Middleton Wisconsin Personal Injury Law Blog

Professionals who study car safety ratings say that many vehicles Wisconsin drivers and others own may not be as safe as advertised. This is because crash tests don't consider how smaller vehicles fare in head-on collisions with larger vehicles. Vehicles are rated by the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) on a scale of 1 to 5. Those who receive the highest score are generally thought to be the safest on the roads.

It is worth pointing out that the NHTSA is transparent about this issue, and it does collect data on all fatal crashes that occur in the United States. Data stretching back to the 1970s can be analyzed through FARS, which stands for Fatality Analysis Reporting System, using a tool called Auto Grades. The creator of the tool acknowledged that the current rating system was an effective tool in the past. However, it may be time to upgrade it to help keep everyone on the road safe.

Distracted driving is a major threat to roadway safety in Wisconsin and across the nation. It's linked to thousands of fatal or catastrophic accidents every year. In many states, distraction is the leading cause of motor vehicle collisions. Concern about distracted driving has gone up in recent years along with the behavior in question, especially as smartphones have become nearly ubiquitous. Drivers stuck in traffic, at red lights or even on monotonous stretches of roads may find it tempting to pick up their phones.

According to one study announced by a car insurance company, many drivers recognize the dangers posed by distracted driving. When people text behind the wheel, they take their minds away from the task at hand. At 55 mph, motorists can travel the length of a football field within seconds. Indeed, almost half of the participants said that they considered distracted driving to be the biggest threat to their own safety on the roads.

When you approach an intersection, it can be a stressful driving situation. You might have to cooperate with numerous other drivers simultaneously, so that each of you safely makes it through the crossroads. If one of the vehicles is turning or someone fails to yield the right-of-way, there is a high risk for collision that might result in serious injuries to you or a passenger in your car.

Another factor that poses a potential hazard at intersections is pedestrians. You just never know when someone is going to step into your path, even if he or she does not have the traffic light in his or her favor. Because of these and other issues, intersection safety should always be a main concern to licensed drivers in Wisconsin and elsewhere. If you suffer injury in a collision that someone else has caused, it is also important to know where to seek recovery support.

Wisconsin residents and others celebrated World Sleep Day on March 15. To highlight the importance of not driving while tired, Ford created a special sleep suit. The garment allowed individuals to see what the microsleeps felt like that a driver can experience without even realizing it. Although microsleeps only last for up to 10 seconds, they can make it harder to operate a motor vehicle safely.

Individuals who wore the suit were given a pair of goggles to wear that was connected to a smartphone. They also had weights attached to various parts of their body to further simulate the feeling of driving while tired. While drivers may believe that drowsy driving isn't dangerous, it accounts for roughly 20 percent of serious car accidents. In some cases, the level of impairment can equal that of being above the blood alcohol limit.