Middleton Wisconsin Personal Injury Law Blog

Wisconsin teens might benefit from road safety programs that have reality-based and interactive elements. Researchers at Baylor University in Texas recommended these types of programs after studying responses from participants who took part in the Texas Reality Education for Drivers program. This program involves lectures, discussions and visits to places such as the morgue, emergency room and intensive care unit.

Young drivers who were sent to the six-hour program by parents, community groups or court administrators took a survey before starting the classes. A number of participants admitted to talking on phones and texting while driving. After the program, however, their awareness of the role of peer influence in drinking and driving and the dangers of speeding was higher. Of the 21 original participants, only six filled out the follow-up survey two months later. Four had driven, and all said they had driven while texting or talking on the phone. Two said they had driven more than 20 miles above the speed limit.

If you work construction in Wisconsin, you already know how important it is to take every precaution to protect yourself from worksite accidents. Even more important than using appropriate protective equipment, preventing injuries begins with thorough training and scrupulous caution.

Construction accidents result in thousands of injuries and fatalities each year, leaving workers to re-evaluate their lives, and families to cope with unspeakable loss. While falling is the number one cause of injury on worksites, the second is struck by accidents. These result in nearly 800 deaths a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Many drivers in Wisconsin are enthusiastic about the potential of autonomous and semiautonomous driving cars. While advancing technology could lead to a future of self-driving cars, current electronic systems provide assistance to drivers as they navigate the roads. These systems are meant to make driving easier and safer not only for the vehicle's operator but for everyone else sharing the road. However, these technologies are limited, and if drivers don't pay attention to the road, a catastrophe could result.

One study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety highlights the realities of these technologies. Researchers tested five market-leading systems from Tesla, Volvo, Mercedes and BMW on both public roads and a closed track. They reported that the technologies can be helpful in improving safety and preventing car accidents as well as save lives. At the same time, drivers have a responsibility to be engaged, involved and aware since negligent or distracted driving could easily lead to a devastating crash. The systems are not so advanced that drivers can rely on them to brake successfully for stopped cars or other obstacles on the road.

Electronic driver-assist technology makes the roads in Wisconsin and across the United States safer, according to a recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. In fact, lane departure and blind spot caution systems reduce the rates of single-vehicle head-on and sideswipe crashes by around 18 percent. When these types of crashes do occur, the systems reduce the rate of injuries by 24 percent and fatalities by 86 percent.

When adjustments were made for factors such as driver age and insurance risk, the IIHS study found that lane departure/blind spot warning systems decreased crashes by 11 percent and injuries by 21 percent. Previous studies have shown the systems reduce crash rates even more dramatically. For example, a 2015 study of American trucks discovered that lane departure warning systems reduced lane departure crashes by almost 50 percent. Meanwhile, a Swedish study of Volvos claimed that the systems reduced such crashes by 53 percent.