On July 19, 2018, a tour boat known as a “duck boat” capsized during a storm on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. Among the two crew members and 29 passengers on board, a total of 17 died—16 passengers and one from the crew. One woman lost nine of her family members in the tragedy. […]
Category Archives: Accidents
What Are the Odds?
When something unusual occurs, we may wonder out loud, “What are the odds?” As it turns out, when it comes to how people die, we can determine what the odds are of certain types of death for an entire population. We don’t mean to be morbid, but the truth is, everyone dies eventually. Perhaps you’re […]
“Do Not Disturb While Driving”
When you see a distracted driver on the road, perhaps you’ve wished for a magic “do not disturb” feature that would keep other folks’ minds on their driving. While no magic is involved, Apple has implemented a new iPhone function called Do Not Disturb While Driving with their latest operating system, iOS 11. If you […]
When CSI is Really SCI
It was 1970 when serious accident investigation began at Volvo. They wanted to determine which were safer—lap belts or “three-point” seat belts. Engineers at Volvo formed a team and studied the results of crashes where the “three-point” seat belts were in use. It’s one reason we have the seat belt design we do today. In […]
PTSD Impacts Vehicle Crash Victims – Especially Children
We like to think that we have a certain amount of control over ourselves – how we think, how we feel and how we react to the things around us. In many aspects of our personal lives, we do have control. But our subconscious minds can be much more complicated and powerful than we realize. […]
Safety for All in Work Zones
You’ve seen the signs, such as “Give ‘em a brake” and “Let ‘em work, let ‘em live.” But maybe you still can’t help being a bit unhappy when a slowdown in a work zone occurs. We all have family to take care of, work to accomplish, and appointments to keep; all of us get that. […]
Drunk Driving Halved in the Last 30 Years – Thank MADD For That
For decades, drunk driving-related crashes consistently accounted for around half of all traffic fatalities in the United States. Even though we had the technology to detect the presence of alcohol in a driver’s system since the 1930s, and even though several studies had been conducted about the dangers of driver impairment on our roads, there […]
Combating Distracted Driving by Improving Devices
In late November, 2016, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put forward guidelines meant to deal with the problem of driver distraction due to portable electronic devices in vehicles, including mobile devices such as smartphones. The announcement revealed the second phase of the NHTSA’s voluntary guidelines. The first phase addressed […]
Zero Traffic Deaths: A Realistic Goal?
In October, 2016, the federal government set a goal of completely eliminating traffic deaths and injuries in the U.S. by 2046. Officials in the Department of Transportation revealed a plan that focuses on increasing seat belt usage; campaigns against drunken, drugged, and distracted driving; and increases the use of rumble strips (strips across the road […]
Liability in Ridesharing (Uber) Accidents
Popular ridesharing companies, including Uber and Lyft, differ from traditional taxi companies considerably. Because of these differences, the issue of liability in the event of an accident is controversial and confusing. About Ridesharing Ridesharing companies allow consumers to hail vehicles directly from their smartphones. A nearby driver accepts the job, and the consumer is able […]