup driver should be investigated further by the Tempe police. The National Transportation Safety Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are still investigating the incident. In March 2018, authorities suspended Uber’s ability to test its self-driving cars in Arizona and Uber voluntarily halted its...

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, by way of its Pedestrian Safety Special Investigation Report, since 2009 the deaths of pedestrians in traffic accidents in the United States has increased 46%. Take a moment and let this statistic sink in. NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt may have described this problem best when he stated, “pedestrian safety is a universal issue – we are all pedestrians.” The factors for this statistic are unclear, as the information does not provide a cause for the spike in deaths. However, some researchers believe an improving economy could be a factor because it allows for more people to be out on the roads. Another popular belief is how cell phones play a role because they distract both drivers and pedestrians. With this new report, the National Transportation Safety Board has asked for a three-pronged approach to fight the issue. They also made eight safety recommendations to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, t...