Author: John Young

A local Indiana media outlet is reporting that an 18-year-old man avoided serious injury despite being in a car-minivan accident westbound on the Indiana Toll Road. The accident occurred on Monday afternoon near the S.R. 19 overpass in Elkhart. The driver may have fallen asleep, according to the media report and perhaps as a result, his car struck the minivan. The minivan went off  into a ditch but the minivan operator was unhurt. The car, however, flipped and burned, although the driver fortunately escaped with minor burns. The car was a total loss.

In June, we blogged about a Virginia study suggesting that sleep deprivation may be a factor the high rate of teen traffic accidents. Police are investigating this incident, and it  remains to be seen if the driver in this case dozed off.  As another common-sense principle, drivers should never get behind the wheel if they are having a hard time keep their eyes open.

Leaving aside the age of an offender, if you or a loved one have been seriously hurt in a traffic accident on Indiana roads owing to the actions of a reckless, impaired, or negligent driver, please contact the Indiana personal injury lawyers at Young and Young to obtain full information about your legal rights to recover money damages in civil court. With 55 years of experience, we stand ready and able to help you make the person who caused the harm to fully compensate you for that harm.

With the school year about the start,  safety concerns for new and returning students comes to the forefront. For one thing, it won’t be long before your nearby school bus stop will be crowded with kids waiting for transportation.  In a previous blog entry, we noted that to avoid traffic accidents involving school children, police are reminding motorists of all ages to exercise caution when traveling on school bus routes and through school zones.

It might also be a good time for parents with younger children who will be riding the school bus, perhaps for the first time, to go over some basic bus stop safety rules. The Indiana State Police offers the following dos and don’ts to pass along to your kids:

• – Don’t run around or play games while waiting for the bus to arrive
• – Stand well way from the roadway until the bus comes to a complete halt
• – If your children must cross a street to board a bus, urge them to make sure
•   traffic in both directions has come to a stop before stepping into the roadway
• – A child should never try to retrieve any item they may have dropped while
•   boarding or exiting the bus. Instead, inform the bus driver what happened. Make
•   sure the bus and/or car traffic has moved on and it’s clear to enter the roadway.
• – Younger children should have an older student or adult retrieve the article.
• – Children should secure loose drawstrings and other objects to avoid  getting them
•   caught in the handrail door of the bus they are exiting.
• – Once on the bus, children should behave appropriately and keep aisles clear and
•   remain seated until the bus arrives at its destination

The Indiana personal injury law firm of Young and Young wishes you and your family a very productive and safe school year.

The summer seems to go by fast, doesn’t it? Schools in some parts of Indiana will be back in session as early as next week, with the resulting increase in car traffic (and the possibility of a road accident) in the morning and late afternoon. Avoiding any kind of traffic accident should be on your back-to-school list.

With that in mind, state and local police are reminding motorists of all ages to exercise caution when traveling on school bus routes and through school zones. Drivers should be particularly alert in case a child darts out into the roadway. The Indiana State Police particularly warn that traffic in both directions must stop for the extended “stop arm” on the school bus while it loads and unloads children. Remember that this also includes traffic in all lanes in both directions on multi-lane roadways unless there is a physical barrier, a median, or a diving section constructed to impede vehicular traffic.

According to the state police, anyone who sees a motorist disregarding a school bus stop arm or other forms of reckless driving behavior around school buses or school zones should try to note the license plate number and vehicle description (and driver description if possible) of the vehicle in question, and then call the police.

In a subsequent post, we’ll pass along some safety recommendations for students on their way to school, especially for if you have kids that might be riding the school bus for the first time.

Teenagers and cars can be risky business, even under the best of circumstances.  But it’s perhaps the worst of circumstances, i.e., when alcohol is involved, that highway safety for all concerned could be most compromised. The  inexperience of teenagers with the effects of alcohol, their fearless and/or reckless attitude towards real danger, and their skills (or lack thereof) with the operation of the vehicle  in general becomes  a potent combination for real trouble on Indiana roads and throughout the country.

According a study by the National Cooperative Highway Research group, young drivers continue to die on the roads at higher rates than any other age group. The good news is that young driver fatalities decreased 36 percent in our state in 2009. About 48,000 young drivers were involved road accident collisions in Indiana in 2009.

The study identifies five contributing factors for teens and car wrecks:

• Among 16 year olds, the risk of  a fatal crash is about three times higher after 9 p.m. than during the day
• Alcohol-related crashes increase from low rates among those age 16 to a peak for drivers in the 20-to-24 age group
• Drivers 18 and older are more likely to not live at home, resulting in more time spent behind the wheel and with fewer “protective constraints” on their activities
• While 15-to-20 year old cohort represent about 8 percent of the U.S. population and about 6 percent of licensed drivers, they account for about 14 percent of the drivers involved in a fatal accident
• Younger drivers (especially ages 16 and 17) are responsible for a larger number of passenger injures and fatalities per crash than more experienced drivers; more than 50% of all fatalities occur when there is no adult in the vehicle.

The Indiana State Police advise parents of younger drivers to always find out where their children are going, who their passengers are, and when they will return home. The ISP adds that young drivers should carry full charged cell phones for emergencies (but don’t use them while driving) and make sure to use their seatbelts.

When you’re out on Indiana roads, have you ever been cut off, tailgated, or have  someone swerve into your lane for no apparent reason? Or perhaps from time to time you’ve been an instigator of that kind of reckless driving.

We’ve all had experiences of one kind or another that could lead to a road accident. The Indiana State Police defines an aggressive driver as someone who operates “a motor vehicle in a manner which endangers or is likely to endanger persons or property.” For roadway safety, we can all benefit in general by trying to be a lot less aggressive when we get behind the wheel.

According to the ISP, aggressive or high-risk drivers are those who likely do the following:

• –  drink and drive, speed, or drive unbelted
• –  use their vehicles to take out their frustrations
• –  have high frustration levels and a low concern for other motorists
• –  those who disobey stop signs and traffic signals, follow too closely, weave in-
•    and-out of traffic, pass on the right, make unsafe lane changes, flash their lights
•    and commit other dangerous driving violations that show little regard for the
•    safety of others
• –  seldom consider the consequences of their action

If you notice any reckless behavior from other motorists while you’re in your car, consider contacting the local or state police. If, however, you see yourself in any of these behavioral descriptions, please consider changing your ways by keeping your emotions in check.

Protecting yourself and your loves ones, and other innocent Hoosiers, from a highway accident–perhaps even a fatal accident–may depend upon it.

As we have discussed previously, drivers must be extremely vigilant to avoid traffic accidents when the warmer weather brings out more motorcycle enthusiasts. Recently Indiana fatalities have established that point unfortunately. By the same token, for enhanced roadway safety, motorcyclists must also take care to operate their choppers safely and legally.

The Indiana State Police offers these suggestions to motorcycle owners to avoid the possibility of a highway accident:

• learn to operate a motorcycle (or an all-terrain vehicle) from an accredited vehicle
• practice on private property
• watch for “objects” (e.g., potholes, pedestrians, traffic) on the road
• do not follow too closely
• avoid sudden swerving
• watch for loose materials on curves and hills
• practice breaking with booth brakes simultaneously
• reduce speed on wet pavement, loose gravel, and before curves
• know how to lay down the motorcycle in case of emergency
• always wear a helmet, shield, or goggles, long-sleeved jacket, sturdy gloves, and over-the-ankle boots (applies also for all-terrain vehicles)
• don’t ride if you’ve been drinking or taking drugs
• fasten loads tightly to the rear
• pass with caution
• double check blind entries
• wear brightly colored clothing
• signal clearly

Enjoy your motorcycle, but as the ISP recommends, drive defensively for your sake and for the sake of others on the road; it can be a matter of life and death.

Especially (but not only) when highways are clogged with vacation traffic, it is crucial to drive defensively and stay alert. Following the rules of the road all year round makes an essential contribution to traffic safety. While a motorist has no control over the behavior of others, a driver has complete responsibility for his or her own actions behind the wheel. It has been said that for most citizens, the greatest safety threat comes from traveling in a vehicle rather than from violent crime or terrorism.

What Are the Top Causes of Auto Accidents in Indiana?

According to the Indiana State Police, the following consists of the top causes of auto crashes on state roads:

• following to close
• failure to yield
• unsafe lane movement
• driving too fast for weather conditions
• running off the roadway
• over-steering or over-correcting
• driving at an unsafe speed
• falling asleep at the wheel
• distracted driving

If you or a family member have been injured in a highway accident by someone who drove negligently or recklessly in this way, it is important to retain legal counsel with the experience and skills needed to obtain full compensation for your injuries. The Indiana personal injury lawyers at Young and Young in Indianapolis have represented thousands of Hoosiers with serious auto accident injuries. We have more than 55 years of experience waiting to help.

Hoosiers need to always give first responders a wide berth on state roads so  they can do their jobs safely without creating an add-on highway accident in the process.

In 1999, Indiana became the first state in the U.S. to pass a law (Indiana Code section 9-21-8-35) requiring drivers to move over or slow down when approaching stopped emergency vehicles–including but not limited to police cruisers on construction details–with lights flashing. Emergency vehicles under the state’s  "move over" law include police cars, ambulances, fire trucks, and rescue vehicles, highway incident response vehicles and highway work vehicles, tow trucks, and utility service vehicles.

Two changes to the law took effect at the beginning of this month:  Motorists must reduce their speed by 10 mph under the posted speed limit if they cannot move to an adjacent lane safely. Secondly, the law now includes the aforementioned utility service vehicles. Indiana State Police and Transportation Department officials warn against coming to a stop on the road rather than slowing down. Stopping could lead to chain-reaction traffic road accidents.

Local media appropriately notes the following in the context roadway safety and the move over law: "During this time of year highway work crews are out in road construction zones repairing Indiana roadways. Always use extra care and reduce your speed in these zones."

Continuing our discussion of bicycle safety for you and your family…the Indiana State Police reminds bicyclists that they have to take the initiative to make themselves visible to motorists, especially after dark. Never assume that motorists sharing the road with you can see you. According to the ISP, sufficient visibility to avoid traffic accidents includes the following considerations:

wear bright colored clothing, particularly with fluorescent colors

at night, wear light colored clothing with reflective patches and wristbands

bikes should have reflectors on the front and rear, and on pedals and wheels

use bright, white headlight(s), preferably with a range of 500 feet

Bicyclists are smaller and slower than vehicles, obviously, so they need to be even more alert than drivers in terms of roadway safety. You should have an awareness of passing pedestrians, too (pedestrians have the right of way).

In sharing the road with cars and people safely, here are some additional thoughts:

ride far enough away from the curb to avoid running into parked cars

always check behind you when changing lanes

watch out for litter, potholes, gravel, storm grates, or other hazards

securely attach any items to your bike or carry them in a backpack

use bells or horns to alert pedestrians and other vehicles

Before getting out on the road, the ISP recommends that you engage in due diligence: simply put,  learn to ride your bike in a safe and controlled manner first. Makes good sense, doesn’t it? Among other things, controlling your bike means that you can look behind you safely and as well as being able to ride with one hand while signaling. No one wants to spend their summer vacation in the hospital recuperating from an avoidable road accident.

Bicycle Safety Tips #1

For bicycle enthusiasts, we’ve blogged previously about the importance of roadway safety, a responsibility shared by the person on the bike as well as motorists in cars and trucks, especially now in the midst of  the warm weather and vacation season. When they are out and about on Indiana roads, bicyclists should never assume that motorists see them. Bike defensively and alertly to avoid getting into a vehicle accident.

We’ve also noted that wearing a helmet all the time should be a priority for cyclists to minimize the potentially devastating consequences of a road accident. The Indiana State Police says that your helmet is as much a part of your bicycle as the handlebars or tires.

To avoid bike/car traffic accidents, the ISP also offers some specific recommendations for bike safety. These include the following:

• Your helmet should meet the safety standards established by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• Always ride with the traffic
• Know your local traffic laws (e.g., some Indiana towns require lights on the front and back of the bike to improve night visibility)
• Obey traffic lights, signs, speed limits, and lane markings
• Signal in advance of a turn, using the proper hand signals
• Yield to pedestrians and other vehicles as appropriate
• Make sure your bike is the correct size and that it gets regular maintenance
• Never wear headphones while riding a bike

We’ll continue this discussion in a follow-up posting.