Waco Personal Injury Law Blog

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) publishes a listing of the safest cars introduced on the market each year. The list of vehicles that made the list this year didn't get on the list by happenstance. The automakers instead spent time learning what would earn their previous model cars higher scores over previous years. They then set out to improve them. New technology helped make some cars make the 2020 "best of" list over others too.

IIHS researchers focused on headlights this year. They did so because it's the one feature that's a standard feature on all cars. They aid motorists in seeing hazards that may be obstructing their path both close and far. IIHS researchers note that high-performing headlights are particularly important during the nighttime when a motorist's visibility is poor. Many of the vehicles that made the "best of" list this year had improved headlights. This, in part, allowed some cars to score better than others when they were being ranked.

It seems pretty simple: Texting and driving is dangerous. Everyone gets taught about it in driver's training. Even those who took the training years ago, before texting was a concern, have seen the commercials and ads and Public Service Announcements. People know that texting in the car carries a level of risk and can cause accidents, and that's why state after state has moved to ban it.

Yet, people still do it. Undoubtedly, there are some cases of ignorance, where people do not understand the risk despite all of the information that is out there, but these are likely rare. Most people know. Why do they text and drive anyway?

Unfortunately, bullying at schools is a continued issue across the United States despite extended efforts to prevent it. Becoming a victim of bullying can severely affect a child's self-esteem, their academic success at school and their mental health. They may also suffer physical injuries as a result of being injured at school.

If your child recently suffered injuries at school due to being bullied, you should take action to protect them from future abuse. The school, in this case, failed to protect your child from injury, and, as a result, they had to go through significant pain and suffering. The following are some things to consider before taking legal action on behalf of your injured child.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data shows that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of childhood fatalities here in the United States. There were an estimated 116,000 children age 12 or younger that were injured in car crashes in 2017. A total of 675 children died in similar incidents that same year. Many of these crashes can be blamed on child victims not being properly restrained.

At least 49% of the 8- to 12-year-old children who lost their lives in car crashes in 2017 weren't wearing seat belts when they happened. That same CDC data shows that 22% of those children age 4 and under who died were also unrestrained. Another 36% of those kids between the ages of 4 and 7 were not buckled up when their caregiver was involved in a crash.