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Driving is an exciting rite of passage for many teenagers. But it's an experience riddled with danger. According to AAA, new teen drivers who are 16 and 17 are three times more likely to be involved in a fatal traffic accident than adults. Back to school season can be a particularly perilous time for high school students, as high concentrations of young, inexperienced drivers increase the frequency of traffic accidents in and around school zones. The Graduated Driver’s License Program In Rhode Island Like many states, Rhode Island has introduced a graduated driver’s licensing system. This occurs in three phases. According to the Rhode Island Department of Motor Vehicles: A limited instruction permit may be issued to any Rhode Island resident between the ages of 16 and 18. Applicants must first complete a thirty-three…Read More

Rhode Islanders have been rated among the most distracted drivers in the country, according to a new study described as the biggest ever on the issue. Zendrive, a traffic analytics start-up, recently took on the issue of distracted driving by tapping into data from 3.1 drivers with smartphones across the country between December 2016 and February 2017. What they discovered was that of 570 million trips that spanned 5.6 billion miles, drivers were using their cell phone on 88 percent of those trips. Some were on a voice call. Some were using various apps, like Facebook or FaceTime or Snapchat (Zendrive declined to call out the specific apps most frequently used). Some were using GPS data. But almost all of them were on their phones for an average of 3.5…Read More

According to the Washington Post, federal lawmakers will be mulling a series of legislative actions that could upend protections for plaintiffs in civil injury, malpractice and consumer rights claims. These proposals, which some legislators believe are necessary to stop frivolous lawsuits and drive down healthcare costs, could make it much more difficult for victims to effectively use the system designed to allow them to right wrongs and recover compensation for harm endured. The civil justice system is one of the only places wherein "the little guy" can enjoy a level playing field against deep-pocketed companies, doctors and others in positions of power and wealth. With the help of an experienced attorney, plaintiffs in injury and malpractice cases can hold wrongdoers accountable and attain fair compensation. The proposed reforms seek to undercut these…Read More

The holiday season sends lots of people to stores to shop for gifts and decorations. Unfortunately, some of those people visiting stores are likely to be hurt while shopping. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates there are around 250 people injured every single day during the holiday season. If a store fails to maintain its premises in a safe way, the store could be responsible for some of those injuries happening to customers. Stores who open their doors to the public have certain obligations. A body of law called premises liability law determines exactly what those obligations are. Since a store invites people in for commercial purposes, the store has a basic obligation to make the premises safe. This means that routine inspections of the property should be done to see if…Read More

Uber recently unveiled their self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. The cars are capable of driving passengers to their destination unassisted. However, in each of these cars, an Uber engineer is in the driver's seat, ready to take control of the car if necessary. Self-driving technology is still in the testing stages and has a long way to go before it is ready for the public. Some reports speculate that it might take decades to get to that point. A reporter for WESA, Megan Harris, had the chance to ride in one of the new Uber cars. "Uber is like the Wright brothers testing the world's first airplane on the coast of North Carolina," she said. "Pretty cool. But not terribly practical yet." Though the technology is exciting, the ride is anything but. The Uber…Read More