New Jersey Accident and Injury Law Blog : New Jersey Injury Lawyer & Attorney : The Grossman Law Firm : Serving Monmouth County, Bergen County

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.

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As a Monmouth County car accident lawyer, I have been very encouraged at the sharp decline in alcohol-related car crashes here, and around the state of New Jersey. Our law enforcement officers have had a lot to do with cracking down harder on impaired driving, especially during major holidays. This Christmas and New Year’s holiday too has had New Jersey police making serious efforts to keep intoxicated drivers off the road. That’s why it’s more than a little disappointing to read about a state trooper who has been charged with drunk driving after an accident in Allamuchy Township. The trooper Sergeant Steve Pelligra has been suspended while investigation continues. On the day of accident he was off duty and driving his pick up truck on route 157, when the truck crashed into another car. According to police, Pelligra left the scene of the accident, and also refused to submit to an alcohol test.

Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood had launched a nationwide crackdown on drunk driving over the holidays. Secretary LaHood had high praise for states like NJ that managed to enforce drunk driving rules harder, thereby keeping impaired drivers off roads, and minimizing fatalities. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nationwide there has been a decline of 7 percent in alcohol-related car crash fatalities. This has been the result of increased statewide crackdowns. In New Jersey, we had a dramatic drop of 19 percent in alcohol related auto accident deaths from 2007 to 2008. While we lost 201 people in drunk driving crashes in 2007, that number had dropped to 154 the following year.

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.

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Last year, the number of fatalities in traffic accidents in New Jersey dropped to record lows, mirroring a nationwide trend in which fatality rates sank to the lowest level in decades. Much of this has to do with an increased focus on the usual suspects like drunk driving.  Automakers have also equipped cars with safety features that not just lower the risks of accidents, but also minimize the severity of injuries sustained in these crashes.

However, resting on those accomplishments might be premature, as this NPR report shows.  Americans still continue to face auto safety challenges.  It seems like with every challenge that we make progress toward eliminating, we are faced with newer problems. Drunk driving for instance, still accounts for about 30 percent of all fatalities, but death rates in these crashes have been on the decline over the past couple of years. However, cell phone use behind the wheel has presented a new safety challenge that transportation officials and law enforcement are struggling with.

As a New Jersey personal injury lawyer, I am very concerned about pedestrian safety on our roads. This year, we have had a spike in pedestrian accident deaths caused by a combination of factors, including motorist negligence, poor road layouts, and bad traffic planning. Another issue of concern is the state of New Jersey’s roads which continue to be a national joke. A recent report on American roads places New Jersey’s streets at Number 50. In a state with a high density of population, we can’t afford to have roads and traffic designs that actually contribute to accidents.

Truck safety continues to be another issue. The trucking industry is lobbying for increasing weight limits on tractor trailer rigs. That means New Jersey motorists will be sharing poor roads with larger, heavier trucks that are possibly even more difficult to navigate. Truck accident fatality rates nationwide have been somewhat stable at around 4000 or so fatalities every year, but that could change if New Jersey’s already congested highways begin to see larger, heavier trucks.

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