Auto Safety

Truck Drivers Still Using Cell Phones

The following is a great article from ksl.com (https://www.ksl.com/?sid=37389225&nid=148) that highlights importance of avoiding texting and driving.

When you’re driving down the freeway, you’re bound to see a lot of texting, talking, and web surfing from drivers who are distracted by their cellphones. It’s been the subject of many KSL stories in the past, but what about those drivers you can’t see, like semi drivers? A federal law went into effect in 2012, banning truckers from using hand-held cellphones. But as KSL Investigators found out, it isn’t stopping some of them.

“Everybody does it, unfortunately,” said semi truck driver Tamara Wylie. “I see a lot of them doing this (looking down), you see a lot of them talking, you see it all.”

“I have done it before and you lose control really easily on a vehicle that big,” admitted semi truck driver Craig Cordero. “You start drifting almost immediately.”

And when that truck starts drifting, you don’t want to be on the receiving end.

“When he came right for me I just thought I was going to be gone, that was it,” remembered Lacinda Brown. “They call me the miracle lady.”

‘Miracle lady’

She’s earned the nickname. After all, not many people have been hit head-on by a semi truck and lived to tell about it. In May, Brown was driving from Vernal to Provo. The roads were clear, but there was an extremely big problem. A semi driver, going the opposite way, failed to see the cars slowing in front of him. He swerved into oncoming traffic and slammed into Brown’s Toyota. The driver of the semi was initially cited. Distracted driving was listed as a contributing factor.

“I don’t know if he was falling asleep, or he could have been reaching for something, or he was on his cellphone. But there he was,” said Brown. “It was just awful. It was just an awful experience.”

It is a trucker’s job to keep his eyes on the road, but how many of them are taking that job seriously at all times? The KSL Investigators spent a few hours cruising I-15 and discovered all kinds of distractions.

Truckers texting

Like drinking coffee, perfectly legal. Smoking, legal. Eating a corn dog with ketchup, delicious and legal. Taking notes, not a great idea, but legal. Driving with your elbows, definitely a bad idea, but there’s no law against it.

But over and over and over again, they caught truckers talking on cellphones. It’s not illegal for regular drivers here in Utah, but for semi drivers it’s a big no-no.

“In commercial vehicles you’re not allowed to talk on a cellphone,” said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Matt Garvey. “You can’t even hold it to your ear. It can’t even be in your hand.”

KSL Investigators watched one truck driver repeatedly looking into his lap for more than a minute and a half. In his hand was a cellphone. Even more disturbing is what he was hauling.

“He’s basically carrying a big ol’ fireball,” said trooper Garvey.

A quick search of the company name on the side of his 18-wheeler shows he’s licensed to carry hazmat-rated materials, most likely gasoline.

‘Stuff we want to stop’

KSL Investigators also caught another semi driver hauling a mobile home on tape with phone visibly in hand for nearly two minutes. They weren’t sure whether he was texting, emailing, tweeting, facebooking, instagramming or snapchatting … but his full attention was definitely not on the road.

“This is the kind of stuff we want to stop right there,” Garvey said after seeing the video.

In the past five years there have been more than 8,000 crashes involving semis in Utah, and 245 of those list distracted driving as a cause. Crash reports show in dozens of the accidents, a semi driver was distracted while looking at or talking on a cellphone.

The problem is, it’s close to impossible for the Highway Patrol to catch. First, there’s just one trooper per car, making it difficult for a trooper who is driving to see inside the cab of a semi. Second, semi drivers aren’t stupid.

“It’s actually a lot harder to see it when you’re in a patrol vehicle because they can see the patrol vehicle and they kind of fix their ways,” said Garvey.

Heavy fines for drivers caught breaking the law

The majority of semi drivers KSL Investigators saw were obeying the law. However, there were still dozens of drivers who were caught on tape breaking the law, and the fines are hefty: $2,750 for truckers and up to $11,000 for companies that allow their drivers to use hand-held cellphones.

KSL Investigators tried to speak with the local companies of the drivers they caught on tape, but those companies declined to comment.

As for Lacinda Brown, she never made it to Provo for her niece’s graduation.

“When I saw that semi there, I thought my life was over,” said Brown. “I thought I was dead.”

Instead, she spent the next several weeks in the hospital with a crushed spine.

“I was lucky I wasn’t paralyzed,” said Brown.

Court records show the case against the semi driver who hit her was dismissed. His company says he was distracted by windshield wipers. It just goes to show whether it’s windshield wipers, eating, drinking, talking or using your cellphone for any reason at all … taking your eyes off the road for just seconds can have serious consequences.

“You get into 80,000-pound semis and 129,000-pound semis pulling two trailers, these heavy loads, they’re not just dangerous, they’re deadly,” said Garvey.

 

Uninsured Drivers More Likely to Be Towed

The following is an article from KSL:  Uninsured drivers on Utah roadways can expect to have their cars impounded on the spot under a new law taking effect Thursday.

Utah police have had the option to pull over an uninsured driver and impound their car since 2008, but the new law will require it unless there’s a safety concern.

Despite Utah’s relatively low rate of uninsured drivers, state Sen. Lyle Hillyard, a Logan Republican who sponsored the law, said it’s “a worthwhile price for the greater good” of making sure uninsured drivers don’t cause a financial burden to others if they get in an accident.

In 2012, Utah had the fourth-lowest rate of uninsured drivers in the country at 5.8 percent, according data from the Insurance Research Council.

Hillyard estimates Utah’s rate is now closer to 3 percent, but he said the law is still needed to further crack down on those driving without coverage.

The law gives officers discretion so they’re not seizing every car, he said. The law has exceptions if the officer is concerned that seizing the vehicle would be a safety concern to the driver or any occupants or keep the officer from addressing any other public safety matters.

“It gives them more of an incentive to impound the car, but it has a lot of protection in there,” Hillyard said. “For example, if it’s an unsafe position or if you’ve got a mom and some little kids there, those kinds of things, it would protect them from doing that.”

Law enforcement officers would have to check the person against a state database of uninsured drivers. If the driver insists they have insurance, the officer must make “a reasonable attempt” to verify if the person is covered, such as calling the insurance agency.

Several states allow impounding, but it’s unclear if any others require it. Several cities in Texas, including Dallas, require police to tow the cars of uninsured drivers.

It passed unanimously in Utah’s state Senate in March, but only won approval by on a 38-31 vote in the House, with many Republicans voting against.

One of those opposed is Republican Rep. Paul Ray from Clearfield, who said he’s worried about the accuracy of the uninsured driver database. He’s had several constituents complain that they were pulled over because the database incorrectly showed they were uninsured, he said.

“These people, they had the proof. They were still cited. They still had to go to court,” said Ray, who predicts there will be “a lot of unhappy people” once the law takes effect.

He’s concerned about misunderstandings such as a spouse or a child being pulled over despite not being the family member who pays the insurance, he said.

“There’s just a lot of ifs, and I’m not sure it’s the role of government to say, ‘We’re going to take your car and impound it if your insurance isn’t paid on it,’ ” Ray said.

What to Do After an Auto Accident

Be Prepared
Before you hit the road, it’s important to understand your auto insurance policy. Your insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. Always keep a copy of your current insurance card in the car with registration and other important documents.

Ask your insurance agent to explain the important elements of your policy to you, including your deductible and liability limits. You may even want to consider adding uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage to your policy if your insurance provider offers it. This clause could help protect you if you are in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver, and the accident was their fault. Check out this consumer alert for more information on your policy.

If you are a parent with a teen driver, sit down with them and talk about the risks of unsafe driving before you hand over the keys. Research shows that teens whose parents establish rules associated with driving privileges are less likely to get in a crash. For tips on how to prepare your teens for safe driving, click here.

After an Accident
Getting into an accident can be stressful and chaotic; it’s difficult to remember what to do immediately following a wreck. Many people are unsure about what information they need to share with and collect from the other driver. While individual state laws may vary, in most cases, you only need to provide your name and insurance information. Divulging more than that, such as your address or driver’s license number, could put you at risk for identity fraud.

To help take the worry out of collecting information and filing an insurance claim, the NAIC developed WRECKCHECK, a free mobile app for iPhones and Android devices. This award-winning app walks you through a step-by-step process to create an accident report. WRECKCHECK allows you to take photos of the scene and document only what is necessary to file an insurance claim. You can even send the completed accident report to yourself and your insurance agent. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can download a printable checklist here to keep in your glove compartment.

WRECKCHECK also provides tips on what to do immediately following an accident:
•Remain calm and assess the scene. Do not get out of your car if it is not safe to do so.
•Call the police and inform them of any injuries. If the police are not dispatched, file an incident report. This may assist you with your claim.
•Be courteous, but do not admit fault.
•Get names and contact information of any witnesses.

Filing the Claim
It’s best to start the claims process as soon as possible, while the details of the accident are still fresh in your mind. When you call your insurance company or agent, have available the police or incident report, your insurance information, and a copy of the accident report that you created at the scene. Take notes, including the name and contact information of the person you spoke with, during any conversations you have with insurance companies, claims adjusters or auto shops.

Your insurance company should be able to file the claim and work with the other insurance companies on your behalf. Keep in mind that you may be asked to do an interview with the other driver’s insurance company so that they can investigate the circumstances of the accident as well. A claims adjuster or auto repair shop will likely examine the damage to the car and talk with you about the accident. Your insurance company will use the adjuster’s findings as the basis of their settlement.

Talk to your insurance company about whose coverage will pay for damages to the vehicles, for rental car expenses or medical costs as a result of the accident. Some of these expenses will depend on who is at fault, what coverage you have on your policy, and what state you live in.

Utah Seatbelt Statistics

The following .pdf present a summary of Utah’s seatbelt usage.  The study was preformed across 17 counties to show data across both urban and rural counties.  Among other things the study found that approximately 82% of drivers regularly wear their seatbelts.  For rural counties, though, usage dropped down to 70%.

The survey also shows that while over 90% of women wear their seatbelts, only 80% of males wear their seatbelts.

To download a full copy of the report, please click here.

School Bus Safety

The following is from the Utah Department of Public Safety: http://publicsafety.utah.gov/highwaysafety/schoolbus.html

 

A Safe Ride

According to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA), school buses are the safest mode of transportation for getting children to and from school. School buses are designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in avoiding crashes and preventing injuries.

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY FEATURES

Why don’t school buses have seat belts?
School buses are designed differently and use a different kind of safety restraint system.
Compartmentalization: NHTSA decided this concept is the best way to provide crash protection to passengers of large school buses. It provides a protective envelope consisting of strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs. A relatable way to think about it is to compare it to an egg carton.
Large school buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than passenger vehicles, lessening the crash force occupants experience.
More detailed information is available here.

Driving Around School Buses

They’re big, they’re yellow, the newer ones have flashing strobe lights on them, and the times they’re on the roads are fairly predictable – these are all some of the reasons why they’re safe. There are also specific laws governing the way you can drive around them.

First of all, slow down.
Watch for children – they can come from all directions, especially if they’re running late.
Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is preparing to stop, load or unload children. Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop.
Red flashing lights and extended stop arms mean the bus has stopped and that children are getting on or off. Drivers must STOP and WAIT until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop arms are withdrawn and the bus begins moving again before they can continue driving.

When do drivers have to stop for school bus with flashing red lights & stop arms?

  • DRIVERS MUST STOP
  • On a two lane road when approaching from front or rear of bus
  • On a road with 3 or more lanes, with no median or physical barrier (i.e., just a double yellow line) when approaching from front or rear of bus
  • On a road with 3 or more lanes with a median or physical barrier when approaching from rear of bus (drivers approaching from the front of the bus may proceed)
  • On a road with 5 or more lanes and a center turn lane when approaching from the rear of the bus (drivers approaching from the front of the bus may proceed)

 

Utah Texting Law

Effective May 13, 2014, Utah passed new cellphone and mobile device restrictions.

While texting while driving is already illegal, the new law bans other activities on the phone like searching the Web, picking a song, or even dialing a phone number.  The new law also bans using a cellphone to send emails or instant messages, take pictures, or enter data into your phone.

You can still dial your phone with your hands in a medical emergency, to report a safety hazard, or to report criminal activity.

Utah Highway Patrol recommends using a hands-free device like a headset or bluetooth to ensure your in compliance with the new law.

Graphic Anti-Texting Video a Smash Hit

A graphic British public service announcement about the dangers of sending text messages while driving has become an Internet hit and sparked debate around the world.

The 30-minute film shows a bubbly teenager named Cassie who triggers a pileup that kills four people when she tries to send a text message while driving.  The graphic, slow-motion depiction of the crash shows heads going through windshields, bloodied bodies, and the lifeless eyes of a baby.

The video is being discussed around the country as more and more states have banned text messaging while driving.

The police department behind the video mentioned they hoped the film would make text-driving as socially unacceptable as drunk driving.

Due to the graphic nature of the video, we won’t post it here.  However, you can click on the following link to view it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0LCmStIw9E.