Motorcycle use in Northern Virginia has increased substantially in recent years. In 1994, there were just under 60,000 motorcycle registrations. In 2008, there were 177,147. With the increased popularity of motorcycles, however, also comes an increase in accidents and deaths. There were over 2,000 motorcycle accidents and 71 deaths in Virginia in 2009, and...
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NTSB Investigation Determines that Truck Driver Fatigue to Blame in Fatal 2009 Crash
Though tractor trailers are involved in fewer accidents each year (approximately half a million) than regular cars (over six million), the results are usually more catastrophic due to the size of the trucks. Tractor trailer accidents kill around 5,000 each year, and almost all deaths in such accidents involve the other drivers and...
Read MoreWashington Post Reports on Pedestrian Dangers in Washington, DC
The Washington Post recently reported on a spate of pedestrian automobile accidents in the Washington, D.C. area, several of which resulted in fatalities. Many of these types of accidents are due to driver inattentiveness, carelessness, or other acts...
Read MoreMaryland’s New Cell Phone Laws Take Effect
The National Safety Council has found that drivers talking on a cell phone fail to see and process up to 50 percent of the information in their driving environment. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety determined that drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to get into serious crashes as those not...
Read MoreElectrical Accident Hospitalizes DC Construction Worker
Electrocutions remain one of the leading causes of death for construction workers. Between one hundred and two hundred workers die each year in electrical accidents. Construction workers are at risk any time they work near live wires or power lines. Overhead power lines typically...
Read MoreNorthern Virginia Fire that Caused $2 Million in Damage Blamed On Disposal of Smoking Materials
The improper disposal of smoking materials is the leading cause of fire deaths in the United States. In recent weeks, a number of such fires have occurred throughout the country. Improperly disposed charcoal briquettes led to a fire that burned down the storage shed of a Tennessee family. A Northern Virginia family lost...
Read MoreFederal Summit in Washington DC Studies the Effects of Distracted Driving
The US Transportation Department held its second summit on distracted driving in as many years to tackle the increasing problems associated with distracted driving. In 2009, distracted drivers killed 5,474 people on America’s roads and injured 448,000. Distracted driving accounts for almost a fifth of all traffic deaths. If distracted driving has harmed you...
Read MoreConsumer Safety Experts Recommend Cordless Window Coverings after Maryland Baby Dies in Accident
With window cords injuring or killing many babies and toddlers over the years, experts at the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) have called on parents to switch to cordless window coverings. In 2009, companies recalled nearly 5.5 million window shades and blinds that posed dangers to children after three deaths and seven near strangulations....
Read MoreWashington DC Restrictions on Drivers under 18 Shown to Improve Road Safety
A recent study found that injuries from car crashes cost over $99 billion every year. When you factor in higher insurance premiums, traffic delays and other costs associated with car accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration believes that the costs associated with accidents...
Read MoreTour Bus Falls off DC Beltway, Killing Driver and Injuring at Least 12
A chartered bus that runs tours to Washington, D.C. fell 45 feet off a high occupancy Washington D.C. beltway sky ramp and landed on its side on Interstate 270 below. The bus was carrying several groups of Pennsylvania parents and their children who had just spent the day sightseeing in DC. The accident...
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