Pittsburgh Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

When people in Pittsburgh think about what might cause the driver of a vehicle to become distracted behind the wheel, some obvious answers probably come to mind: using cellphones, adjusting the radio or other internal control, or a conversation with another person in the vehicle. 

But there is another important source of distraction for drivers -- and it affects older drivers disproportionately. A recent study found that drivers ages 70 and older who regularly drive with their pets in the car have a higher crash rate than for older drivers who don't.

As the weather in Pittsburgh continues to improve heading into the summer, more and more people will be out riding on their bicycles. While it's a great source of exercise -- and, for some people, a necessary mode of transportation -- a bicycle accident with a motor vehicle is always a distinct possibility.

Recently the federal Department of Transportation convened some bicycle safety summits in order to shed light on ways to continually decrease bicycle accidents. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, fatalities involving people on bicycles increased almost 10 percent from 2010-2011. Overall, the percentage of bicycle deaths compared with overall traffic deaths is increasing also.

Drivers all over the country -- and in Pennsylvania in particular -- recognize that choosing a safe vehicle to drive is of crucial importance. Ratings of car safety, airbag effectiveness and other measures of the overall worthiness of a vehicle are provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program, which rates cars on a scale going up to five stars.

Now, the NHTSA is proposing updating the NCAP to include what is being termed a "silver" rating -- one that would evaluate the safety features of a car for older drivers -- who have the highest rates of fatalities in serious accidents and are often less able to survive the traumatic impact of a serious car accident.

Motor vehicle accidents are a fact of life. No matter how safe a driver in Pittsburgh might be, there is always the chance that something beyond that driver's control could trigger a car accident. One thing drivers are able to control, however, is their relative safety: driving a car with more and better safety features might increase the likelihood of surviving an accident and minimizing injuries.

Unfortunately, some vehicles that drivers assumed were safe might have some very dangerous defects. Recently, an auto part manufactured by a Japanese company was recalled, affecting millions of cars around the world. Multiple car manufacturers use the part, including GM, Toyota, Honda and Nissan. It is not clear how many vehicles in the United States are affected, but car owners can check with their car dealers or online to determine if their vehicles are affected.