Articles Posted in Auto Accidents

Speeding is a common cause of car accidents in Maine and throughout the country. Yet, state officials are proposing a bill to increase the speed limit on a stretch of highway in Northern Maine, reports the Bangor Daily News. Our car accident attorneys in Bangor and Portland hope the state considers this bill carefully before they pass it, considering that 38 percent of traffic fatalities in Maine for 2009 were caused by a speed-related crash.

A unanimous vote by a legislative committee is in favor of passing LD 1557, a bill that would permit the state’s commissioner to raise the speed limit to 75 mph on a 100-mile stretch of highway from Old Town to Houlton. The current speed limit for that stretch of Interstate 95 is set at 65 mph. The bill would allow the commissioner to use discretion on parts of the highway that should remain at 65 for safety reasons. The issue came up during his campaign when 10 percent of the public doors he knocked on asked the question “When are we going to be able to legally drive 75 on the highway?”

The fact is, motorists already take their chances on this solitary stretch of highway, often driving above the permitted speed limit. With very few cars and even fewer exits, motorists and state officials feel the risks of a car accident related to speed is minimal.

“The motorists on this section of I-95 are traveling at speeds at which they feel comfortable regardless of the posted speed limit,” Nina Fisher, the DOT’s legislative liaison, said in testimony to the committee. “Past data has proven that a driver’s level of comfort does not increase as a function of posted speed limit but as a function of the drivability of the road.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 61 of the 159 traffic fatalities in 2009 were in speed-related crashes. During 2005-2009, speed was a factor in a high percentage of traffic fatalities in Maine. The highest percentage reported during that period was in 2005 when speed played a role in 51 percent of Maine traffic fatalities for that year.

The next step for LD 1557 is presentation to the House and Senate for deliberation.
Speed tips to consider on Maine roadways this summer:
-Maintain the legal speed limit on unfamiliar or rural roads. Curves in the roadway or unknown obstacles like groundhogs or moose can appear from nowhere and make it difficult to avoid at high travel speeds.

-Pass slower moving vehicles on the left-hand side. Passing on the right could cause an accident with merging vehicles that may not see your vehicle.

-Slow down on exit ramps or sharp corners to avoid a rollover accident or collision with another vehicle.

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Maine is going to be hit with a double whammy this Memorial Day holiday weekend as not will we see an increase in traffic because of the kickoff weekend to the summer season but construction season gets into full swing as well. Enforcement officers will set out in full force on our roadways to reduce risks of car accidents in Maine caused by speeding, drunk driving, aggressive driving and other poor driving habits.The National Safety Council recently released their yearly estimates for the number of traffic accidents for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend. This weekend is marked as the time between 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 11:59 p.m. on Monday. The Council estimates that there will be more than 400 traffic fatalities and another 39,400 injuries requiring medical attention just over the celebratory weekend because of motor vehicle collisions.

Our Maine personal injury lawyers would like residents to be extra careful on our roadways this holiday weekend as we will have the added dangers of construction zones. According to NBC 2, areas in Maine will be seeing a ton of construction as new bridges and other construction projects are underway. Drivers are urged to be extra cautious in these areas as risks for an accident are greatly increased when workers and road work is present. The city is trying to get all of the work done before all of the visitors flock to the area.

In an attempt to keep motorists safe this holiday weekend, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be running its “Click It or Ticket” campaign. The campaign began last week and will be running through the first week of June. The “Click It or Ticket” is the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign ever. It has been proven to contribute to the highest national seat belt usage rate of more than 90 percent. Law enforcement everywhere will enact a zero-tolerance enforcement practice of seat belt laws nationwide throughout the campaign.

Over the last past six years, the long Memorial Day holiday weekend has seen an average of more than 12 percent increase in traffic fatalities than similar non-holiday periods. Many contribute this increase to the increase in the amount of travel by Americans.

Motorists are urged to follow these safety tips to help ensure road safety during the Memorial Day weekend and through high construction areas:

-Put away all distractions while your car is in motion.

-Be sure that all of your passengers are wearing a seat belt and all children are placed in an appropriate child safety seat.

-Be sure that you leave for your destination with time to spare and leave prepared with directions and routes already planned out.

-Drive defensively. Use caution and abide be all road signs and signals, especially in construction areas with frequent lane changes.

-Avoid driving while drowsy. Rest up before you venture out on to the roadways so that you can place your full attention on the road.

-Do not drink and drive. Any amount on alcohol consumption can impair your judgment and reaction time behind the wheel.

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April showers may bring May flowers but in Maine spring means floods and often winter-like storms. The combination of bare trees, frozen ground and ice in rivers is a recipe for flooding when spring rain arrives.

Our Maine personal injury lawyers caution motorists that as spring arrives so does the risk of Bangor car accidents from bad weather and flooding.

The National Weather Service is very helpful in giving advance notice when Maine’s large rivers have the potential to flood. However, flash flooding occurs when too much rain comes down too fast. And even the weather service might not have enough time to issue warnings before the flooding starts.

Maine’s Emergency Management Agency want you to know that that almost 50% of all flash flood deaths are vehicle related. It only takes about 2 feet of water for small cars and trucks to float. Recent deaths from flooding included: a man traveling on a road flooded by water came upon a section that had been washed away, a man trying to kayak in a stream, and a grandmother and her granddaughter who were swept away when they attempted to walk in flood water.

Flood and flash flood safety tips:

-Don’t drive a car on a flooded road. You have no idea how deep the water is and unknown to you the road could be washed away.

-Avoid streams during heavy rainfalls. Quick moving water is very powerful and can easily knock you off your feet.

-Never try recreational boating in flood water. The combination of swift moving water and heavy debris makes this a deadly activity.

-Don’t let children or pets outside; keep them away from flooded culverts, streams and streets.

-Always notify the appropriate authorities of any flooding.

-Never go through road blocks or barriers. You might not see water but the road could be damaged from the power of the water.

-Have a plan if you live in a flood prone area. Listen to flood or tornado warning horn signals in your town or a town nearby.

-Immediately evacuate if told to do so.

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Our Maine personal injury lawyers know there is no worse tragedy for a parent than a child being seriously injured or killed in a Bangor car accident.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently released guidelines for the best method of securing your child while riding in a vehicle.Up to 12 months

-Always use a rear-facing car seat for any child under age 1.
A rear-facing car seat is the best seat to use for securing very young children. Its harness protects the child in a crash because it cradles and moves with your child. This helps to reduce the stress to the child’s body especially their spinal cord and fragile neck.
1 – 3 years

-Children should be kept in rear-facing seats until they reach the maximum height or weight limit per the car safety seat’s manufacturer. They can then be put in a forward-facing car seat.
The harness and tether in a forward-facing car seat greatly reduces the child’s forward movement during an accident.
4 – 7 years

-Children should be kept in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the maximum height or weight limit per the car seat’s manufacturer. They can then be put in a booster seat.
A booster seat is the interim step used when a child is too big for a car seat but not big enough to use a seat belt.
8 – 12 years

-Children should be kept in a booster seat until they can fit in a seat belt properly.
An improperly placed seat belt can cause serious injuries. The lap portion of the belt should lie across the upper thighs and never rest on the stomach. The shoulder portion of the belt should be snug across the shoulder and never lay across the neck.
The guidelines from the NHTSA match up pretty well to Maine’s law. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, Maine requires children less than 40 pounds be in a child safety seat. Children 40 to 80 pounds and less than 8 years old must use a safety system (booster seat) that lifts the child high enough so that a seat belt fits properly. Children 11 years of age or younger and weigh less than 100 pounds should ride in the rear seat. The first offense is a $50 fine while subsequent offenses carry a maximum fine of $250.

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Our Portland car accident lawyers want to point out to motorists in Maine that they have one more thing to put on their calendars. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month according to a recent announcement by National Safety Council.

We frequently post on our Maine Injury Lawyer Blog about the dangers of distracted driving and how many times talking or texting on a cell phone can lead to serious or even fatal car accident in Bangor, Portland or elsewhere in the state.Following an almost unanimous vote by the U. . House of Representatives last month, the National Safety Council (NSC) and FocusDriven (an advocate group opposed to distracted driving) are announcing the inauguration of April as National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The resolution was brought to the House by Betsy Markey (D-CO) following the tragic death of Erica Forney who was struck and killed by a distracted driver in November 2008.

“Erica’s memory will forever live on through this resolution and help prevent other distracted driving deaths from occurring,” said Shelley Forney, Erica’s mother and founding board member of FocusDriven.

The two non-profit organizations are asking motorists to promise during the month of April to not use their cell phones while they drive. It is estimated that 1.6 million crashes occur each year because of a driver who is talking or texting on their cell phone while they are behind the wheel.

Drivers are being asked to turn off or silence their cell phones while they drive. A further precaution that can be used is to put your cell phone in the glove compartment or trunk to reduce the temptation to reply to a phone call or text alert on your cell phone while you drive. Drivers are encouraged to create a temporary voicemail which alerts callers you are driving. By letting the caller know that you can’t respond at the time, it will stop them from repeatedly leaving messages for you while you drive.

“Many drivers realize most of the calls they thought were so important, really aren’t. It is our hope drivers will decide to make the change permanently. Doing so will make our roadways safer for everyone,” said Jennifer Smith, FocusDriven president and founding board member.

Businesses are also being asked to participate in the awareness by creating and enforcing cell phone policies to protect employees. Many companies offer cell phones to their employees but few have a policy in place to discourage them from using their phone while they drive.

“National Distracted Driving Awareness Month also is the perfect opportunity for businesses to implement cell phone policies to protect employees. When businesses allow employees to conduct business on cell phones while driving, they are putting their employees at a 4 times greater risk of a crash,” said Janet Froetscher, NSC president and CEO.

Employers are encouraged to view the Cell Phone Policy Kit provided by the NSC to devise a policy that will keep your employees safe.

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