The debate surrounding the idea of “distracted walking” takes to new heights as the Honolulu City Council proposes a bill that will legally limit pedestrian cell phone use.  Should the bill pass, it will be against the law for a pedestrian in Hawaii to look at their phone while crossing the street.  However, controversy arises as it will still not be illegal to look at your phone while driving a car through the very same intersection.

A recent study released by Ohio State University claims that pedestrian injuries involving a cell phone are rapidly rising.  The study reported that cell phones cause more than 1,000 serious pedestrian injuries every year.  The researchers claim this number is just the “tip of the iceberg” and that thousands more pedestrian injuries occur each year that are not categorized as serious.

If you’ve been injured in a serious car wreck in Wisconsin and are questioning your legal options due to difficulty in settling an insurance claim and/or getting the necessary compensation, you have a great deal to consider. The first of which, of course, is the matter of fault. Who was really at fault for your accident? How will the court approach the matter of fault, often referred to as liability? How is liability determined?

The first thing you need to know is that matters of fault and liability differ from state to state. In Wisconsin and in many other states, the factor of negligence will inevitably come into play. When someone acts negligently, they act carelessly and fail to behave with the level of care that would be expected of someone under the same conditions.

According to data obtained from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration, I-94 is the deadliest interstate in the State of Wisconsin. This interstate has a fatal crash rate of 0.2. Compared to dangerous highways in other states, I-94 is one of the safer interstates in the United States. But in the State of Wisconsin, a car accident on I-94 has the greatest risk being fatal.

Overall, the most dangerous roads in Wisconsin are the rural two-lane roads.  They are less forgiving because they are more narrow, have dangerous hills or curves, have little or no shoulders, and short clearance space for vehicles that leave the roadway.  In 2014, the fatality rate on Wisconsin’s non-interstate rural roads was more than double that on all other roads in the state.

The act of staying safe while driving requires making adjustments for physical changes that naturally happen as we age.  Changes in vision, hearing, attention and reaction time, strength, flexibility, or coordination, are important factors to consider for improving senior driving.  Here are a few safe driving tips for seniors that may help increase their chance for safety on the road:

Check your vision.  It is important to have an eye exam every 1-2 years.  Eye glasses prescriptions should be updated to reflect any changes, and surgery can be preformed to correct more serious vision problems like cataracts.  Sunglasses that are anti-reflective or polarized can help reduce glare.  If visibility in the dark becomes a problem, limit driving to daytime hours only.

By now, we’re all familiar with the dangers of texting and driving. Car makers and smartphone app creators are making major strides to help drivers keep their hands on the steering wheel while sending texts and interacting with their cell phones on the road. Touch-screen dashboards and built-in Bluetooth devices help drivers interact hands-free.

Efforts like these make it easier for us to use the technology we love, but they also pose a question. Do hands-free devices and smartphone apps really eliminate the risks of causing a car accident due to being distracted? When a driver is concentrating on reading or dictating a text on their dashboard, aren’t they still distracted? Freeing the hands isn’t the answer to solving the dilemma on how to eliminate distracted driving altogether.

Driving a car is a dangerous activity many of us do every day.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States.  On average, 111,000 crashes occur on Wisconsin roadways every year.  There are many causes of car accidents in Wisconsin.  Here are a few of the most common:

Deer are a leading cause of car accident in Wisconsin.  On average, 17,700 car accidents every year are caused by deer.  Many of these accidents result in serious driver injury.  Wisconsin has a high deer population.  It is important for all drivers on Wisconsin roadways to be alert for unpredictable wildlife at all times.

Driving is probably the most dangerous thing most of us will ever do.  According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, every year more than 30,000 people in the U.S. die in motor vehicle crashes and more than 2 million are injured.  Even the most responsible driver can find themselves involved in a dangerous car accident.  It is important that every driver on the road know what to do after a crash.

First, take some deep breaths.  Our bodies handle car accidents with a rapid rush of overwhelming emotions like shock, fear, guilt, or anger.  It is important to try to calm yourself down so that you can handle the situation.  This is the time to assess the accident and determine if it was a serious one.