June 22, 2012 (Press-News.org) In recent months, there has been a veritable plethora of discussion in the media about the dangers of distracted driving. Although distracted driving is a proven danger to motorists, a new study suggests that it may not be as significant of a cause of car accidents as it was once thought. The study found that a technological feature that has been on vehicles almost since their inception -- turn signals -- is to blame for more collisions than being distracted by newfangled technology.
According to research conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, drivers fail to use their turn signals correctly a significant amount of the time. The study found that drivers either carelessly forget to use their turn signals when changing lanes, or neglect to turn them off, 48% of the time. When making a turn, drivers fail to use their turn signals about 25% of the time.
Overall, the statistics work out to two billion times a day that drivers are failing to use their turn signals properly. Over the course of a year, this works out to 750 billion times.
Whether the reason of turn signal neglect is laziness or poor training is unknown. Whatever the reason, the problem is a major cause of car accidents. The study found that driver inability or unwillingness to correctly use turn signals results in about two million collisions each year, overshadowing the 950,000 collisions per year caused by distracted driving.
New Signaling Technology Can Help
Researchers found that recent technology can help drivers maintain good signaling habits. The technology, called Smart Turn Signal technology, uses computers and sensors to shut off the turn signal when it is no longer needed. In addition, the computer monitors the driver's signal habits and if found lacking, prompts the driver to use the turn signal properly by sounding a series of beeps that are similar to a seatbelt reminder.
As the technology is new, there are no proposed government regulations that would require the technology in new motor vehicles so far. However, if proven effective in reducing accidents, it is likely that it will join other standard safety features such as seatbelts and airbags in the future. In the meantime, if you are injured by a negligent driver, contact an experienced personal injury attorney to protect your rights to compensation for your injuries and losses.
Article provided by The Law Firm of Phillips & Pelly
Visit us at www.sdinjury.com
Failure to Use Turn Signals Cause More Accidents Than Cellphones
Studies show that failure to correctly use automobile turn signals causes more car accidents than distracted driving. Two million crashes occur each year in the U.S. due to incorrect turn signal usage.
2012-06-22
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
West Virginia Governor Signs Coal Mining Safety Bill
2012-06-22
Safer coal mining operations in West Virginia have been a renewed priority for many lawmakers since the Upper Big Branch explosion two years ago. That includes House Speaker Rick Thompson, whose father long ago died in a coal mining roof fall accident.
A new coal mining safety bill sponsored by Speaker Thompson passed both chambers by narrow margins this session, and was signed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin in March. A range of new measures will take effect in June, including:
- Establishment of an anonymous mining safety tip line
- Increases in fines and penalties for ...
Cameras and Intersection Safety: Red and Yellow Is Not Black and White
2012-06-22
What is the overall effect on safety when cameras are installed at intersections to detect traffic violations?
Red-light cameras, as they are commonly known, have been controversial in the Chicago area and in several other cities across the country. Their advocates present them on public safety grounds, as a way to prevent people from running red lights by using technology to automatically issue a ticket to violators.
There are several concerns, however, that accompany use of this tactic. Civil liberties proponents argue that the specter of Big Brother lurks in letting ...
Risks and rewards of quantifying nature's 'ecosystem services'
2012-06-22
How much is a stream worth? Can we put a dollar value on a wetland? Some conservation proponents have moved to establish the economic value of "ecosystem services," the benefits that nature provides to people. The approach translates the beauty and utility of a wetland into pounds of phosphorus removed from agricultural runoff, Joules of heat pulled out of urban wastewater, and inches of floodwater absorbed upstream of riverside communities.
The idea of trading ecosystem services has surged in popularity since the 2005 United Nations Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. But ...
Silent Killer: Hospital Infections Affect 1 in 20 Patients
2012-06-22
When most people are admitted to the hospital, their primary concern is getting better and going home. To that end, a lot of people worry that their surgeries will not be successful, or that their doctors will make a diagnostic mistake or medication error. Most aren't aware that a silent killer is lurking in the background.
Unfortunately, hospital-based infections are a huge problem in American medical facilities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1 in 20 hospitalized patients will develop an infection during their stay. ...
Bringing down the cost of fuel cells
2012-06-22
Engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) have identified a catalyst that provides the same level of efficiency in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) as the currently used platinum catalyst, but at 5% of the cost.
Since more than 60% of the investment in making microbial fuel cells is the cost of platinum, the discovery may lead to much more affordable energy conversion and storage devices.
The material – nitrogen-enriched iron-carbon nanorods – also has the potential to replace the platinum catalyst used in hydrogen-producing microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), ...
Hey, Repo Man: Court Says Give the Car Back
2012-06-22
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has ruled that creditors must give repossessed property back - even though it was repossessed legally - after debtors file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.
The Facts
In the case, the General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) repossessed Theodore Thompson's 2003 Chevy Impala after he fell behind on payments. On February 5, 2008, soon after repo men took the car, Thompson filed Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Thompson asked GMAC to return the car but GMAC refused.
Bankruptcy Court Decides Against Thompson
The bankruptcy court, ...
Bandgap engineering for high-efficiency solar cell design
2012-06-22
ZnSnP2, an absorber material for solar cells, transitions from an ordered to a disordered structure at high temperatures. Researchers from University College London and the University of Bath have proposed taking advantage of this structural change to design high-efficiency solar absorbers. The team used theoretical calculations to investigate the electronic structure of both phases, and predicted a significant difference in the bandgap between the ordered and fully disordered materials.
Experimental measurements of the bandgap of ZnSnP2 are consistent with predictions ...
Sea waves as renewable resource in new energy converter design
2012-06-22
Sea waves are a renewable and inexhaustible resource found in abundance across the planet. But efficiently converting sea wave motion into electrical energy has been challenging, in part due to the difficulty of compensating for the relatively low speeds and irregular movements of ocean waves. Researchers from the University of Beira Interior in Portugal have designed and simulated a new energy conversion device that addresses both these challenges (i.e., low speed and irregular movements).
Their proposed device consists of a floating body attached to a new type of conversion ...
Comfort Inn & Conference Center in North Atlanta Named Official Hotel of Paul Murphy World Title Belt Tournament
2012-06-22
The newly renovated Comfort Inn & Conference Center Northeast, a leading north Atlanta hotel, named the official sponsor of the Paul Murphy World Title Belt Tournament of Champions. The event will take place August 31 - September 2, 2012 at the Forest Fleming Arena in Doraville, GA. Sanctioned under the Georgia Amateur Boxing Association, the tournament is open to boxers of all ages and the winner of each weight class division(s) will win a Title belt. Registration is required; contact Sugar Bert Boxing Academy for details.
Conveniently located less than 1 mile ...
Researchers test carbon nanotube-based ultra-low voltage integrated circuits
2012-06-22
A team of researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, and Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, has demonstrated that carbon nanotube-based integrated circuits can work under a supply voltage much lower than that used in conventional silicon integrated circuits. Low supply voltage circuits produce less heat, which is a key limiting factor for increased circuit density. Carbon-based electronics have attracted attention mostly because of their speed. The new research shows that carbon nanotube integrated circuits could also offer the promise of extending Moore's ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Metabolically active visceral fat linked to aggressive endometrial cancer, new study reveals
Scientists glimpse how enzymes “dance” while they work, and why that’s important
California partnership aided COVID-19 response and health equity, report finds
University of Oklahoma secures $19.9 million for revolutionary radar technology
Study finds restoring order to dividing cancer cells may prevent metastasis
High-accuracy tumor detection with label-free microscopy and neural networks
Wayne State research reveals fetuses exposed to Zika virus have long-term immune challenges
Researchers deconstruct chikungunya outbreaks to improve prediction and vaccine development
Study finds one-year change on CT scans linked to future outcomes in fibrotic lung disease
Discovery of a novel intracellular trafficking pathway in plant cells
New tool helps forecast volcano slope collapses and tsunamis
Molecular coating cleans up noisy quantum light
From Parkinson's to rare diseases, discovered a key switch for cellular health
Tiny sugars in the brain disrupt emotional circuits, fueling depression
Mini-organs reveal how the cervix defends itself
Africa, climate, and food: How to feed a continent without increasing its carbon footprint
Researchers demonstrates substrate design principles for scalable superconducting quantum materials
How better software choices could cut US health care costs
Concussion history in NCAA athletes yields mixed health outcomes
Counting plastic reveals hidden waste and sparks action
Warming oceans may pose a serious threat to American lobsters
Deaths from drug-induced unintentional injury rise across the US
In car crashes with pedestrians, age and zip code may predict extent of traumatic injuries
AI optimizes evacuation, diagnosis, and treatment of wounded soldiers in Ukraine
Mastectomy linked to worsened sexual health, body image after surgery
Drop in credit score after cancer diagnosis linked to increased mortality, study shows
Use of weight loss drugs before bariatric surgery has soared in recent years, study finds
EMS call times in rural areas take at least 20 minutes longer than national average
Rectal bleeding in young adults linked to 8.5 times higher risk of colorectal cancer
Hospital closures disproportionately affect socioeconomically disadvantaged communities
[Press-News.org] Failure to Use Turn Signals Cause More Accidents Than CellphonesStudies show that failure to correctly use automobile turn signals causes more car accidents than distracted driving. Two million crashes occur each year in the U.S. due to incorrect turn signal usage.