Recent News – Smith & Griffith Legal Blog

Injuries and fatigue in the workplace Workers and employers in South Carolina may be interested to learn that about 13 percent of work-related injuries can be attributed to sleep issues. The National Safety Council also estimates that the economic impact of these injuries results in a loss of $400 billion. Employers who have at least…

Avoiding collisions with drunk drivers Drunk driving is behind many crashes in South Carolina. Other motorists may, on occasion, even suspect that someone on the road is drunk or impaired in some other way. For example, the driver may weave in and out of lanes, make wide turns, make illegal turns, brake erratically and react…

How truckers can reduce large truck crash deaths The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has reported that there was an increase each year from 2015 to 2017 in the percentage of fatal crashes that involved one or more large trucks. In particular, the percentage of fatal work zone accidents where at least one large truck…

NTSB releases most wanted transportation safety improvement list The National Transportation Safety Board wants anyone in South Carolina or elsewhere in the United States sharing the road with drivers to be as safe as possible. This is why the agency has released its biannual Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. The NTSB has no…

Tips for keeping eyes safe while working More than 2,000 workers in South Carolina and throughout the country experience an eye injury each day. About 10 percent of these injuries require a worker to spend time away from the job recovering. Furthermore, at least 10 percent of injuries will cause either permanent or temporary blindness…

Road Safe America urges use of speed limiters on big rigs Speed may be the biggest reason why there was an overall increase in large truck crash deaths between 2009 and 2017. Road Safe America has analyzed federal data showing such an increase in all but six states and found that most of the states…

Distraction grows as cell phone habits change A recent Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study reveals that drivers distracted by cell phones are becoming an increasingly serious problem in South Carolina and around the country. After observing motorist behavior in four Virginia communities in 2014 and then again in 2018, researchers from the nonprofit group…

FMCSA records rise in fatal CMV crashes in 2017 Fatal commercial motor vehicle crashes went up in 2017, according to the latest research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. While there were 3,193 fatal CMV crash deaths in 2009, that number was 5,005 in 2017. The number of truck occupants killed also rose between…

Motorcyclists at risk on the road South Carolina motorcyclists face serious risks on the road, even when they try their best to stay safe. Their level of exposure to the elements and significantly heavier vehicles mean that a crash can be catastrophic. While many people love the freedom afforded by bikes, they can come with…

Report says truck driver caused accident that killed five kids Residents of South Carolina may be interested in a report about a five-vehicle accident that killed seven people on I-75 in Florida earlier in January. Investigators have found that a truck driver involved in the accident is likely to have caused the chain reaction when…