Teenage drivers are still learning the rules of the road
Why Texas is Considering Waiving Driving Tests for Teens

Texas roads are hazardous places. That’s especially true for teenagers, who may lack the critical-thinking ability and experience necessary to avoid dangerous situations and make those on-the-fly judgments so essential for safe driving.

But, as reported by Houston Public Media, Texas State Representative James White — Republican representing District 19 — wants to make it easier for young people in the state to get a driver’s license.

He has filed a bill to revoke the current requirement, which states individuals under the age of 18 must pass a test administered by the Texas Department of Public Safety in order to receive a license.

White’s bill would allow a parent to administer the test to their child — as was the case before 2009. The lawmaker says he hopes his measure will reduce wait times at Department of Public Safety offices.…

Pay Attention, Texas: Observing Distracted Driving Awareness Month

As The Evans Law Firm and the National Safety Council observe Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, help us by doing your part to keep Texas roads safe.

Distracted driving is nothing new. People have been eating, touching up makeup, and fiddling with the radio dial while behind the wheel since long before cell phones became part of the equation.

But as much as advancements in technology have improved our lives and ability to communicate, they haven’t done many favors for our driving. In addition to all of the old-school distractions, we now have dashboard touchscreens, GPS devices, and those ever-present smartphones to tempt our eyes away from the road.

Don’t endanger yourself, your family, and your fellow citizens. Join us in taking the National Safety Council’s pledge to Just Drive.

Distracted Driving Leads to Accident, Injury, and Death

According…

Pedestrian injury attorney
Grim News for Texas Pedestrians

Things are bad on Texas roads. In fact, we’re nearing the top of the list of states with the most pedestrian deaths. Our state’s increase in pedestrian fatalities is part of a bigger trend. In other words, the pedestrian safety problem is bad everywhere, but it’s particularly scary in Texas.

Just how bad is it? During the first six months of 2018, the number of pedestrian deaths in the Lone Star State increased by 32 percent from the year before, bringing the total number of pedestrian fatalities during the front end of 2018 to 298. Only Georgia saw an increase that big from 2017 to 2018.

This is a National Trend, Too

An increase in pedestrian deaths isn’t unique to Texas. Nationally, there’s been a 35 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities from 2008 to 2017. When including all types of …

Distracted Driving accident
Distraction is Increasing Among Drivers

How often are you doubling your risk for being involved in a car accident? Every time you look at your phone while driving, you’re putting yourself at a much greater risk of crashing. According to recent research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, distraction is becoming an even more serious problem on our roads.

IIHS’s report has a few unsettling findings, but the biggest takeaway is that drivers were observed manipulating their cellphones 57 percent more in 2018 than they were in 2014. It seems that, despite the countless warnings by states and safety advocates, drivers just can’t seem to break their addiction to smartphones when behind the wheel.

How did IIHS determine the prevalence of smartphone usage among drivers? Simple. They put researchers next to roads and let them watch what people were doing. Their findings showed …

Custody issues with a problematic spouse
Custody Issues with a Problematic Spouse

There is no end to the issues a problematic spouse can create when custody is disputed.  Since parents are customarily appointed to be joint managing conservators, with equal say in making important decisions for the child, disagreements may arise in major areas regarding issues such as where the child should be educated, what medical and dental care the child should receive, and what religious training should be provided. Problems frequently occur if one parent wants sole managing conservatorship and the other parent does not agree.

Issues also arise in regard to physical custody – how much time the child should spend in the home of each parent, what visitation schedules should be set up, and what relatives are allowed access to the child.

When There’s a Disagreement Between Parents

If parents do not agree, the courts will decide for them. …

Tips to make your teen driver safer
How to Make Your Teen Driver Safer

Vehicle accidents are the top killer of teens in the U.S., according to Consumer Reports. It’s been estimated that a 16- or 17-year-old driver is three time more likely to be killed while driving than those twenty and older, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. These are grim numbers for Texas’ teen drivers and their parents, but steps can be taken to improve the odds that your son or daughter will get to their destination safely.

You can start by making a good example when you drive or are a passenger. Kids pay attention to what we do, even if they don’t pay attention to what we say.

  • Under state law, those in the front seat must use seatbelts, but those older than 17 need not use them if they’re behind the driver. Use your seatbelt all
…

Texas Vehicle Accident Attorney
Road Deaths Are Decreasing—But Don’t Celebrate Just Yet

After two years of increases in 2015 and 2016, the number of people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes on U.S. roadways finally decreased in 2017. In 2017,  37,133 people were victims of fatal crashes, a 1.8-percent decrease from the 2016 figure of 37,806, according to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Most of the victims were occupants of passenger vehicles, although many pedestrian deaths added to the total.

Vehicle Occupant Fatalities:

  • Passenger cars: 13,363
  • Light trucks: 10,188
  • Motorcycles: 5,172
  • Large trucks, buses, and other vehicles: 841

Vehicle Non-Occupant Fatalities:

  • Pedestrians: 5,977
  • Pedal cyclists: 783
  • Other/unknown: 228

Texas saw 3,722 motor vehicle accident fatalities in 2017, down 2 percent from 3,797 in 2016, according to the NHTSA.

Alcohol-Related Accidents Declining

Unsurprisingly, alcohol-impaired driving accounted for a sizable chunk of 2017 fatalities: …

Austin Bus Accident Lawyer
Driver Fatigue Plays a Big Role in Bus Crashes

Bus crashes may not be as common on the roadways as crashes involving smaller vehicles, but they can be catastrophic for everyone involved. Because buses are so large and carry so many people, severe injuries and extreme financial loss are likely. As a result, these accidents often lead to lawsuits.

When reviewing bus crashes, both government authorities and legal professionals try to understand why these crashes occur. Determining the cause of the crash is necessary in order to create legislation that reduces the number of bus accidents, as well as to assign blame for legal purposes after a specific accident occurs. Recent research shows that one of the most common contributing factors in these situations is driver fatigue.

Acute Sleep Deficit Leads to Fatal Accidents

According to the Texarkana Gazette, acute sleep deficit was responsible for a bus accident …

Texas Hands Free Law
Should Texas Consider a Hands-Free Smart Phone Law?

Texas law prohibits texting while driving, but some safety advocates say that’s not enough to make the state’s roads safer. They’re pushing for a state law that would ban a driver’s talking on a smartphone using his or her hands while driving.

Distracted drivers kill and injure people every day.

  • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that across the U.S. in 2016, 3,450 people were killed by distracted drivers; and 391,000 were injured in vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers in 2015. An estimated 481,000 drivers are using cell phones while driving during daylight hours.
  • 100,687 accidents, or 19% of all reported vehicle accidents in Texas in 2017, involved distracted driving, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. These accidents caused 444 deaths and 2,889 serious injuries in the state that year.

KXAN reports that under a proposal filed …

Austin Scooter Injury Lawyer
How Dangerous are Electric Scooters? Austin Will Help the US Find Out.

Electric vehicles in all shapes and sizes are becoming more common in Texas. Governments are trying to decide how to regulate them just as users are trying to learn out how to safely use them. Electric cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and scooters are entering the market. As this new technology improves, you may find that getting around was never easier. But was it safer?

The injuries and accidents involving electric scooters in Austin from last September through November will be studied by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reports USA Today. These scooters, narrow, two-wheeled vehicles with a handlebar for steering, first became popular when they were powered the old-fashioned way, by pushes by the rider’s feet and gravity pulling downhill. Now, electric motors do the work.

The CDC is studying the “dockless scooters” …