Graduated licensing programs are stricter with new drivers and require more training than the old "turn 16 and get your license" approach. South Carolina, for example, has a conditional license for 15-year-olds, a special restricted license for 16-year-olds and a regular license for drivers 17 and older.
]]> The state's conditional and restricted licenses limit the hours of the day a new driver may be on the road and the number and age of passengers. They also require driver's education and a certain number of hours of supervised practice behind the wheel.Researchers aren't quite sure if it's the graduated licensing system or just a societal shift, but for some reason kids are waiting longer to get their licenses, too. It could trace back to the recession.
Budget problems have forced schools to drop driver's education classes, and families with thinner wallets are less willing or able to pay the increased insurance premium and higher gas bills that would come with a teenage driver. As a representative from the Governor's Highway Safety Association put it, teenagers are "optional drivers." When money is tight, optional expenses are the first to go.
New challenges present themselves with every new batch of teen drivers, though. Cellphone use and texting have been problems for a few years. Something else will take their place in the next few years. For safety advocates, the key is keeping parents involved during the first few years their children drive.
Source: Christian Science Monitor, "Why teen driving deaths have tumbled to historic lows," Andrew Mach, May 10, 2012
]]>In fact, the recession may have kept us all off the roads. Overall, traffic fatalities dropped 1.7 percent between 2010 and 2011 -- the seventh consecutive year-over-year decline according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Last year's total of 32,310 traffic deaths was the lowest in the 63 years the NHTSA has been collecting the data.
]]> Still, the big success story is about the teenage drivers. Car accidents are still the number one cause of death among teenagers, but the drop in numbers shows progress toward the goal of 0 deaths every year.The combined efforts of safety advocates, law enforcement and state legislatures have helped to reduce the number of drunk driving accidents across the country. Teens are using safety belts more than they had in the past, too. And, automakers have improved the standard safety features in vehicles.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says the most credit belongs with graduated driver's license programs. According to the AAA, tiered licensing programs are responsible for reducing the number of 16- and 17-year-old drivers in fatal crashes by close to 40 percent.
In our next post, we will discuss graduated licensing programs and touch on other reasons for the decline in traffic deaths among teenagers.
Source: Christian Science Monitor, "Why teen driving deaths have tumbled to historic lows," Andrew Mach, May 10, 2012
]]>Inspectors stated that they found the interiors of the building coated with mold, and cockroaches were everywhere. They also asserted that the patients were being given rotten food to eat. While many residents must take one or more medications, the inspectors said that the facility was storing the drugs in a helter skelter fashion, with no indication of which pills belonged to which resident, allowing for the possibility of medication errors.
]]> Building inspectors and police ruled that the two buildings were unsafe for the residents and ordered them condemned following the inspection. The 20-bed, two building facility housed elderly patients that need a high level of care.Tragically, inspectors also were shocked to discover that at least one patient was dangerously dehydrated and undernourished. There had been a similar allegation concerning the facility in 2004, when authorities accused the director of failing to provide adequate food to a 65-year-old female resident.
In this latest case, the 79-year-old male patient was sent to a hospital because of a dangerously accelerated heart rate and blood devoid of needed nutrition. In the 2004 case, the home's operator was fined $8,300 for insect problems and food coated with mold.
Authorities shut the facility down April 12. They moved the 13 elderly patients then on the premises to other facilities and took the director away, under arrest.
Source: Post & Courier, "Court documents describe mold, bugs, rotten food at North Charleston group home," Andrew Knapp, April 14, 2012
]]>The crash occurred early Tuesday evening, around 6:20 p.m., at the intersection of King Street and Line Street. Authorities say the truck, heading south on King, turned left onto Line. The mo-ped was headed north on Line. The truck knocked the victim off his vehicle and ran him over.
]]> Emergency medical personnel arrived quickly, according to witnesses, and transported the victim to Medical University Hospital. The 57-year-old from West Ashley died at the hospital of blunt-force trauma. Reports included no information about his family.According to the Charleston police, the 37-year-old truck driver had no South Carolina driver's license, and the truck was not registered. He is now facing criminal charges.
Police say, too, that the owner of the truck has also been charged. He is accused of not having insurance, allowing an unauthorized driver to operate the truck and failing to surrender a suspended license plate.
At least one other witness tried to help the victim.
The intersection was closed off for a while as police and emergency personnel cleared the site and gathered information for their investigation.
Source: Post & Courier, "Man killed when mo-ped, truck collide at King and Line streets," Edward C. Fennell, May 9, 2012
]]>Any problems with the bridge on Monday were separate from the problems with the truck. The driver had never had the vehicle inspected, although the federal government requires an annual inspection. Police charged the driver with multiple vehicle violations, including failure to secure equipment properly.
]]> If there had been a breakdown lane, though, the accident may not have happened. The vehicles the truck ran into were stopped; one was disabled, and the others, including a police car, were there to help.Even so, the criticism doesn't sit well with some: A representative from the South Carolina Department of Transportation noted that the 7-year-old bridge was built according to standards at the time. He added that the bridge was no more dangerous than the interstate.
The design does afford a driver a straight, wide open stretch of road that many find difficult to resist. "Late at night," a Charleston officer said, "people like to hit it." Officers have cited drivers for going 100 mph or more.
Accidents happen at all times of day, and each crash affects many more people than those directly involved. On Monday, for example, the road was closed for several hours.
Sources:
ABCNews4.com, "Police cruiser involved in serious accident on NB ramp to Ravenel Bridge," April 30, 2012
Post and Courier, "Ravenel Bridge wrecks might be exacerbated by design, speeders, police say," Bo Petersen, May 1, 2012
]]>The truck's brakes failed as it made its way up the eastbound Interstate 526 entrance ramp. After sideswiping one car, the 18-wheeler swerved into a State Highway Emergency Patrol truck; it swerved again and crashed into a police car in which two officers were sitting. No one was seriously hurt; the officers and the semi's driver and passenger sustained minor injuries.
]]> In the past three years, the Ravenel Bridge has been the site of more than 80 accidents. For all the mayhem, there have been remarkably few fatalities in that time. Officials and citizens alike are beginning to wonder if the fault lies in the bridge or in ourselves.The Charleston Police Department reports that vehicles tend to travel well in excess of the speed limit. Officers regularly ticket drivers for doing more than 100 mph. Monitoring speeds is dangerous on the bridge, too. In 2006, a car slammed into a police cruiser that was parked on the bridge checking for speeders.
Safety advocates complain that the bridge doesn't have a breakdown lane. If a car is in trouble, or if the police pull someone over, there is no safe place to stop. That's what happened on Monday, in fact. Police, fire fighters and the SHEP truck had stopped on the flyover ramp to help a disabled truck. The tractor trailer couldn't avoid them when the brakes went out.
To be continued ...
Sources:
ABCNews4.com, "Police cruiser involved in serious accident on NB ramp to Ravenel Bridge," April 30, 2012
Post and Courier, "Ravenel Bridge wrecks might be exacerbated by design, speeders, police say," Bo Petersen, May 1, 2012
]]>The pilot and a woman on the ground were killed. A third person, the woman's husband, suffered first-degree burns. All three were frequent visitors to South Carolina; the pilot often flew his plane from his home to an airport near the popular vacation spot.
]]> The pilot had been practicing instrument approaches at the time. The sky was overcast, and a mist had settled over the area. Investigators believe the pilot became disoriented and, as we discussed in our post at the time of the crash, flew too low. His Cessna clipped the top of a tree, plowed through the victims' trailer and slammed into a truck.The truck and airplane exploded; the pilot was killed instantly. Fire destroyed the trailer, killing the woman and leaving her husband with severe injuries.
Information from the airport indicated that the pilot was in trouble before the crash. In a radio exchange with the tower, the 62-year-old said he had gotten himself "a little bit out of whack" and he was "just trying to straighten it out." The plane then disappeared from radar.
The accident marked the second time in a year that a person on the ground died in a single-engine plane accident. In March 2010, a pilot was forced to make an emergency landing on a Hilton Head Island beach. He struck and killed a man who was out for a run.
The victim's widow later filed a wrongful death claim. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no mention of a claim in the RV park accident.
Source: Boston.com, "Feds: Pilot disoriented in SC crash that killed 2," Bruce Smith, April 23, 2012
]]>The number of deaths among the vulnerable roadway users had actually declined significantly from 2006 to 2010. So far, no one has offered any explanation or hypothesis for the shift, but everyone wants to stop the upward trend in its tracks. One state official suggested that drivers, bikers and pedestrians may not know the law as well as they should.
]]> For example, cars and trucks must make way for cyclists. For their part, cyclists must obey the rules of the road -- all of the laws that apply to motor vehicles apply to them, especially riding in the same direction as traffic.Pedestrians may not realize it, but if there is a sidewalk, the law requires them to use it. While it isn't illegal not to wear bright colors if you're walking at night, it's certainly smarter -- and safer. Reflective materials also alert drivers to a pedestrian's presence. In fact, the department is distributing reflective wristbands to pedestrians.
The wristbands are part of a statewide campaign to educate everyone on the road about risks and safety measures. The campaign includes stepped-up enforcement of traffic laws as well. The department promised that drivers would see more blue lights around the state as local and state police work to lower the number of pedestrian deaths.
In addition to the increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths, the department had some more bad news: In 2011, more than 10 percent of South Carolina's fatal traffic accidents involved pedestrians or cyclists. It's no wonder that only 0.2 percent of the population walks or bikes to work.
Source: Patch.com, "State Crackdown To Protect 'Vulnerable' on S.C Roads," Adam Crisp, April 25, 2012
]]>The department has some good news and some bad news to share about the number of traffic fatalities in the state. The good news: In 2011, car and truck accidents took fewer lives than they did during 2010. The bad news: During that same period, the number of fatalities among walkers, motorcyclists and bicycle riders increased, for the second consecutive year.
]]> The trend this year is alarming: From January to April, 30 pedestrians, five cyclists and 28 motorcyclists were killed. At this rate, South Carolina could see a 60 percent increase in these deaths in 2012.Let's face it: A walker or biker is no match for a 3,000-pound vehicle, as a Public Safety Department official put it. That is why the department calls walkers, bikers and cyclists "vulnerable roadway users."
It isn't just the drivers' faults, the official continued. Yes, drivers need to keep a look out, but everyone on the road needs to follow the law.
The question is, how many drivers, cyclists and walkers know the law? How many times have you seen a cyclist speed past a stop sign? The Public Safety Department thinks it's time to remind everyone of the rules and to encourage bikers, walkers and motor vehicles to share the road as prescribed by law.
We'll continue this in our next post.
Source: Patch.com, "State Crackdown To Protect 'Vulnerable' on S.C Roads," Adam Crisp, April 25, 2012
]]>The researchers started with a national database of severely injured patients who had received treatment at trauma centers in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Trauma centers are different from emergency rooms; trauma centers specialize in treating severe injuries which, lately, have mostly come from car accidents. The "ambulance data" included 162,000 teens and adults, and the "helicopter data" included 62,000.
]]> From the basic numbers, with no adjustments for severity of injury or location of the accident, the researchers found that patients transported by ambulance had better outcomes. While approximately 11 percent eventually died from their injuries, 13 percent of the other group eventually died.When mitigating factors were accounted for, the results changed. The researchers adjusted their results for age, type of injury and vital signs at transport in an effort to focus only on the effect of the transportation mode. The helicopter patients had a better chance of survival.
The margin isn't very large -- just a 1 or 2 percent difference between helicopter and ambulance -- but it was enough to prompt additional questions. The next step would be to look at distance traveled, treatment received from emergency responders and other unmeasured factors.
A trauma center administrator told the press that the issue isn't merely academic. The results could help responders determine which situations or injuries turn out better with one or the other mode of transport. There are policy implications, and there are certainly cost implications.
Trauma professionals caution that costs vary widely from location to location. In one city, they estimated that taking one patient by helicopter costs about $5,000 -- and that factors into the state spending $325,000 on helicopter transports for each life saved. That's about what open-heart surgery costs.
Source: Reuters.com, "Trauma patients taken by chopper may fare better," Andrew M. Seaman, April 17, 2012
]]>Officials said they were relieved that the sulfuric acid did not flow into the Green River. All lanes were closed for more than 15 hours while various crews worked to clear the wreck and the spill.
]]> Hazardous material teams from area fire departments worked quickly to stop the chemical flow from the truck and extinguish the fire. After the crash, residents in the area were evacuated by first responders. The evacuation covered about a one-mile radius and 54 homes. All responders made sure the scene was contained and worked through the night to make sure no damage to the environment occurred through the cleanup.An emergency services official told reporters he was impressed with the teams working on the scene, and that no one became ill during the process of cleaning the acid. He added the crews neutralized the acid with thousands of pounds of lime before sucking the chemicals from the ground through a vacuum.
The 43-year-old driver of the semi did not sustain serious injuries, and the Department of Transportation has yet to finish inspecting the bridge to make sure it is structurally sound. Westbound lanes were reopened first; opening eastbound lanes waited on the bridge assessment.
A trucking company took care of the cleanup to make sure all contaminants were removed, and members of the Environmental Protection Agency answered all questions by area residents. Soon, samples from the soil will make sure there is no further contamination.
Source: GoUpstate.com, "I-26 shut down after hazmat spill in NC," Mark Schulman, April 4, 2012
]]>The reasons for the jump are unclear. The study's authors suggested it could be the stress associated with filing taxes or the last-minute race across Charleston to the post office.
]]> There are other theories. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for example, accidents are more likely to happen if the driver is on an unfamiliar route. Often, the route to the post office -- especially the midnight drop-off box -- is unfamiliar. It isn't a place drivers go every day, much less in the middle of the night.At least one patient safety expert says the study results are interesting, but the explanations are all speculation. Yes, on average there were 226 traffic-related deaths per Tax Day over the 30 years covered by the study. And, yes, there were 213 per day a week before Tax Day and a week after during the same time. But that's the end of the story, so far.
Whatever the reason for the increase in accidents, it works out to be one more good reason to get your taxes done early. If you are thinking that e-filing has made the roads safer, though, you should know that traffic deaths have increased since the IRS introduced the electronic filing system.
Source: CBSNews.com, "Study: Tax deadline day can be deadly on US roads," Associated Press, April 10, 2012
]]>The study appears in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association and, surprisingly, was not conducted by an American. Still, the results are surprising: From 1980 to 2009, Tax Day saw 6 percent more traffic deaths than any other day in April. (Please note that Tax Day is generally April 15; this year, the IRS moved the deadline to April 17.)
]]> Other research has shown that money issues are stressful for American families. Tax Day brings its own level of stress, as well: Meeting the deadline, filling out the right forms, wondering about the risk of an audit ... a host of scenarios, each more stressful than the last, come to mind when people just think about Tax Day. When the day finally arrives, a person's stress level can be off the charts.If distracted driving can cause an accident, stressed driving certainly can. Drivers who feel stressed are short-tempered or in a hurry; they can be mentally distracted or physically uncomfortable (headache, neck ache, stomach issues). They are simply not at their best.
We'll continue this in our next post.
Source: CBSNews.com, "Study: Tax deadline day can be deadly on US roads," Associated Press, April 10, 2012
]]>As we have discussed before, the Tort Claims Act came under fire last year when a miniature train derailed in a Spartanburg County park. The accident claimed the life of a young boy; many others were seriously injured. Investigators laid the blame for the accident at the feet of the county and county personnel.
]]> The accident may have been the impetus for the bill, but it is also one of the reasons lawmakers have been reluctant to debate the proposal. It puts legislators in an uncomfortable spot. If they vote to adopt the changes to current law, the state's insurance premiums are likely to increase sharply. If they vote the bill down, they'll be seen as heartless, because the immediate beneficiaries of the change would be the victims of Spartanburg train accident.Money is an issue: Reducing or eliminating the cap would result in unmanageable insurance premiums, according to the bill's opponents. One senator suggested that the state shift the insurance costs to the counties or municipalities.
The idea is to allow local governments to purchase supplemental insurance coverage for activities like the miniature train ride. An amusement ride is really not the typical business of a government body, so its risk should be separate from general risks a government faces. This way, the local governments could continue to provide rides like the train, but the state's insurance would not change.
At least one senator countered that the scheme would help in situations like the Spartanburg accident, but a bus accident, for example, would still be subject to the damage cap. If, he said, those same people had been in a city bus accident, their recovery would still be limited -- and would still be inadequate.
The subcommittee's report could go in any direction at this point.
Source: Insurance Journal, "South Carolina Lawmakers Delay Liability Cap Vote," Meg Kinnard, March 16, 2012
]]>One of the most serious permanent injuries after a car accident is head trauma, including brain injury. For the victims and families of brain injury, the consequences are life altering. Many victims require 24-hour care. In the worst cases, a brain injury can result in a permanent vegetative state or death. While statistics evidence a decline in teenage fatalities over the past six years, car accidents remain the leading cause of traumatic brain injury death among 15- to 19-year-olds.
]]> Recent reports found that more than 55,000 teenage drivers and their passengers who were seriously injured in 2009 and 2010 also suffered from acute head injuries. These brain injuries include concussions, skull fractures and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Many victims are unable to fully recover from head injuries and the damage can have a lifelong impact on physical and cognitive abilities.While inexperienced teenage drivers always pose a risk, some have advocated for stricter licensing for teens. Statistically, states with the most comprehensive graduated driver licensing laws (GDL) have lower fatality rates among teens. Currently, Arizona, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have the most comprehensive GDL laws and the lowest teen fatality rates. A comprehensive GDL law includes 50 hours of adult-supervised practice under various conditions. Under similar laws, teens are limited in the number of passengers they can transport, night driving is restricted, and seatbelts are required.
Advocates in South Carolina have suggested increasing the permit age to 16, extending restrictions on teen drivers through the age of 17, and adding prohibitions on cell phone devices. Do you think that South Carolina should adopt graduated driver licensing laws to reduce teen brain injury and fatality?
Source: Forbes, "Car Crashes Are The Leading Cause of Fatal Head Trauma Among Teens," Jim Gorzelany, April 2, 2012
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