Last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood took a firsthand look at what could be an important technological advance in the fight to stop car accidents, as well as the many tragic wrongful deaths and cases of personal injury, that result from drunk driving.

QinetiQ North America, a research and development company located in Watham, Massachusetts, held the first public demonstration of its new technology, The Driver Alcohol Detection Systems for Safety (DADSS for short), which employs automatic sensors that instantly gauge a driver’s fitness to take the wheel.  The new devices have the potential to save thousands of lives.

The most commonplace devices used today are the ignition interlock systems that require drivers to blow into a breath-tasting device before the car will start.  These systems are often mandated by judges for convicted drunk drivers.  However, ignition interlock systems are very intrusive to the everyday driver and would never gain widespread acceptance for usage in all vehicles.

The DADSS, in contrast, is a passive technology system that measures blood alcohol content through two ways – either by analyzing the driver’s breath, or through the skin using special touch-based sensors that are placed either on steering wheels or door locks.

The analysis is done without the driver having to take any extra steps.  Thus, a sober driver can go on his way without even thinking about the device doing its job; the device, however, would stop that same driver from operating a vehicle if, on a certain occasion, he or she happened to be inebriated.

LaHood called the technology “another arrow in our automotive safety quiver, ”  although the company behind it estimates that it would not be available to the general public for another eight to ten years.

The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), David Strickland, also attended the DADSS demonstration.   He predicted the new hi-tech systems could prevent as many as 9,000 fatal alcohol-related car accidents a year in America.  The DADSS is the result of an exploratory $10 million research effort, funded by the NHTSA and the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety.

It’s estimated that over 10,000 wrongful deaths will occur this year as a result of car accidents caused by alcohol.  It’s also estimated that a motorist arrested for driving drunk has done it before an average of 87 times prior to the police pulling him or her over.   Also, one in three of all drivers will be involved in an alcohol-related car accident at some point in their lives.

For more free “Straight Talk Law” information, please visit the website of Seattle, Washington Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorney Jason Epstein at www.straighttalklaw.com, where you can order free books on personal injury lawyers, Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Mr. Epstein’s law practice in Seattle, Washington.

It’s in the blood of a lot of us Washingtonians to enjoy a bike ride here in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, riding in areas where there is automobile traffic can sometimes pose a great risk. Many drivers are unaware of bicyclists, and are never on the lookout for them. As a Renton bicycle accident attorney, I have seen how a split second loss of focus by a car driver can lead to seriously injuring a bicyclist. If you ride bikes in Western Washington, take a look at this article on safely riding bicycles in the city. Sometimes it is impossible to avoid a distracted driver, but as the following story shows, wearing a helmet can prevent even more serious injuries from resulting.

Around 1 pm yesterday, Allan Raichart, a 70-year-old from Port Hadlock, was struck by a 1996 GMC Suburban while riding his bicycle. The accident occurred a couple miles south of Port Townsend, when the driver of the Suburban left the roadway before striking the bicyclist. Raichart was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center where he is being treated for an arm injury, but fortunately he was wearing a helmet and his injuries are not life-threatening. The SUV driver was not hurt in the crash, and police do not believe that alcohol or drugs played a role in causing the accident. He will face charges of second-degree negligence.

Almost any accident involving a car and a bicyclist will result in an injury, but I am very relieved to hear that the injuries sustained in this crash are not serious enough to be considered life-threatening. As a Bellevue injury lawyer, I deal with a lot of cases like these where there is simply nothing an accident victim could do to prevent the collision from happening. As we approach spring and more people will be on the streets riding bicycles, it is important to learn from this accident and always be aware of bicyclists on the road and bike lanes.

If you have been injured in a Seattle bicycle accident and would like to speak with an experienced Washington bicycle injury lawyer, feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free books on Bellevue auto accidents, purchasing Washington car insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Seattle personal injury attorney Jason Epstein and his Washington auto accident, Tacoma motorcycle accident, and King County wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.

Until becoming a Tacoma personal injury attorney and Kent wrongful death lawyer I did not fully realize the tremendous responsibility we hold as drivers. A 2000 pound hunk of metal can do a considerable amount of damage to the driver, innocent bystanders and the other passengers inside the car, and if the vehicle occupants aren’t properly restrained the injuries become even greater.

Friday, February 7^th a Lacey texting while driving accident lead to the facial injuries of a 2-year-old girl and 29-year-old woman. The accident happened at the 600 block of School Street Southeast in Lacey, Washington when 29-year-old Tanya M. Bowers struck another vehicle. Bowers informed state patrol that she was texting while driving a 2002 Nissan Altima traveling south on School Street Southeast. The Altima left the road and veered toward the shoulder where it smashed into a parked Ford F-350 truck.

In the backseat of the Altima there was a 2-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy. The 2-year-old suffered facial injuries when her face hit the back of the front passenger seat due to not being properly restrained. The 4-year-old boy was properly restrained and was not injured in the accident. Bowers had also failed to use a seat belt leading to her own facial injuries as she struck the steering wheel in the collision.

Bowers faces several charges in this texting while driving accident including: using a wireless device while driving, failure to use a child restraint and failure to wear a seat belt. It was not immediately clear what Bowers relationship to the children was.

The worst part about this horrible accident is how easily it could have been prevented. Not only would the damage to the car and passengers been avoided had the driver not been texting while driving- if seat belts and proper child restraints were used these injuries could have been avoided all together. Always remember to wear your seat belt, and properly restrain children in the car.

Jason Epstein, Seattle Personal Injury Attorney and Founder of Straight Talk Law, was again named as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers of Washington.

Seattle, Wash. – February 8, 2011 – For the third year in a row, Jason Epstein, Seattle personal injury attorney and Washington car accident lawyer, has been named a “Rising Star” for 2010 by Super Lawyers Magazine.  According to the Super Lawyers, to be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must be either forty years old or younger or in practice for ten years or less.  No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in the state are named to the Rising Stars list.   Washington Rising Stars is published annually in December in the winter issue of Washington Law & Politics.

“It is such a great honor to be recognized again by Super Lawyers.  It is always exciting to be noticed by your peers and rewarded for your hard work,” remarked Jason Epstein.

Jason Epstein, Seattle, Washington based personal injury and auto accident lawyer, founded Straight Talk Law to provide a series of legal guides meant to empower accident victims and those looking for a lawyer.  Straight Talk Law prides itself on providing the unfiltered truth about lawyer advertising, an informative website and blog, a new way to practice law where the lawyer communicates pertinent information directly to the client in an easy-to-understand way, and a law practice where lawyers share information with those who need it, and work on their clients’ case in an open, easy to understand way through effective communication.

Jason is also the founder of the initiative, Teens Against Distracted Driving (T.A.D.D.) T.A.D.D. is a movement promoted by car accident lawyers from around the country who are sick and tired of seeing kids being killed by texting and driving, or by others texting and driving.

To learn more about Jason Epstein and Straight Talk Law, please visit http://www.StraightTalkLaw.com

About Jason Epstein and Straight Talk Law:

Jason Epstein joined Premier Law Group as a partner in 2007. Jason is a litigator handling all types of personal injury cases with an emphasis on serious plaintiff’s personal injury and insurance coverage.  Jason is a member of the Washington State Association for Justice and serves within its leadership. Jason often speaks at CLEs and serves as an arbitrator for both private and mandatory arbitration matters.

Jason attended Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College in Dubois, Wyoming.  The month long program is dedicated to training lawyers who represent injured people. Jason completed a certificate in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Strauss Institute of Dispute Resolution and the Trial Advocacy program through the National Institute of Trial Advocacy. Jason has been dedicated to representing injured people since 1999.

Jason Epstein has been representing individuals against insurance companies and large corporations since 2001. He limits his practice to personal injury and wrongful death cases including auto accidents, motorcycle accidents, or other serious and catastrophic injuries. Hopefully you have already visited StraightTalkLaw.com. This website is loaded with tons of information, and is constantly updated to keep you informed of recent developments. You can also stay up to date by following the blogs, which are linked to StraightTalkLaw.com

Jason understands that providing the best legal representation to his clients, means limiting the number of cases he accepts. He takes fewer cases so he has more time for you. By limiting his caseload, Mr. Epstein is able to give each client and each case the time and attention that they deserve. If you would like to see if your case qualifies for Mr. Epstein to represent you, please contact us through StraightTalkLaw.com, request one or more of Jason’s books, or call us toll free at (888) 333-1873.

A Seattle native, Jason received his B.A. in Philosophy from USC, and his J.D. from Pepperdine University. Mr. Epstein lives in Renton with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, Mr. Epstein enjoys spending time with his family and playing golf.

To learn more about Straight Talk Law, please visit http://www.StraightTalkLaw.com

Red light cameras – which record snapshots of motorists running red lights and enable the police to ticket them without having personally witnessed the traffic violation – have been in use for over a decade, with a great deal of controversy surrounding their usage.

Many citizens and lawmakers alike have accused local communities of using the cameras as municipal ATM’s, to spit out more money from fines without hiring more manpower.   They also have targeted the cameras as untrustworthy and even the cause of more car accidents.

A new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has what I consider to be a pretty good final verdict on the cameras – they save lives. You can read more about what the study has to say in my new article, “Red Light Cameras Save Lives,” – but the bottom line is that the cameras have prevented hundreds of wrongful deaths,  not to mention an untold amount of personal injury cases.

Here in the state of Washington, however, where I practice in the Seattle area as a personal injury attorney, the debate over red light cameras rages on.   Initiatives have been filed in Bellingham, Longview, Monroe and Wenatchee to require public votes on the usage of the cameras as well as placing limits on the amount of fines allowable for traffic violations caught by the devices.  State Representative Chris Hurst is also sponsoring legislation that has similar objectives in mind.

To be fair, all of these efforts were begun before the results of the IIHS were released on February 1^st of this year.  I’m hopeful, now that the enormous safety benefits of the red light cameras are fully proven and documented, that the red light camera rhetoric will cool down and their usage can continue unabated.    We can argue the particulars of that usage, but not the life-saving results.

Please feel free to visit my website at www.straighttalklaw.com , where you can order free books on personal injury and wrongful death lawyers, Washington auto and motorcycle accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by myself and my law practice in Seattle, Washington.

In many urban areas, motorists are all-too-familiar with the split-second flash that comes from cameras placed at heavily-traveled intersections with traffic lights.

These “red light cameras” have been called cash cows by some, because they allow local police departments to ticket motorists for running red lights without having to witness the traffic violations in person.  Lawsuits against the devices have been filed even here in Seattle, Washington alleging that the cameras instigated excessive fines and improper tickets, and, as recently as January of 2011, Washington state lawmakers have tried to put the usage of these cameras to a public vote in an effort to ban their usage.

It turns out those cameras do more than take pictures, however; they also save lives.  According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), red light cameras saved 159 lives in 2004 through 2008 in 14 of America’s biggest cities.  Not only that, but, had these cameras been operational in all of our country’s big cities, a total of 815 deaths could have been prevented.

“The cities that have the courage to use red light cameras despite the political backlash are saving lives,” says IIHS president Adrian Lund.

The cameras also lowered car accident rates, as well as cases of wrongful death and personal injury.  The rate of all fatal car accidents at these intersections fell 14% in camera cities – as opposed to that same rate rising 2 percent in cities that don’t use the cameras.  The researchers looked at 99 U.S. cities with populations over 200,000 for the purposes of this study.   A previous study by the IIHS found that red light cameras reduced personal injury car accidents by 29 percent.

Red light cameras have been used since the 1990’s.  Although only 25 communities used them in 2000, around 500 cities have them in place today.  Only about half the states allow red light cameras to be installed.

Running red lights is a dangerous and widespread traffic problem.  In 2009, car accidents that resulted from running red lights caused an estimated 113,000 cases of personal injury and 676 wrongful deaths.  Only a third of those deaths involved the drivers who actually ran the red lights – the rest were of pedestrians, bike riders and passengers in other cars who were victims of the traffic violation.

“Somehow, the people who get tickets because they have broken the law have been cast as the victims,” commented Lund. “We rarely hear about the real victims — the people who are killed or injured by these lawbreakers.”

Red light cameras may cost motorists more in terms of traffic tickets – but it’s clear that their life-saving presence is more than worth the price.

For more free “Straight Talk Law” information, please visit the website of Seattle, Washington Personal Injury and Wrongful Death Attorney Jason Epstein at www.straighttalklaw.com, where you can order free books on personal injury lawyers, Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Mr. Epstein’s law practice in Seattle, Washington

As a Personal injury attorney in Seattle, Washington and founder of Teens Against Distracted Driving (TADD) I am frightened by the texting while driving epidemic and the number of fatal auto accidents it is causing. Last week Oregon was torn apart trying to find the driver in a fatal hit-and-run accident and now we come to learn it was yet another fatal case of texting while driving.

The hit- and-run driver that killed a Selem, Oregon man turned himself in to Oregon police a week after the fatal accident. On January, 27^th around 11:30 pm Salem resident Morales Singer was walking home from trivia at a local bar when he was struck by an oncoming vehicle on 47^th Ave NE in Salem, Oregon. The driver, now identified as 19-year-old Jake Montano, fled the scene with extensive damage to his Honda Accord- including missing the right side mirror and a broken headlight along with extensive damage to the front and hood.

Singer, a 37-year-old father of three, was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after emergency aid arrived. Police were on the lookout for the vehicle involved in the crash until February 1^st when Jake Montano turned himself in.

According to Montano he was driving at roughly 45 miles per hour when the accident occurred. Montano has admitted he struck Singer as a result of texting while driving.

As cell phone technology continues to grow and becomes more integrated in our lives the number of texting while driving accidents also continues to grow. More and more cell phone users are upgrading to Smartphone’s- bundling e-mails, calendars, text messages and navigation all into one device dramatically increasing the number of distractions. The only way to prevent these fatal texting while driving accidents is by putting the phone down!

I started Teens Against Distracted Driving to reach out to teens about the dangers of texting while driving, but now adults too are guilty of checking e-mails, fiddling with the navigation system etc- so I challenge everyone to take the pledge to not text while driving. Click on the image below to sign the pledge and receive your free TADD bracelet to remind you of your commitment.

Being an Everett auto accident attorney and Bellevue wrongful death lawyer it is my goal to help those injured or killed in severe auto accidents get justice, but with this comes facing the horrible fact that fatal auto accidents happen all too often. What is even more tragic is how many teens die every year in car crashes. In fact, the leading cause of death of teenagers is auto accidents and over 35% of these fatal auto accidents are caused by excessive speed.

Just before 10:30 am on February 1^st there was a 3 car accident in Bellevue that claimed the life of a high school student. The 17-year-old from Issaquah was driving northbound on I-405 just north of the Interstate 90 interchange when the accident occurred. The boy was driving his Dodge Neon in the left-hand lane, but decided to change lanes when the traffic in the lane in front of him slowed to a stop. He quickly moved toward the lane to the right of him when he hit the left-rear end side of a Chevrolet Suburban.  The neon lost control- rotating sideways where it was smashed by a Honda on the driver’s side.

The 17-year old Issaquah boy was quickly taken to Harborview Medical Center, but died from the injuries sustained in the accident. The driver of the Suburban was taken to Overlake Hospital in Bellevue for treatment of his injuries and the driver of the Honda only had minor injuries.

Police are investigating the fatal car crash, but they have stated that speed appears to have played a role in the crash.

The Issaquah teen was on his way to the Crysalis School in Woodenville when the accident happened. Traffic had been stalled due to a previous accident on the freeway.

My thoughts go out to all the people affected by this horrible tragedy.

Auto accidents are never fun, but for the victims of a hit-and-run accident the stress and anguish is taken to a whole new level wondering who will pay their medical bills. As aRenton personal injury lawyer working on Seattle car accident settlements I understand how quickly medical bills can pile up after a serious car crash. Hundreds of thousands even millions of dollars in medical care can quickly rack up when dealing with severe head or body trauma. A Yakima man faces these types of bills if the hit-and-run driver that crushed his car is not located.

Early this morning a Geo Metro was demolished in a hit and run accident, trapping the driver inside. The accident occurred on Interstate 82 just south of Ellensburg, Washington early February, 1^st just after 4:30 am. Emergency crews arrived at the scene to find Yakima resident Gregory Meyers trapped inside his Geo Metro.

According to police a Peterbilt semi truck hit the Metro while both vehicles were traveling West on the interstate. The metro suffered extensive damage as seen in the pictures below, but the semi truck fled the scene without so much as stopping.

It took emergency crews an hour to remove Myers from the crushed vehicle. He sustained a broken arm and broken leg in the incident and was transported to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle via helicopter for treatment.

Police are currently on the search for a Peterbilt semi truck with considerable damage- if anybody has any information about this incident they are asked to contact Detective Dave Snider with the Ellensburg WSP office at 509-925-5303.

Hit and run accidents are a motorist worst nightmare- and sadly the reason they usually occur is because the at-fault party is not insured. Auto insurance is required in Washington state, yet still thousands of people refuse to pay a premium, if is because of these drivers that PIP and UM/UIM insurance is so important. For more information onWashington State auto insurance and what types and levels of coverage you should have read my FREE book “The Truth About Buying Washington Auto Insurance” available FREE to Washington state residents through the link above.

The number one safety precaution in a passenger vehicle is wearing a seatbelt. As a Bellevue car accident lawyer and Kent wrongful death attorney, I have seen far too many accidents result in worse consequences because the safety belt was not worn. All vehicles have various safety ratings, but there is no feature on a car that is more helpful in the event of a collision than the basic seatbelt. According to a study done by NHTSA, there were 15,383 lives saved by the use of seatbelts in 2006.

On Sunday, January 30^th, 40-year-old Tony O. Bey from Kent was killed in a single-car crash after failing to wear a seatbelt. Tony, along with two other occupants, was traveling eastbound on I-90 in a 2000 Subaru Legacy station wagon. It was shortly after 4:00 in the afternoon when the car flipped over on the road. Tony sustained fatal injuries and was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries. 19-year-old driver Eric A. Bey and 38-year-old passenger Linda Edwards-Bey, who were both wearing seatbelts, were not seriously injured.

While the cause of this auto accident has not yet been determined, there is still a very important lesson to be learned. Seatbelts save lives. Police officers are enforcing the use of safety restraints all over the country because they are critical to maximizing the safety of vehicle occupants. Signs on the freeway saying “click-it or ticket” are posted to encourage safe and responsible driving.

Losing a loved family member or friend is an incredibly painful experience.  Whether it be in a car accident or not, the last thing that you and your family want to have to deal with or worry about is legal issues and complications.  You deserve to know that the legal situation will be taken care of with professionalism and respect.  Because I believe so strongly in this, I co-authored a book with attorney Patrick J. Kang entitled ‘In Case of Death: Straight Talk on Washington Wrongful Death.  We have made this book available free of charge to Washington residents and it can be found by clicking the preceding link.

This information is provided by Straight Talk Law, where you can order free information on Everett car accidents, Washington auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by Seattle personal injury attorney Jason Epstein and his Seattle car accident, Renton motorcycle accident, and Bellingham wrongful death law firm in Seattle, Washington.