Since the law went into effect on March 1, 2008, law enforcement officers in New Jersey have issued close to 225,000 citations to motorists for breaking the law. Between 2008 and 2009, there were 3,610 accidents that involved a motorist using a hand-held cell phone. These crashes led to a total of 13 deaths. The number of deaths from cell phone-related accidents seem to be the highest in Camden County with 231 accidents in all related to motorists using cell phones while driving. Burlington County was next with 121 accidents, and Gloucester County was third with 116 accidents traced to the use of hand-held cell phones at the wheel.

So do I think the laws have failed? No. We simply need better enforcement, heavier fines, and stricter penalties for these laws to work the way they were supposed to.

In related distracted driving news, a new bill proposes that police responding to an accident note down whether the motorist was distracted at the time of the accident. Officers would be given a sheet with a number of distractions - eating, changing radio stations and other distractions - and would have to check on the appropriate one.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey injury lawyer, representing injured victims of motor vehicle accidents and car crashes in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic, and Ocean Counties, and across the state of New Jersey.

As a New Jersey injury lawyer, I have been blogging about the declining accident fatality rates across the country, including in our state. This year's numbers, while not low enough by any standards, are still extremely encouraging to those of us who would like to see fewer people killed and fewer lives shattered in preventable traffic accidents. According to the Department of Translation, fewer incidences of alcohol-related car accidents, greater use of seatbelts and safer cars have contributed to these decreasing fatalities.

·         The biggest challenges come from more and more numbers of technological distractions making their way into our vehicles. These include not just cell phones and texting devices, but also dashboard computers that are beginning to appear in cars.

·         Fatalities could also be reduced if we could focus a little harder on motorcycle safety. This is one category of highway users that continues to be at a high risk for death. We still continue to have far too many deaths in motorcycle crashes, even when the motorcyclist is wearing helmets.

·         The challenges to raising a new generation of informed drivers are greater today than they were a decade ago. Teen motorists have far too many distractions to enable them to drive safely. Law enforcement agencies in New Jersey must focus harder on enforcing traffic safety rules, educating teen motorists by taking the message to high schools around the state.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey accident lawyer, representing injured victims of automobile accidents in Monmouth, Ocean, Passaic, and Bergen Counties and across New Jersey.

Travelers have become used to these billboards that flash advertising messages, news headlines, and sports scores. But exactly how distracting are these billboards? 

It seems to me that anything that can take a motorist’s attention away from the road on a busy highway for enough time to cause an accident, must be considered a serious risk. Some of these billboards change messages every 6 to 8 seconds. These are highly distracting messages that have the potential to cause motorists to take their eyes off the road for several seconds at a time. Motorists who are distracted by billboards are already talking on their cell phones or texting while driving. In short, these motorists can't handle any more distractions.

Efforts to ban these billboards are on, but the industry has been stubborn about its opposition to any such ban. In several states, nonprofit groups are trying to block the installation of more such billboards.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey personal injury lawyer representing injured victims of auto accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean counties, and across the state of New Jersey.

Every time injury lawyers in New Jersey feel hopeful at the declining rates of drunk driving crashes in the state, comes an accident like the one here.  Incidents like these continue to remind us that there remains a threat from those who believe they have a right to drive when they are a danger to themselves and others.

New Jersey has strong laws that hold intoxicated motorists responsible for their actions. Our dram shop liability laws allowing persons who have been injured by a drunk driver to hold the establishment that served him alcohol, liable for the injuries. We also have strong civil laws that allow victims of drunk driving crashes and families of people who are killed in such accidents to recover compensation for their losses. These help to act as a deterrent to reckless motorists.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey drunk driving accident lawyer representing injured victims of alcohol-related car accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties, and across the state of New Jersey.

As expected, due to the high number of plane safety incidents that we have seen in recent years, aviation safety finds special mention on the list. The NTSB list also includes a number of recommendations for trucking safety, many of which have been given a red designation.

As a New Jersey injury lawyer and a parent, this particular removal really concerns me. School bus safety is an issue that concerns many parents. In particular, it is the absence of mandatory seat belts on these buses that is troubling.  Failure to buckle up can convert a child into a projectile in the event of a crash, placing him at serious risk for injuries and deaths.  These can so easily be prevented simply by mandating that all school buses come with seatbelts.

Traumatic brain injury is often the result of

·         Automobile accidents

·         Truck accidents

·         Motorcycle accidents

·         Industrial or workplace accidents

·         Construction accidents

·         Trip, slip and fall accidents

These can leave persons with short-term and long-term effects that impact their daily lives. 

The researchers believe that the hormone will work to prevent deterioration of brain tissue, and prevent inflammation and swelling. This may limit the extent of deterioration seen after a traumatic brain injury. It may also minimize the risk of death following a traumatic brain injury.

As a New Jersey injury lawyer who frequently represents seriously injured victims of car and motorcycle accidents, I am very excited at the prospect of a major new breakthrough treatment for TBI. I will be monitoring the trial very closely to see how treatments that emerge from the trials, can help my clients.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey accident lawyer representing victims injured in car accidents in the state of New Jersey.

No one knows yet if the child was wearing a seatbelt the time of the crash. However, a SUV rollover could result in children being ejected from their seats, especially if the child was in a booster seat. My prayers are with this family, which is still recovering from their injuries.

I would wait for the investigation to be completed before commenting, but if the debris fell off a vehicle belonging to a construction company, then the company has a lot to answer for. Unsecured cargo can be a risk in more ways than one, as this tragic accident shows.

Scott Grossman is a Monmouth County injury lawyer representing injured victims of auto and truck accidents in Holmdel, Freehold and around Monmouth County.

The device has been developed by an Israel-based company, and comprises of a harness, backpack and leg supports. The equipment also includes sensors that can detect and communicate to a computer in the backpack that a step needs to be taken. The person can then walk using his crutches.   The device works with the help of a battery that can be charged for three hours of use. However, in order to be able to use the device, a person must have the use of his upper body.

If all goes well, the device could be available as quickly as a few months from now.   Once the clinical trials end, the company Argo Medical Technologies, plans to apply to the Food and Drug Administration for approval. If the device is approved, the device will available in New Jersey and nationwide by late 2010. 

• In Monmouth County, the most number of fatalities occurred on route 444 with 73 deaths in 61 accidents. Out of these, 20 deaths involved accidents in which a driver had been intoxicated, 6 deaths involved a speeding driver, and 33 deaths or more than 45 %, involved failure to wear seat belts. 
• In Bergen County, the largest number of fatalities between 1994 and 2008 occurred on I-95 which saw 56 deaths in a total of 54 accidents. Out of these, failure to buckle up was linked to the highest number of fatalities with 37 deaths or 56 percent of the fatalities. Drunk driving accounted for 16 deaths and speeding accounted for 2 deaths.
• In Ocean County, the highest number of deaths occurred on route 444 with 86 accidents and 96 fatalities.  The percentage of fatalities not wearing seat belts was close to 47 percent (45 deaths), with 20 deaths attributed to drunk driving and 6 deaths attributed to speeding
• In Passaic County, I-80 was the most dangerous highway with 37 deaths in 35 accidents. Failure to (you guessed it) wear seat belts was the major factor in the fatalities here too, with 26 persons or more than 70 percent, not wearing seat belts. 15 of these deaths occurred in accidents involving a drunk driver, while four involved accidents caused by speeding.

The lessons from the data are obvious. You can increase your chances of staying safe on New Jersey roads by simply following 3 basic rules.

1. Never drink and drive.
2. Never drive above the recommended speed limit.
3. Always wear seat belts.

Scott Grossman is a car accident lawyer in New Jersey, representing victims of automobile, motorcycle and truck accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and ocean Counties and across the state of New Jersey.

The lawsuit has been filed by Louis Vozza. In June 2008, his uncle Daniel Vozza drank alcohol at one establishment, the Harley’s Irish Pub, before moving on to another one, Straphanger Saloon where he continued to drink. Then, Vozza got into a fight with the owner of the Straphanger Saloon, who was also intoxicated. During the scuffle, the bar owner apparently grabbed Vozza’s shirt, causing the man to fall on the asphalt and strike his head. Vozza suffered a serious brain injury, which has since left him mentally incapacitated. He suffers from memory loss, among other problems.  The lawsuit names the two establishments, and claims that these two served alcohol to Vozza who was “visibly intoxicated.” The owner of Harley’s Irish Pub insists that Vozza was not drunk when he left the bar on the day of the fight.

Unfortunately, even with these laws in place, accidents and injuries from violations of these laws, continue to occur. An establishment’s failure to serve customers and conduct business ethically can leave an innocent person injured or even dead.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey personal injury lawyer representing injured victims of auto and truck accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties and across the state of New Jersey.

The family of John D’Agostino has settled its claim for $2.5 million.  On November 21^st 2006, D’Agostino was getting off a train at a Bradley Beach station, when the train door closed shut on his shoulder and arm. The train began to pull out of the station. D’Agostino began to scream for help, but to no avail.  The train gathered speed, dragging the 49-year-old man with it. D’Agostino was eventually dragged under the train, and killed.  

The FRA also had severe criticism for the train’s conductor and assistant conductor. The two were not in their places at the time of the terrible accident, and failed to see D’Agostino trapped in the door and being dragged along. There have been other questions raised by the United Transportation Union Local 60 which represents conductors and assistant conductors, about whether the car doors were functioning properly at the time of accident. Investigations found no defects in the doors, edges, steps, or handholds.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey personal injury lawyer representing injured victims of auto and truck accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Ocean Counties and across the state of New Jersey.

Last month’s New England International Auto Show displayed a variety of advanced new auto safety features that don’t just minimize injuries in accidents, but also work to prevent crashes, and increase your chances of survival if you are involved in one. What’s more, many of these features are not restricted to high end luxury models, but are being introduced even in mid range and low range models.

For automakers, it makes sense to pump their vehicles with the most high-tech safety features. Surveys show that safety is one of the top most considerations for a car buyer. Even in a recession, car buyers are looking for more than seatbelts and airbags to keep them and their loved ones safe during an accident.

Newer cars are likely to come with some systems that I found have special potential in preventing accidents.

• Lane departure warnings – these sound an alarm when you are beginning to veer off your lane
• Stay in lane systems- these automatically inch the car back into the lane when you begin to veer off
• Heads up displays - these allow you to see your speedometer and gas gauge readings on an upper level display, preventing the need to take your eyes off the road
• Face recognition monitors - these monitor the position of your head while driving, and sound an alarm when you begin to nod off
• Forward collision warnings - these systems sound warnings when you get too close to the vehicle or object in front of you
• Active head restraints - these cushion the back of your head during an accident by protruding a few inches upward.

Of course more and more cars now come fitted with antilock brake systems (ABS) and electronic stability control systems. These are two of the most important collision prevention technologies you could have in your car.  With automakers focusing extra hard on safety, I am confident that the nationwide decline in crash fatality rates will continue over the next few years

Scott Grossman is a Monmouth County auto accident lawyer, representing injured victims of auto accidents in Freehold, Marlboro, Aberdeen, Howell, and across Monmouth County.

A new law will require all occupants of a vehicle in New Jersey to buckle up. As a New Jersey auto accident lawyer, I am pleased with the law which is the latest one in a series designed to protect New Jersey motorists in the event of accidents. However, it would have been even more encouraging if the law had been signed in with primary enforcement. Currently, the bill comes with secondary enforcement, which means that police must first stop the vehicle for another offense, before handing out a ticket for failure to buckle up.

Rear seat passengers are at a grave risk of injury not just to themselves, but also other passengers in the event of accidents. The impact of an accident can throw back seat passengers against the other occupants of the vehicle, causing them serious injuries, not to mention the injuries to the rear seat passenger themselves.

As a New Jersey car accident lawyer, I would like to see buckling up become a habit for all motor vehicle occupants. You can’t overestimate the kind of protection being in a properly fitted seatbelt can offer during an accident. Along with airbags, seatbelts have been responsible for saving thousand of lives over the years. However, back seat passengers have traditionally had a much lower rate of buckling up than drivers or front seat passengers. This places them at a higher risk of injuries.  Hopefully, this new law will help make buckling up in the backseat as common and widespread as wearing seatbelts in the front seat.

A new group that aims to act as Mothers Against Drunk Driving does to support families of DUI crash victims, has just been launched in Washington. FocusDriven is meant to support families of persons killed in auto accidents involving a distracted driver. It’s part of the nationwide campaign against distracted driving, and it aims to a give a voice to victims of such crashes, who have not had enough attention paid to them till now.

The launch of the group was accompanied by new statistics by the National Safety Council that indicates that 28 percent of all accidents involve motorists distracted by their cell phones. Approximately 1.3 million accidents are caused by persons having a conversation on their cell phone behind the wheel, while 200,000 accidents are caused by text messaging drivers. Every year, these accidents kill more than 2,500 people.  It’s the families of these victims that FocusDriven will give a voice to.

The group also plans to pressurize states that have failed to take the texting and talking on the cell phone issues, seriously enough. Several states this year are dealing with legislations relating to bans on text messaging and the use of handheld cell phones. They might face additional pressure from groups like FocusDriven when the time comes for a vote.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has expanded from being a victims support advocacy group to an influential voice for stronger laws against drunk driving, ignition interlock devices and other DUI issues.  I hope FocusDriven can make the same contribution in the fight against distracted driving.  Most importantly, the organization will be able to act as a mouthpiece for the silent victims of distracted driving crashes, allowing them to speak out strongly against inattentive driving. 

Scott Grossman is a Monmouth County auto accident lawyer, representing injured victims of auto accidents in Freehold, Marlboro, Aberdeen, Howell, and across Monmouth County.

A highway safety group has awarded top marks to the state of New Jersey for its adoption of highway safety laws that can prevent injuries and minimize fatalities in accidents.

The group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has released its 7^th Annual Road Map to State Highway Safety Laws report. The group reviewed 15 basic laws that will contribute to a reduction in fatalities and injuries in highway accidents. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were reviewed based on whether they have adopted all these laws.

States were awarded credits, and given a rating of green, yellow and red. Green signifies that the state has sufficient basic laws in place to prevent highway deaths and injuries, while yellow signifies that the state still has to make more progress, and a red rating denotes failure to adopt basic safety laws that continue to place citizens in danger.

New Jersey, I was very encouraged to note, received 13 credits, the highest among all states.  Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has some recommendations to further bring down fatality rates and injuries in the state. The group recommends nighttime restrictions and between 30 and 50 hours of supervised driving for GDL holders. It also recommends ignition interlock laws for all DUI offenders in order to minimize drunk driving accident fatalities in the state. The group recommends these devices for all offenders, including first time offenders.

As a Bergen County auto accident lawyer, I have been a strong supporter of ignition interlock laws because of their potential for preventing repeat drunk driving. Too many DUI offenders in New Jersey are able to get back behind the wheel in an intoxicated state, posing a serious danger to other motorists on the road. With an interlock device on all their vehicles, such motorists could be kept off the streets.

The New York Times report includes a survey that a research team at the Ohio State University conducted into the risks of distractions in pedestrians. The study found that in 2008, more than 1,000 pedestrians suffered injuries in accidents caused by text messaging or talking on the cell phone while walking.  The survey found that young pedestrians were more likely to be injured because of such distractions, with 50 percent of injuries resulting in emergency room visits occurring in people under the age of 30. At least 25 percent of emergency room visits from cell phone use-related accidents were pedestrians between 16 and 20 years old. However, a quarter of the pedestrians who were injured were between 41 and 60 years. This means that it’s not just young pedestrians who are more likely to run into stationary objects, fall into potholes, trip over sidewalks or suffer other accidents because of distractions. 

This seems to indicate that merely having a conversation - as the students walking in pairs were doing - is not the main cause of inattentiveness. Talking on a cell phone likely produces mental images that are connected to the conversation the person is having, and these images likely inhibit the mind’s ability to process real life images.

Scott Grossman is a Monmouth County auto accident lawyer, representing injured victims of auto accidents in Freehold, Marlboro, Aberdeen, Howell, and across Monmouth County.

As a New Jersey auto accident lawyer, my days are busy meeting victims of auto and truck accidents in our state, and helping them find the help and resources they need moving forward. That’s why it’s very encouraging when I come across some good news on the New Jersey traffic safety scene. This New Year’s, the state recorded a potential first - the absence of a single traffic fatality over the New Year’s holiday period. State police believe this is probably the first fatality-free holiday on record, since record keeping began in 1996.

My thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who were involved in accidents over the New Year holiday period. Many of these were the victims of drunk driving accidents caused by the intoxicated drivers who flood New Jersey’s streets every New Year’s eve. Unfortunately, the start of 2010 for many New Jerseyans coincides with one of the most traumatic times of their lives. Injuries and fatalities are common during this period, which is the most alcohol-heavy holiday of the year.

While state troopers increase patrolling efforts, there are always going to be more than a few drunk drivers and speeders. The high use of Twitter in New Jersey has also helped intoxicated motorists warn each other of upcoming sobriety checkpoints. Twitter allows you to post short messages that are meant to go out to those in your network. Every time a drunk motorist comes up on a sobriety checkpoint, he tweets about it or sends out a message to his friends, allowing them to take another route and avoid the checkpoint.

Scott Grossman is a New Jersey auto accident lawyer, representing injured victims of auto accidents in Monmouth, Bergen, Passaic and Bergen Counties and across the state of New Jersey.

Yet, automakers seem not to have taken notice of these dangers and the severe risks that come with using a cell phone behind the wheel. Many of them are going ahead to introduce infotainment systems in their cars due to roll out this year. These systems include monitors that display everything from fuel levels and the name of the song being played, to restaurant reviews and even website pages. All of these will be available through monitors mounted on dashboards.

As we make more and more progress in reducing the accident risks from cell phone use, it is extremely frustrating to read about these new infotainment systems.  Automakers insist that the more distracting functions that require concentration, like accessing a website, will be only allowed when the car is in park mode. However, reading restaurant reviews, 3-D maps - all of this will be allowed when the car is in motion. At a time when New Jersey auto accident lawyers have been joining hands with legislators and safety groups to reduce the risk from distracted driving, it’s hard to understand why automakers would amp their vehicles with all these distractions. It seems that greed has taken precedence over motorist safety here.

As a personal injury lawyer serving victims in Ocean County, I noted with dismay that the county has earned for itself the distinction of the most dangerous place for drivers in New Jersey. New Jersey state police has released its auto accident fatality data for 2009. Out of a total of 589 accident fatalities in New Jersey last year, 64 occurred in Ocean County.

Second place went to Burlington and Middlesex Counties with 48 fatalities each last year. As an Ocean County auto accident lawyer I can’t help but notice the wide gap in fatality numbers between Ocean County and the two counties that occupy second place on the list.

Other statistics from the report:

• In Monmouth County, there were 34 fatalities in a total of 34 accidents.
• Bergen County had a total 26 fatalities in a total of 25 accidents
• In Passaic County, there were 27 fatalities in 24 auto accidents.
• Monmouth and Passaic counties round out the top 10 counties by fatality counts with the others being Atlantic, Essex , Camden, Union and Cumberland Counties.
• In Ocean County, Toms River is the deadliest with 10 fatalities followed by Jackson Township, with 9, Brick Township with 7, Lacey with 6 and Lakewood with 5.
• In Monmouth county, fatalities were distributed evenly across townships.
• In Bergen County, there were 2 fatalities in Palisades Park Boro, while other areas recorded one fatality each.
• In Passaic County, there were two fatalities in West Milford Township, Paterson City and Passaic City with the remaining accounting for 1 fatality each.

Those are very encouraging statistics, and we need to keep the momentum going. It would really help if our law enforcement officers set an example for the state.

Scott Grossman is a Monmouth County car accident lawyer representing injured victims of car crashes in Freehold, Marlboro, Howell, Manalapan, Aberdeen and around Monmouth County.