Car Accidents
Study Links Video Game Play to Reckless Driving Among Teens
Playing certain types of video games may increase the chances that a teen driver will take careless or reckless chances on the road, according to a recent study.
The study followed 5,000 U.S. teens over four years. The teens were interviewed each year, asking questions about their video game play and their driving habits. The first interview revealed that 50 percent of the teens regularly played “mature”-rated video games. One of the most popularly-played games was Grand Theft Auto III, in which reckless driving wins points.
Texting and Driving May Have Deadly Consequences
Sending or receiving text messages while driving a car may seem simple, but it is an activity that can have deadly consequences for you and for others on the road. A documentary produced by telecommunications giant AT&T showcases the dangers of texting and driving through the stories of four people whose lives were changed forever by a distracted driving accident.
On average, a text message distracts a driver’s attention from the road for just under five seconds, according to a 2009 University of Virginia study. At 55 miles per hour, a vehicle travels the length of a football field in five seconds – plenty of space for an accident to occur, especially when a driver is not watching the road carefully.
To Protect Yourself in a Colorado Rollover, Understand How Rollover Accidents Work
A rollover accident is one in which a vehicle rolls onto its side and/or roof. In high-speed or particularly severe rollover accidents, a vehicle may even turn over several times before coming to rest. Rollover accidents have a higher fatality rate than other types of crashes, but understanding how a rollover works can help you protect yourself and others in the vehicle, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
About 10,000 people are killed in rollover accidents each year, and thousands more are injured. Although nearly any vehicle may roll in the right circumstances, taller and narrower vehicles are more likely to roll over. In addition, a vehicle that is loaded with cargo over or behind its rear axle is more likely to roll over.
Colorado Couple Suffers Injury in Vehicle Accident, Fire
A Colorado couple was injured in a car accident that set their vehicle on fire, but they survived thanks to their seat belts, according to a recent article in the New York Daily News. The pair was commended by the Avon Police Department for their decision to wear seat belts on that fateful day.
The accident occurred as the couple, a 24-year-old and a 26-year-old, was riding in their car near Interstate 70. As they passed under the freeway, a semi truck that had lost control on the road above smashed through the guardrail and fell over the side of the overpass, landing on the couple’s car. The pair was able to pull themselves free of the wreckage and move to safety, although the woman had a severe leg injury that left her temporarily unable to walk. Although both are still processing psychological trauma from the accident, they remain optimistic.