Auto-Pedestrian Crashes Rise at an Alarming Rate

Hit-and-Run accidents in Denver, Colorado involving pedestrians have nearly quadrupled in four years despite efforts by civic leaders to increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety. Statewide, pedestrian crashes involving vehicles accounted for 52 deaths in 2009 and 73 in 2012 according to CDOT.  Even more disturbing is the number of drivers that leave the scene of the crash.  Drivers who are caught frequently avoid prison time due to plea agreements with prosecutors.

A recent hit-and run involving a teacher and student at East High School resulted in serious injuries for the sixteen year old student.  Legislators and policymakers say laws and money alone won't prevent collisions between vehicles and people - or persuade people to stay at the scene when someone is hurt.  "It has to be the community embracing a culture of looking out for their own safety and the safety of others.", said Amber Miller, a spokesperson for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. Drivers as well as pedestrians should always be aware of their surroundings to prevent accidents.

The number of incidents is projected to rise as more people are encouraged to find alternate forms of transportation rather than driving.

 If you are injured in a car accident, you need to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney specializing in auto accident injuries.  Call The Law Office of Robert Paysinger, P.C. at (303) 279-0221 today for a free initial consultation, or visit our website at www.paysingerlaw.com. We help injured people - it's all we do!

Source: denverpost.com-auto-pedestrian-crashes-nearly-quadruple?IADID=Search-www.denverpost.com-www.denverpost.com

Distracted Driving - Hands Free Technology is not Risk Free

Car makers and mobile electronics are creating a tempting vision of the future, where you can remain fully connected while driving. New additions include voice-to-text systems, so you can keep both hands on the wheel. However, recent studies indicate that hands free technologies that are voice activated to create talk-to-text tasks or talking on a cellphone create brain overload and leave little capacity for attention on the road. "There are three parts to distraction", says David Strayer, professor of psychology at the University of Utah's Applied Cognition Lab, "manual, visual, and cognitive."  A task such as texting represents the manual distraction, taking your eyes off the road is the visual distraction, and having your mind off the drive is the cognitive distraction."

"The fundamental problem is that safe driving demands our attention, but multitasking divides our mental resources.  Just because a new technology does not take the eyes off the road does not make it safe to be used when the vehicle is in motion."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted drivers killed more than 3,300 people in the United States in 2011.  In April, the agency recommended that manual text entry and the display of text messages or Web content be blocked in all moving vehicles.

Source: Hands Free Tools Leave Less Brain Power for Driving?

If you are injured in a car accident in the greater Denver metro area, you need to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. Call The Law Offices of Robert Paysinger, P.C. at (303) 279-0221 or visit www.paysingerlaw.com today to schedule a free initial consultation. We help injured people - it's all we do!
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