General Blog
When it comes to the future of motorist safety, the contest will not be man versus machine. Most safety advocates are already in agreement: machines win. Those injured in Providence find most commonly that human error is to blame. Many motorists assume self-driving auto technology is years away. They are wrong. Self-driving cars have already been on the road in California and Michigan for a number of years and rapid rollout of the technology is expected nationwide in the coming decade. The impact on injury law cannot be overstated. One of the primary reasons for the rush to deploy this cutting-edge technology is simple: Machines are already proving themselves to be better drivers. This summer, the Providence Journal reported a 70 percent spike in the number of traffic deaths in Rhode Island. Causes of high-profile…Read More
Simple acts of littering can have fatal consequences. Traffic accidents caused by road debris kill hundreds of victims every year. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that 500 victims were killed in accidents caused by road debris across the United States between 2011 and 2014. Littering and improperly secured cargo have very real consequences for Providence injury victims whose lives can be altered as a result of a car accident. Consult a Providence car accident attorney after any type of traffic collision in order to better understand and protect your legal rights. Rhode Island Drivers Have A Legal Obligation To Prevent Littering - Whether Intentional Or Not Section 31-25-10 of the Rhode Island General Laws prohibits drivers from operating any vehicle on any highway with any load, unless the load and any covering on…Read More
Older drivers are in the sympathetic situation of not always being able to identify the physical changes which impact their ability to drive. Nonetheless, accidents are dangerous for everyone on the road, and it is important that negligent drivers be held accountable for injuries they cause. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, an experienced Providence car accident attorney will help you secure the compensation to which you are entitled by Rhode Island law. The Connection Between Car Accidents And Slip And Fall Accidents There are many complications of age. Researchers have been working for decades to determine what, exactly, occurs to the human body and mind over time, and how these effects increase the risks of accidents and injuries. The Journal of the American…Read More
In recent years, the United States has experienced a public health crisis. Opioid abuse and overdoses have skyrocketed over the past decade, and they have created a significant problem on Rhode Island roads. Business Insider reports that the governors of Arizona, Florida and Maryland have all declared states of emergency, in order to grant them access to federal grant moneys through the Department of Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, the problem is not limited to the damage opiate users inflict upon themselves. Impaired drivers are responsible for thousands of traffic deaths every year. Injury victims are entitled to compensation for their injuries and losses under Rhode Island law. But it is also important to hold impaired drivers accountable for their dangerous - and often lethal - behavior. The Opioid Epidemic Hits…Read More
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
