Measuring Quality of Life After a Traffic Collision

A recent study published in Annals of Emergency Medicine reported that “many seniors injured in motor vehicle crashes remain in pain for months afterwards, which negatively affects their quality of life, including the ability to live independently.” Indeed, according to Timothy Platts-Mills, MD, MSc, “the types of injuries that younger people recover from relatively quickly seem to put many seniors into a negative spiral of pain and disability.” Platts-Mills is the lead author of the study, and his academic home is in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.

Many seniors suffer injuries in car accidents, and Platts-Mills emphasizes the importance of analyzing their ability to recover after they’re involved in a collision. His research is particularly relevant given that America’s senior population is expected to double in the next twenty years.

Platts-Mills’ study looked at patients who required emergency room treatment for injuries they sustained in car crashes. At the time of the emergency room evaluation, about three-quarters of those in the study indicated they were experiencing “moderate to severe pain.” Six months later, more than one-quarter of those patients “were still reporting moderate to severe motor vehicle crash-related pain.”

And for those patients with persistent pain, nearly 75 percent of them “experienced a decline in their physical function,” while nearly 25 percent “experienced a change in living situation in order to obtain additional help.” In other words, car accident injuries can dramatically impact the daily lives—in the long term—of older adults who suffer moderate to severe injuries. Older adults who experienced lasting pain after a car accident were also “twice as likely to have visited the emergency department at some point during the 6 months after the motor vehicle crash.”

Preventing Car Accidents Among the Elderly

For Platts-Mills, learning about ways to identify patients who are likely to experience lasting pain upon a first emergency visit can allow physicians to begin therapies early on to deal with chronic pain. But in such cases, older adults still suffer significant pain from auto accident injuries. How can we prevent accidents from happening in the first place? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stresses that “the risk of being injured or killed in a motor vehicle crash increases as you age.” To be sure, more than 580 seniors, on average, suffer injuries each day in auto accidents.

The CDC recommends the following for preventing traffic collisions among the elderly:

• Wearing seatbelts anytime you’re behind the wheel;
• Only driving when conditions are good: driving during daylight hours and avoiding inclement weather can help seniors to avoid car accidents;
• Exercising on a regular basis to improve flexibility and strength behind the wheel;
• Having eyes checked on a regular basis;
• Planning or mapping out your route before you get into the car;
• Avoiding driving distractions, including cell phone use; and
• Considering driving alternatives, such as public transportation or riding with a family member to your destination.

If your elderly parent or loved one recently sustained injuries in an auto accident, you should contact a San Diego car accident lawyer to learn more about filing a claim for compensation.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Brooks via Compfight cc See Related Blog Posts: Road Safety and Summer Vacations Car Recalls: What Should You Know?

Slowing Down the Speed with “Vision Zero”

What’s involved in a program created to end traffic fatalities within a decade? According to Jim Stone, the Executive Director of Circulate San Diego, the most important part of the initiative is its focus on safety. In other words, we need to take a look at the reasons for the program in order to understand how it might help to reduce traffic-related deaths in the city. As Stone explained, “We have a traffic fatality rate in San Diego that’s greater than our murder rate.”

One of the first orders of business is speed of travel. Speeding is a serious problem, and it’s a type of aggressive driving that’s responsible for numerous preventable accidents. For instance, Juniper Aavang suffered fatal injuries in a traffic collision caused by speeding just a couple of months ago “as her father pushed her in a stroller through a crosswalk at the intersection of Catalina and Cannon in Point Loma.”

Stone elaborated on the cause of the death, explaining, “we know that if someone is hit by a car going 40 miles per hour they have a 20 percent chance of surviving a crash.” Given those statistics, one of the primary goals of Vision Zero is “to slow things down to a safer speed.”

City Planning Measures Can Help to Reduce Speeding

If we know that speeding is a serious problem, what steps can be taken to help reduce it? The architects of Vision Zero are looking to areas such as Allison Street, which is next to La Mesa City Hall. There, “diagonal parking lines reduce the size of the street.” According to Stone, “studies show smaller streets help slow traffic.”

But it’s not just about reducing the urge to drive fast. To be sure, Vision Zero will also need to take steps to increase pedestrian visibility. Crosswalk lights on the ground, for example, can help to alert drivers that they need to stop. In addition, more signs pointing to crosswalks and curb extensions can help to reduce pedestrian fatalities. As you might imagine, some of these methods are relatively easy to implement—adding pedestrian-crossing signs to crosswalk areas can be accomplished with relative ease, and diagonal parking lines should be relatively straightforward to implement. However, curb extensions could take more time.

Curb extensions are very important in the Vision Zero scheme, though. With curb extensions, pedestrians “can see cars coming, but more importantly the cars can see them coming.” As such, Stone articulates, “it’s a great way to improve pedestrian safety.”

Vision Zero will hone in on “eight major corridors” in San Diego, including University Avenue, Market Street, and El Cajon Boulevard. News agencies recently reported that University Avenue is the most dangerous street for pedestrian accidents in our city. Getting the program underway will cost about $15 million.

Contact a San Diego Accident Attorney

Let’s hope that “Vision Zero” can help to eradicate the car crashes and traffic fatalities that plague Southern California. In the meantime, traffic-related accidents do happen. If you or someone you love has been injured in an auto collision or a pedestrian accident, you should discuss your case with an experienced San Diego car accident lawyer. An advocate at the Walton Law Firm can speak with you today.

Photo Credit: Nathan E Photography via Compfight cc See Related Blog Posts: Fatal Pedestrian Accident in La Jolla Police Looking for Hit-and-Run Driver After Escondido Pedestrian Fatality

Vacation Travel on the Highway

On the Memorial Day holiday alone, AAA estimates that about 33 million Americans take a trip that involves road travel. Indeed, the weekend “brings the start of the summer driving season” to our country, including to the scenic highways of California. At the same time, however, “between now and Labor Day can be one of the most dangerous times of the year to be behind the wheel.” As a result, it’s essential to think about safety matters.

One of the most important actions you and your family can take is, simply, to buckle up when you’re in an automobile. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more Americans than ever are using seat belts. Indeed, “Seat belt use reached an all-time high of 87 percent in 2013.” Yet many California residents still need a reminder to wear their seat belts. Nearly 50 percent of all Americans who died in car accidents last year weren’t buckled up.

In addition to wearing a seat belt, it’s also important to think carefully about your teenager’s driving experience. While a lot of teenagers in San Diego hope to take road trips once school lets our, “inexperience can put them at greater risk for accidents.” If you are going to allow your teenager to get behind the wheel this summer for a trip with friends, you should remind him or her about the dangers of distracted driving with the following rules:

• Don’t use a smartphone in the car;
• Limit the number of passengers in your teen’s vehicle; and
• No nighttime driving.

Summer also tends to mean more roadside construction. It’s easier for construction crews to do some of the necessary repairs to our highways, and as such it’s essential to drive slowly in construction zones. Construction can also lead to detours, and you’ll need to stay alert to avoid getting lost or causing an accident.

Safety Tips for Long Drives and Road Trips

In addition to general safety tips for summertime driving, you should also consider particular issues that can arise on road trips and longer highway stints. An article in Independent Traveler provides some important tips for long hauls on the road:

• Make sure to get enough sleep before you hit the road.
• Take breaks and pull over, even if you don’t think you’re tired.
• Share the drive with other reliable adults.
• Don’t break cell phone laws in other states—know the laws before you set out, and don’t get distracted by using a smartphone while you’re on the road.
• Don’t drink alcohol before your road trip.
• Have a plan for inclement weather, including potential detours.
• Always bring a map, as GPS devices aren’t infallible.
• Have your vehicle tuned up before you get on the road.
• Become a member of AAA or another roadside assistance program.

If you or someone you love recently sustained a serious injury in an auto accident, it’s important to discuss your situation with an experienced San Diego car accident attorney. Depending on the specific facts of your case, you may be eligible to file a claim for financial compensation.

Photo Credit: chelle_1278 via Compfight cc See Related Blog Posts: Car Recalls: What Should You Know? Auto Accident Leaves Cyclist with Spinal Cord Injury

Have you sustained injuries in a serious automobile accident? Has a loved one been injured in a traffic collision caused by a distracted driver? You may be eligible to file a claim for financial compensation. At the Walton Law Firm, our experienced San Diego car accident attorneys have been handling cases for years and can answer your questions for you today.

Details of the Chula Vista Cell Phone Crackdown

According to the news report from CBS 8 San Diego, the ticketed drivers were issued citations between 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on a Sunday. Fifteen of them were cited for texting while driving, while the remaining 55 were cited for using a cell phone “in some other manner,” according to the Chula Vista Police.

This crackdown operation was the fourth in the month of April. On April 10, 15 drivers were cited for texting while driving, while another 60 received citations for cell phone use. Another operation took place on April 17, when 8 drivers received tickets for texting while driving and 44 were issued citations for additional cell phone use. A third crackdown operation took place on April 24, when 83 Chula Vista police issued citations to a total of 83 drivers. Of those motorists, police caught 13 of them texting while driving. The minimum citation for first-time violator is enough to make Southern California drivers think twice, at a high price of $161. For repeat offenders, the ticket increased substantially. Repeat offenders are issued citations of at least $281.

In other words, San Diego drivers who use their cell phones will be ticketed for distracted driving. In California, all drivers are “required to use hands-free equipment while talking on their cellular telephones,” according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. In addition to hand-held talking, texting while driving is illegal in California. In case you didn’t know, there’s a “law against driving while reading, writing or sending a text message,” and the law applies to emails and instant messages, too.

Distracted Driving Statistics

Given the devastating statistics connected with distracted driving, the Chula Vista police department may have saved lives and prevented injuries with its recent crackdowns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 9 Americans suffer fatal injuries because of distracted driving everyday, and more than 1,060 sustain serious injuries.

Is distracted driving a term that only applies to using a phone in some manner while you’re behind the wheel? The CDC explains that distracted driving is any kind of “driving while doing another activity that takes your attention away from driving.” Three primary types of driver distraction exist, and they include:

• Visual distraction, which involves “taking your eyes off the road”
• Manual distraction, which involves “taking your hands off the wheel”
• Cognitive distraction, which involves “taking your mind off of driving”

All three types of distraction can be very devastating, and they can result in severe accidents. If you or a loved one has been injured in a collision caused by a distracted driver, it’s important to speak to an experienced San Diego car accident lawyer about your case. The injury lawyers at the Walton Law Firm can discuss your case with you today.

See Related Blog Posts: San Diego Crime Stoppers Addresses Hit-and-Run Accidents Fatal Distracted Driving Accident in San Diego

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