Houston Personal Injury Blog

With the advent of smartphones and in-vehicle technology, few people need to be told that distracted driving is a rising trend, but what's important to remember is how widespread it is. Drivers in Texas, as anywhere else, are expected to maintain control of their vehicles at all times, and anything that keeps them from doing this, from phone use to eating and drinking, can be considered a distraction.

There were 3,166 fatalities arising from distracted driving crashes in 2017 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To protect themselves and others on the road, drivers will want to eliminate as many distractions as possible. It all starts with the phone; even hands-free devices can be distracting.

According to a new study, women are 73% more likely than men to suffer a serious injury or death in an auto accident. Texas drivers should know that part of the reason for this trend is the lack of accurate crash safety data. With this comes the lack of safety measures and devices designed with women in mind.

For example, the majority of crash dummies used for testing are based on the male body. A female crash dummy was introduced back in 2003. However, it is mostly just a smaller version of the male type. It weighs 110 pounds and is 5 feet tall, putting its dimensions just outside those of the average woman.

Via: New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/17/opinion/boeing-737-max.html)

Commercial drivers in Texas and throughout the country could soon see a change to current hours-of-service rules. As they are written today, drivers can remain on duty for no longer than 14 hours at a time. During this on-duty period, they can spend up to 11 hours on the road. Once that period is over, a driver must wait at least 10 hours before working again.

Those who plan on driving for eight or more hours must stop for 30 minutes prior to reaching eight hours for the day. Hours are tracked by an electronic logging device (ELD) that also keeps track of whether a driver is on or off duty. Those who violate HOS rules could be forced to stop driving for a day or more. As many drivers are paid by the mile, being forced out of service may result in lost income.