Springfield Virginia Motor Vehicle Accidents Blog

In Virginia and other states throughout the country, the number of traffic fatalities has gone up in recent years. However, legislation passed in Georgia and other states shows that governments are taking the problem seriously. Laws passed in Georgia and Rhode Island prohibit drivers from using their phones while a car is in motion. According to TrueMotion, distracted driving was down in both of those states after hands-free laws were passed.

In Georgia, there was a 22 percent reduction in the amount of texting and app use among drivers in the first month after that state's law passed. According to the governor of Georgia, reducing traffic fatalities by 20 percent could save 260 people each year. As of September 2018, there was a 14 percent drop in traffic fatalities in Georgia. The results from Georgia's efforts have increased the amount of interest in other states for similar laws.

As people in Virginia and across the country debate the legalization of recreational marijuana, some have wondered if motor vehicle laws are keeping up with the times. Cannabis legalization has led to more people driving under the influence. This issue is especially complicated since there is little clear guidance about how much cannabis is too much to allow a person to drive safely. One study indicates that there's good reason for concern about how roadway safety could be affected by marijuana legalization.

The National Transportation Safety Authority released a report saying that more drivers across the country are impaired by drugs. It cited a Texas motor vehicle crash in 2017 that killed 12 people, saying that a man who hit the bus was under the influence of sedatives and marijuana. Given the opiate crisis and the rise in prescription drug abuse, many drug-related crashes aren't caused by cannabis. Still, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety noted that states with legalized marijuana have more car crashes overall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a new report on 2017 crash trends based on data from its Fatality Analysis Reporting System. What Virginia residents should know is that in a year that saw a decline in all segments of car crash deaths, the number of people who died in large truck crashes increased dramatically.

The total number of people killed in car crashes went down by 1.8 percent from 37,806 to 37,133. Passenger vehicle, motorcyclist and pedestrian deaths dropped by 1.4, 3.1 and 1.7 percent, respectively. Bicyclist deaths saw the greatest decrease (8.1 percent), and speeding-related deaths also went down considerably (5.6 percent).

Distracted driving has gone from a niche issue to a major concern for all drivers on the road. People have chosen to drive distracted for as long as motor vehicles have existed, but mobile technology makes distraction easier and more tempting than ever before.

Our culture, in many ways, supports instant gratification and constant contact. People have a hard time staying disconnected, even for the duration of their daily commute. Many people even experience addiction related to their smart devices.