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Georgia Uses Graduated License to Help Teenagers Drive Safely

  • 15
  • May
    2012

Like many states, Georgia requires teen drivers to go through a graduated license program. The program is directed at drivers between the ages of 15 and 18 and is designed to gently ease teenagers into the responsibility of driving. Rather than simply being set loose at age 16, Georgia teens gain more independence and more responsibility each year they maintain a clean driving record.

Under Georgia law, driving is a privilege that must be earned. The law provides a controlled process in which teenagers learn to drive, experience the road and gain proper defensive driving techniques. Since the law was implemented, the rate of motor vehicle accidents involving teenagers has fallen significantly.

Turn Signal Mistakes Cause 2 Million Car Crashes Each Year

  • 07
  • May
    2012

In driver's ed, most of us learned to follow four steps before changing lanes: turn on your blinker, check your rear-view mirror, check your side-view mirror, then check your blind spot. Only then can you know that it is safe to move over.

According to a new study by the Society of Automotive Engineers, almost half of us are getting that first step wrong. It found that, when changing lanes, 48 percent of drivers either fail to engage their turn signals or forget to turn them off. When turning, drivers make signal mistakes approximately 25 percent of the time.

Whatever this is - forgetfulness, laziness or something else - it's having a major impact on driving safety. All told, improper blinker use causes about 2 million traffic accidents every year. By comparison, distracted driving causes around 950,000 crashes each year.

Report: Georgia State Troopers Caused 99 Car Accidents Last Year

  • 30
  • April
    2012

Atlanta-area drivers depend on the Georgia State Patrol to keep them safe. From enforcing traffic laws to responding to motor vehicle accidents, GSP troopers provide valuable services to motorists throughout the state.

Unfortunately, some troopers are driving in a way that puts others at risk. According to an investigation by Channel 2 Action News, GSP troopers were at-fault in causing at least 99 motor vehicle accidents in the last year. On average, GSP troopers cause one accident every four days.

FMCSA Wants New System to Track Unsafe Trucking Companies

  • 23
  • April
    2012

So-called "chameleon" truck carriers may have a new reason to follow the rules they have so blatantly ignored. The Interstate Commerce Commission has joined the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in proposing a new information system to keep track of trucking companies shut down for safety violations. This new registration and identification system aims to keep carriers from reinventing themselves in an attempt to thwart enforcement.

Every year, a striking number of trucking companies are shut down for safety violations and simply reopen under a new name. For example, in 2010, carrier Hester Inc. was put out-of-service for failing a compliance review. The president of the company signed a new operating application for different carrier, on which he stated that he had no previous association with a motor carrier. He was not detected.

Road Rash Injuries in Atlanta Motorcycle and Bike Accidents

  • 16
  • April
    2012

Atlanta bicycle and motorcycle accident victims are prone to a number of unique injuries. Chief among them is "road rash," a large, painful abrasion that occurs when skin is dragged across the rough surface of the road.

Many people think of road rash as a minor injury that will heal on its own over time. While this is certainly true in some cases, road rash can also lead to permanent injuries and very costly medical treatment.

The severity of a road rash injury depends on two main factors: the size and the depth of the abrasion. Large abrasions can sometimes result in disfigurement and permanent scarring. Deep abrasions can take a long time to heal and are especially susceptible to infection.

Georgia Truck Wash Cited for Chemical Exposure Hazards

  • 09
  • April
    2012

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited a Jackson truck wash with 14 safety and health violations earlier this month. A number of the citations stemmed from concerns that employees could be subject to harmful chemical exposure.

OSHA found that the truck wash operators failed to identify permit-required confined spaces where workers could safely clean out chemical tanks. The truck wash was also cited for failing to provide hazard training regarding exposure to corrosive chemicals. In addition, OSHA found that the operators had failed to provide appropriate respirator protection programs.

Atlanta Schoolteacher Killed by Teen Driver

  • 02
  • April
    2012

Students at Sandtown Middle School are mourning after one teacher was killed and another was critically injured in a crash on Camp Creek Parkway.

The Atlanta car accident occurred after a teenage driver lost control of her vehicle and crashed into the teachers' car. The force of the collision caused the teachers' vehicle to spin across the median. It was then struck by an oncoming tractor-trailer.

Georgia Car Crash Sends Four to Hospital

  • 26
  • March
    2012

A Georgia grandmother and her three grandchildren were hospitalized over the weekend after suffering serious injuries in a car accident on Friday evening.

The grandmother was driving a Honda Civic with one child in the front passenger seat and two in the back seat. As she attempted to turn on to Highway 54, the vehicle was t-boned by a pickup truck.

Witnesses on the scene said that the force of the collision was enough to send the Civic flying through the air. Both side airbags deployed, and the vehicle ended up far off the roadway.

Are Stop-Arm Cameras the Solution to Georgia School Bus Deaths?

  • 19
  • March
    2012

Georgia leads the nation in the number of children who die in school-bus related accidents.

Last year, the Georgia Legislature passed a law intended to help reverse this dubious distinction. It allows for the installation of "stop-arm cameras" that record the license plate information of drivers who illegally pass school buses. Most school-bus related fatal accidents happen when drivers ignore the stop arm and strike children who are unloading from the bus.

At the beginning of the school year, both Cobb County and Fayette County schools were using the cameras. Since then, a number of other Metro Atlanta districts have taken up the issue. This week, the Newton County School Board will decide whether to install stop-arm cameras on about 10 percent of its fleet.

Dangerous Highway Just Outside Atlanta: GA 365

  • 15
  • March
    2012

After colliding with a left-turning tractor trailer, injuries sustained by the driver of a 2007 Pontiac were too serious for survival. The fatal truck crash was the most recent on what has become a dangerous stretch of Georgia highway. The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

The Hall County Sheriff's Office is well aware of the stretch of GA 365 where the crash occurred. It does a substantial amount of patrolling for speeding vehicles along that roadway. Sergeant Stephen Wilbanks, spokesman for the Hall County Sheriff's Office, noted ""It is known for a higher number of serious crashes including fatalities."

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