On behalf of Dozier Law Firm, LLC posted in Car Accidents on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. Based on the results of a study by the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Georgia drivers should keep their eyes on the road as much as possible. According to the study, even a two-second glance away can be dangerous. Using a driving simulation and tracking participants' eye movements, researchers in the study found that drivers who even briefly took their eyes off of the road were less able to process hazards than those who remained focused. This was the case even if they were aware of the hazard before looking elsewhere. Drivers tended to need a few moments to readjust their eyes when they once again focused their attention on the road, and this created problems for dealing with immediate dangers. Another finding was that drivers failed to recognize their inattention. In a questionnaire that the participants answered after…

An 18-year-old man was ejected through the passenger window of his truck after Georgia State Patrol said he ran a stop sign and hit an SUV. He landed about 15 feet away from his vehicle. The collision on GA 10 at Stagecoach Road in Thomson also hurt two people in the SUV. Police investigators said the 18-year-old driver of a Ford F-150 westbound on Stagecoach Road ran the stop sign for GA 10. His vehicle struck a Ford Expedition heading south on the highway. The impact rolled the Expedition over. A female passenger in the Expedition required air transport to GRU Medical Center. Emergency responders drove two injured men to the same hospital. A hospital representative later shared information on the medical conditions of the injured people. The hospital treated and released the 18-year-old man. The male driver of the Expedition was in fair condition, and the woman was upgraded…

When Georgia residents receive facial traumas in a car accident, they may suffer from a jaw fracture or a dislocation. These painful injuries require weeks of recovery time and possible surgical intervention. Jaw fractures may also include other associated problems that can be serious. A dislocation of the jaw involves the person's jaw being moved out of its sockets. Generally, people who suffer from a dislocated jaw will suffer severe pain. Doctors normally can use their fingers to move the jaw back into its place. Victims may then need to have their jaws taped and wired shut in order to prevent them from opening their mouths very wide. Recovery time for a dislocated jaw typically takes a period of about six weeks. Fractured jaws are more serious and involve breaking of the bones making up the jaw itself. Those whose jaws have been fractured may require surgery to insert pins to piece…

Georgia residents may be interested to learn of a recent study that found a sharp decline in drunk driving fatal accidents following a modest tax increase on alcohol. The study's authors reviewed data from Illinois, both prior to and after the state had increased its taxes on beer, wine and liquor. Illinois increased alcohol taxes in 2009, with the tax on beer increased by 4.6 cents for each gallon, on wine by 66 cents and on liquor by $4.05 per gallon. Following the tax hike, Illinois experienced a 26 percent decline in the number of drunk driving fatalities. The decline was most stark for younger drivers, who demonstrated a fall of 37 percent, while extremely drunk drivers demonstrated a decline of 25 percent. The study controlled for other factors, such as weather and road conditions, in order to determine whether the decrease was due to the tax change itself. The authors reported…

Georgia residents might benefit from learning more about breastbone injuries that can occur as a result of a car crash. The technical term for this type of injury is a sternum fracture. The sternum, or breastbone, is the bone along the midline of the chest that is attached to the rib bones by cartilage forming the front portion of the rib cage. The function of the rib cage is to protect major blood vessels and vital organs from being damaged by physical trauma. Research shows that women are more susceptible to suffering a sternum fracture than men. Studies also determined that people over age 50 face an increased risk of suffering a breastbone injury while children are far less likely. Approximately 60 to 90 percent of all sternum fractures are attributable to auto accidents. These injuries are usually caused by not wearing seatbelts or a lack of air bag protection.…