Recent News – Smith & Griffith Legal Blog

Thanksgiving holiday brings higher crash fatality rates While Thanksgiving may be one of the happiest holidays in South Carolina, it is also our nation’s most dangerous for drivers. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, 764 fatalities were reported in connection with crashes during Thanksgiving in 2012. In addition, almost 50,000 non-fatal car crashes…

Medication can cut accident risk for drivers with ADHD For drivers in South Carolina with ADHD, medication can make a substantial difference in lowering the risk of auto accidents while on the road. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry shows that car crashes occur significantly less frequently among ADHD patients taking medication than among those…

How to drive safely in during the fall season On Nov. 5, daylight saving time began in most of the United States. This means that drivers in South Carolina may need to adjust their driving habits to account for animals on the road during the morning or evening commute. Drivers are encouraged to reduce their…

Phone distraction underreported as cause of traffic fatalities Many South Carolina motorists have either used a smartphone while driving or seen others do it. Safety advocates are increasingly blaming smartphone distractions for the rise in traffic fatalities, especially the sharp jumps in deaths of pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists. Putting precise figures on the number of…

NHTSA seeks rule changes for self-driving cars The roadways of South Carolina and the entire nation might be very different in the near future as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking to eliminate regulations that are currently preventing the approval of some self-driving vehicles. The agency is looking in particular toward vehicles that…

Study says shift work increases risk for car crashes Millions of Americans work a night or rotational shift, and according to a study made by researchers at a prominent Boston health care facility, approximately 28 percent of drivers admitted that they fell asleep at the wheel at least once in the previous year. This could…

Bills regarding sleep apnea rule for truckers Commercial truckers in South Carolina may be interested to know that Congressional Democrats have proposed bills intended to compel the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to continue its work on a rule regarding guidelines for screenings and treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Democrats in both the House and…

NHTSA releases sobering traffic accident fataliies report The number of people killed in traffic accidents across the country increased alarmingly for the second year in a row according to data contained in a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report released on Oct. 6. Motor vehicle accidents in the United States resulted in more than 37,000…

Distracting dashboards are unsafe Drivers in South Carolina are often aware of the dangers of distracted driving. Typically, drivers associate driving distractions with using a cellphone, texting or even talking to a passenger. Unfortunately, it is easy to overlook some of the more pernicious distractions because they’ve actually been built into the car’s dashboard. Automobile…

Distracted driving in South Carolina Accident data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that distracted driving accidents around the country claim thousands of lives and leave hundreds of thousands of road users injured every year. Road safety advocacy groups say that the situation has been getting progressively worse due to a near…