Bus Accidents

The Wisconsin State Patrol announced yesterday that more motorists than ever before are wearing seat belts.

According to the State Patrol, seat belt use increased by 6 percent to 79% in the latest survey.

That means four out of five drivers and passengers are taking the simple step of strapping on a seat belt. The higher compliance will save lives, misery and health care costs.

Despite the increase of seat belt use, Wisconsin is still below the national average for buckling up.

Neighboring states have much higher usage rates. Michigan has the highest seat-belt compliance rate in the nation at 98 percent. Iowa is at 93 percent, Illinois at 91 percent, and Minnesota at 90 percent.

The Wisconsin State Journal identified the worst intersection in the city today.

The worst intersection for crashes in Madison in 2009 was West Badger Road and South Park Street with 18 incidents, city traffic officials reported Monday.

The second most dangerous intersection was Commercial Avenue and North Thompson Drive, followed by a three-way tie: South Midvale Boulevard and Mineral Point Road, Portage and Thierer roads and South Blair Street and John Nolen Drive.

City Traffic Engineer David Dryer said each crash was mapped and diagrammed using global positioning software.

Pitman, Kyle & Sicula is a Wisconsin personal injury law firm handling car accident cases throughout the state.  Our Wisconsin injury attorneys have successfully represented injured people in almost every county. We know Wisconsin.

Using federal funding for overtime enforcement, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers will be cracking down on speeding on heavily traveled highways in Wisconsin through September.

This was posted on the Wisconsin State Journal’s website today…

Tell us about Madison’s dangerous intersections

Whether or not you agree with the decision by city officials to place bike boxes where Williamson Street, John Nolen Drive, and Blair Street meet, you probably think that’s one challenging intersection: for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike.

What are Madison’s other dangerous intersections? Nominate your notorious crossings in an e-mail to mpitsch@madison.com. They don’t have to be the busiest intersections or those where the most accidents take place, but they have to be challenging. So let us know why you think the intersection is a tough one. We’ll collect your thoughts to help us shape a future story.

The number of fatalities on Wisconsin highways in October tied the record lowest number for the month since monthly traffic fatality statistics started being recorded approximately 70 years ago.

According to the Department of Transportation, there were 38 crashes last month in which 40 people were killed. The number of fatalities ties the lowest number of October fatalities set in 1944.

Nine fewer people were killed than in October last year and 25 fewer than the five-year average.

Since the beginning of 2009, 447 people have died on Wisconsin highways, including 74 motorcycle drivers, seven motorcycle passengers, 30 pedestrians and six bicyclists.

When comparing October 2009 to October 2008, Wisconsin has seen an 11 percent decrease in the number of fatalities. The five-year average through October is 609 traffic fatalities, so the 2009 10-month total of 447 is 27% below the average.

Pitman, Kyle & Sicula is a Wisconsin personal injury law firm handling car accident cases throughout the state.  Our Wisconsin injury attorneys have successfully represented injured people in almost every county. We know Wisconsin.

AP Photo Showing Regulated Cell Phone Usage

A ‘menace to socitey.’ Those were the words used by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood when he kicked off a two-day meeting on preventing drivers from using mobile devices.

According to the Obama administration, nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction.

LaHood hopes to offer up several suggestion at the conclusion of the meeting that could lead to new restrictions on using the devices while driving. LaHood said the administration would work with congress to develop ways of curbing distracted driving.

Transportation officials say driver distraction was involved in 16% of all fatal crashes in 2008. LaHood mentioned that on any given day last year, more than 800,000 vehicles were operated by someone using a hand-held cell phone.

Eighteen states and Washington, D.C. have passed laws making texting illegal. In addition, seven stats and D.C. have banned driving while talking on a cell phone.  Currently, Wisconsin does not have any type of restriction on cell phone usage while driving.

The article went on to mention that Virigina Tech Transportation Institute found that when drivers of heavy trucks texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater. Dialing a cell phone and using or reaching for an electronic device increased the risk of collision 6 times greater.

So, to those who say they’re perfectly capable of texting while driving…well the problem may not be you, the problem may be the person driving next to you!

Pitman, Kyle & Sicula is a Wisconsin personal injury law firm handling car accident cases throughout the state.  Our Wisconsin injury attorneys have successfully represented injured people in almost every county. We know Wisconsin.

After June of 2010 it will be illegal for motorists to drive without insurance. The mandatory insurance law just approved as part of the state budget won’t make motorists prove they have insurance unless they are pulled over by the police for an unrelated traffic violation.

The Department of Transportation is still ironing out the details, but we know this much:

• Wisconsin drivers will be required to carry with them proof, e.g. a card or a letter from an insurer.
• If a driver is stopped on suspicion of a traffic violation, the officer can ask for proof of insurance. A $10 ticket can be issued if the driver has insurance, but fails to provide proof. Those who don’t have insurance may be fined up to $500.
• Underinsured motorist coverage will be required for state drivers on new or renewed policies starting November 1st.
• Motorists will need to have a policy providing at least $50,000 in bodily injury coverage for one person, $100,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident and $15,000 to cover property damage.

Wisconsin State Journal writer Jason Stein posted the criminal status for drunken driving in the surrounding midwest states. They are as follows:

Illinois

First and second offenses are class A misdemeanors, third and subsequent offenses are class 4 felonies

Iowa

First offense is serious misdemeanor, second offense within 12 years is aggravated misdemeanor, third or subsequent offense is class D felony

Michigan

First and second offenses are misdemeanors, third or subsequent offenses within 10 years are felonies

Minnesota

Fourth-degree drunk driving (no aggravating factors): Misdemeanor

Third-degree drunk driving (one aggravating factor): Gross misdemeanor

Second-degree drunk-driving (two aggravating factors): Gross misdemeanor

First-degree drunk driving (three or more aggravating factors): Felony

Aggravating Factors: (1) any prior drunk-driving offense; (2) driving with an alcohol concentration higher than 0.20; or, (3) driving with a passenger less than 16 years old if the passenger is more than 36 months younger than the driver.

Wisconsin

First offense is a municipal offense; the second through fourth offenses are misdemeanor, and the fifth and subsequent are a Class H felony which is punishable by a fine not to exceed $10,000 or a term of imprisonment not to exceed 6 years, or both.

_______

Pitman, Kyle & Sicula is a Wisconsin personal injury law firm representing victims of drunken driving accidents throughout the state.  Our Wisconsin injury attorneys have successfully represented injured people in almost every county. We know Wisconsin.

Research suggests that drivers were more likely to have a crash in the Moorland Road/Rock Ridge roundabout last year than at any other intersection in New Berlin.

The intersection had the highest crash rate among the top 25 New Berlin intersections. The roundabout at Moorland Road and Interstate 43 had the third highest crash rate.

Any intersection with a crash rate more than 1 per 1 million vehicles should be looked at for safety improvements, according to city officials.

The Moorland Road/Rock Ridge had an accident rate of 2.08 per 1 million vehicles and the Moorland/I-43 intersection had a rate of 1.43 per 1 million vehicles.*

The most dangerous intersection was Moorland Road and Greenfield Avenue which saw 30 crashes last year.

Click here to read our post on Roundabout Intersections.

*Accidents reported to state which involve injuries or more than $1,000 in property damage.