After their daughter’s fatal car accident, a couple in Georgia sued the vehicle manufacturer and used the money to develop a watch list. On her birthday in 2010, a 29-year-old woman was driving in her 2005 Chevy Cobalt through Georgia. According to NBC News, there was a defect with the vehicle that caused the antilock…
Recent Supreme Court case reinforces need for skilled counsel in injury cases involving ERISA plans A recent decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court highlights how the complexity of insurance plan language can affect personal injury cases, and how subrogation claims interplay with an injured party’s financial compensation. The facts The McCutchen case started out…
In a recent hearing, the U.S. Department of Transportation took testimony from automakers and industry leaders who wanted smartphone and portable GPS devices included in proposed distracted driving rules. In their current form, the proposed rules would only require automakers to prevent drivers from using in-dash multimedia systems to insert addresses or access the web…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classifies 3 types of distracted driving practices: Visual (taking your eyes off the road) Cognitive (taking your mind off the task of driving) Manual (taking your hands off the driving wheel). Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it combines all 3 types of distractions. Fortunately, texting while driving is illegal…
Two Georgia Democrats want to ban cell phone use in cars and have introduced a bill they hope will lead to safer roads. The proposed legislation, which would improve on a law passed last year, allows motorists only hands-free use of cell phones. Georgia drivers currently face fines of up to $150 if they are…
Legislators are gearing up for another controversial battle between local governments and the timber industry as the next legislative session begins in January. Timber industry advocates argue that in order for them to be financially viable and provide jobs in a tough economy, their trucks must be allowed to carry heavier loads than state law allows. Local…
Metro Atlanta drivers know how driving habits change on I-285, the perimeter highway that surrounds the city and links many of its first ring suburbs. It is especially known for its fast track and indulgent enforcement of speed laws. The speed limit on I-285 has been 55 miles per hour since 1974, when President Richard…
Several high school wrestlers were injured after a Sunrise Towing Service truck crashed into a bus carrying the Cedartown High School wrestling team on their way back from a match at Sonoraville High School just before Thanksgiving. The crash occurred at the intersection of the Rome Bypass and Georgia Highway 53. According to the Rome…
In early 2012, President Obama signed into law the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act, also known as MAP-21. Among other things, this law provided the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration with the authority and the means to continue its efforts to improve highway safety and reduce the incidence of truck accidents across the…
In Georgia, as in all U.S. states, a driver whose blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.08 or higher is considered intoxicated “per se” – meaning that he or she is automatically regarded as too drunk to drive and can be charged with driving under the influence, regardless of whether there are any other indicators of…
