Kansas City Injury Lawyer Blog

Drunk Driving Awareness. Missouri now allows state approved memorial signs to be placed in honor of drunk driving victims. The first sign in the Kansas City district memorializes Laura Reynolds who was killed by a drunk driver on U.S. 24 Highway in Jackson County last Halloween.

I believe memorial signs will be effective in helping reduce drunk driving. Although the sign costs $600.00, it is a very good investment from a highway safety perspective. If you know of a drunk driving victim, please contact Douglas Horn in order that we can look into the possibility of a sign.

Motorcycle Safety Update. I am urging Missouri lawmakers to consider mandatory, state-approved safety classes for new motorcyclists. In my experience in handling motorcycle accidents, training on motorcycle handling, braking, and other safety maneuvers would be of substantial benefit, especially to a person who is inexperienced in riding a motorcycle.

Mandatory highway safety laws always face opposition. Therefore, I would appreciate your comment in regards to this important aspect of highway safety.

Distracted Driving Update. I am excited to launch the "Lead By Example" highway safety campaign which is designed for adults, and especially parents.

Almost without exception, distracted driving safety efforts have been aimed at high school/college age drivers. My new campaign, "Lead By Example" is meant for adult drivers. This kind of safety campaign makes sense because cell phone use among driving adults is becoming more prevalent and, in fact, adults represent the largest segment of distracted drivers.

I am in the process of finding media outlets to help broadcast the "Lead By Example" driving safety campaign.

Continue reading "Missouri Highway Safety Updates: October 2010" »

Most fatal truck accidents in 2009 in Missouri and nationwide, were caused not because of fatigue, but speeding. That information comes from an analysis of fatal truck accident figures in 2009 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The agency says speeding accounted for the most number of truck accidents in 2009, contributing to 7.3% of all fatal crashes last year.

The report titled 2009: Historic Truck Crash Declines lays out the top factors in fatal truck accidents last year. The FMCSA recorded a 20.4% drop in truck accidents last year, and the agency has been trying to determine the factors that led to this decline.

According to the analysis, besides speeding, the other main factors in truck accidents last year were failure to maintain lanes, distracted driving, failure to yield the right of way, failure to obey traffic rules, overcorrecting, fatigued driving, following to closely and making improper turns.

Last year marked the third consecutive year of a decline in fatal truck crashes. There was not only a substantial decline in fatalities in truck accidents, but also a decline in the overall number of truck accidents. However, Missouri truck accident attorneys would caution against taking this to mean that there have been great strides made in trucking safety. It's important to remember that this decline in truck crash fatalities coincided with the recession, which also adversely impacted the trucking industry. As businesses and manufacturing took a hit, the freight industry also reeled under the impact. Fewer trucks on the road have meant fewer numbers of accidents.

Whether the drop in numbers can hold up once the economy begins to pick up again and trucking activity accelerates, remains to be seen.

The number of car accidents involving teen drivers is on the decline, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, car crashes continue to be the Number 1 cause of death for teenagers.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed fatal teen accident data between 2004 and 2008 and found a substantial decline in accident rates during this time. This report points to evidence that vehicles have become safer, more teens are wearing seat belts, and drunk driving has decreased. The direct credit for better teen driver safety may be directly related to more restrictive teen driving laws, stepped-up law enforcement and targeted public safety campaigns.

As a Missouri crash lawyer and highway safety advocate, I hope parents do not take this news to mean that they can afford to be complacent about their teen drivers. Since 2008, distracted driving among teens has risen to epidemic levels due to texting and cell phone use. I have attended 2 national summits devoted to the issue of distracted driving. Although more states are enacting laws outlawing texting while driving, it is going to take more than laws to curb the distracted driving crisis.

In this regard, I am launching a teen driver safety campaigns called Reality Check. This is a high school driver education program that focuses on the reduction of texting while driving and impaired driving. For more information, visit www.highwaysafetyattorney.com.

Continue reading "Teen Driver Safety Legal Information" »

According to the MoDOT, last year 280 people were killed in Missouri by impaired drivers. At least, 1,140 were seriously injured. Many of these crashes happen at night and involve violent impacts. Also, consider that in 2009 over 35,000 people were arrested for drunk driving in Missouri.

In light of this, Missouri lawmakers this year moved to enact a new DUI law. The new law, which became effective August 28, 2010, strengthens alcohol-related offenses involving repeat offenders and also allows the trial courts to set up special DUI courts. The primary advantage of DUI courts is that they can oversee convictions in terms of supervision, drug testing, monitoring, and treatment. Keeping potential repeat offenders under strict supervision will prove to be very effective.

Law enforcement in Missouri is also doing their part. Increased media announcements and more sobriety checkpoints were evident over the Labor Day holiday period when impaired driving is at its highest. Highway patrol and local police are sharpening their tactics to target drunk drivers and this should continue to be a traffic safety priority.

As a Missouri Crash lawyer who has represented a number of victims of a drunk driver, I was encouraged to see that Missouri now allows state-sponsored highway signs to memorialize a drunk driving victim. In fact, the first sign in the Kansas City district is in honor of Laura B. Reynolds, a 16 year-old girl who was killed by a drunk driver last Halloween. The sign is located very close to the crash site on Highway 24 near Fort Osage High School.

For 20 years Douglas R. Horn has been representing persons seriously injured or killed on Missouri roadways. His law practice, headquartered in Independence, Missouri is concentrated in a wide-variety of car, truck, and motorcycle accident claims. Horn handles cases throughout Missouri and many of his crash cases involve high-speed collisions on interstates, state highways, and rural roads. Through his work, Horn has developed an expertise in highway safety issues, especially issues involving driver safety.

As a Missouri Crash lawyer, I have handled over 2000 motor vehicle collisions and I would estimate that about 85% of those cases were caused by a drunk, distracted or reckless driver. Although there has been stepped-up law enforcement and other safety improvements, Missouri crash cases are increasing in some areas due to higher traffic volumes, faster speeds, and more distracted drivers. Also, because driver education has all but been eliminated atthe high schools, teen drivers are contributing to a greater public safety risk.

I recently returned from the Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, D.C. While in the nation's capital, I launched the "Reality Check" Safety Campaign. This is a teen driving safety program geared to reduce drunk, distracted, and reckless driving and to impress upon teens the legal and financial consequences of dangerous driving. The campaign will debut in 2011.

I also intend on initiating a public awareness effort called "Distracted Drivers Lead By Example".While much attention has been paid to distracted driving among young drivers, many adult talk, text, browse, and manipulate portable electronic devises while driving. Thus, our safety campaign urges adults to not "multi-task" while driving. The foundation of this safety effort is that children are influenced by their parents who model dangerous driving behavior.

I do not have hope that new distracted driving/texting laws are going to do much good. However, I am in support of Graduated Driving Laws that apply to teen drivers. Missouri does have a GDL, but it needs to be strengthened.

You can learn more about my highway safety advocacy efforts at www.highwaysafetyattorney.com.

As a motorcycle accident lawyer who handles serious injury and wrongful death cases, I typically make claims against a car driver who just didn't see our client's motorcycle. While I understand that it is extremely difficult to avoid a negligent driver, motorcyclists who have training in swerving, emergency braking, and other collision avoidance maneuvers are more likely to avoid a collision.

Although I am proud of our track record in individual motorcycle crash cases, I have a passion for helping to create safer roads for all motorists. In this regard, I believe the motorcycle awareness safety campaigns are very effective at helping to convince drivers to keep a better lookout for motorcyclists. As well, I think mandatory motorcycle training would help younger bikers acquire better defensive driving skills.

North Carolina just instituted a mandatory motorcycle training law in response to a 23% increase in the number of motorcycle accidents. In Missouri, I am advocating we take action before we see a rise in motorcycle fatalities. However, as with any mandatory safety training, I suppose there will be a fair amount of opposition.

I would like to hear from experienced bikers to get their perspective on what can be done to make the roads safer for motorcyclists. Please visit www.highwaysafetyattorney.com for more information on my roadway safety efforts.