The number of lives lost in fatal WA car accidents decreased steadily from 2006 to 2010. In 2006, 633 lives were lost in Washington car crashes; by 2010, the number had dropped to 460. In terms of number of vehicle miles traveled by those on Washington’s roads each year, deaths have dropped from 1.12 per 100,000 vehicle miles traveled to 0.80 per 100,000 vehicle miles traveled.

Meanwhile, the rate of serious injuries has fluctuated over the same time period, but overall it has decreased since 2006. In 2006, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission recorded 2,957 accidents that resulted in serious injuries. In 2010, the Commission recorded only 2,474 serious-injury accidents. These numbers work out to a rate of about 5.21 serious injuries per 100,000 vehicle miles traveled in 2006 and 4.33 serious injuries per 100,000 vehicle miles traveled in 2010.

Both the overall number of fatal and injury-causing accidents and the number of accidents per total miles traveled have decreased in recent years. These numbers indicate that attempts by government agencies and by individual drivers to improve safety have helped protect those on the road.

One serious car accident can permanently change the course of a person’s or a family’s life. If you or someone in your family has been seriously injured or lost a life in a car accident, an experienced Seattle auto accident attorney at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free consultation.

The study found that, as compared to driving with no passengers, the risk of death per mile increased 44 percent when a 16 or 17-year-old driver had at least one passenger in the vehicle under age 21. In addition, the risk is double when the driver carried two passengers under 21-years-old and quadruples when three or more passengers were in the vehicle. On the contrary, if a passenger in the car was age 35 or older, the risk of the teen driver dying in a crash decreased by 62 percent.

Overall, 40 percent of the 2,191 young teens killed in during the 2007-2010 period had at least one passenger under 21-years-old, showing that the presence of others teens in a car with a teen driver can be just as distracting as cell phones. Preliminary data from the first six months of 2011 also reveals a small increase in teen driver deaths.

Auto accidents can be caused by a number of things, so it is up to parents to help their teen be safer on the road and control the things they are able to, such as limiting the number of underage passengers a teen can have in their vehicle. The negligence of another motorist, however, cannot be prevented. If you have been injured in a WA auto accident caused by the careless actions of another person, call a Seattle car accident attorney with Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. The initial consultation is free, so call our offices at (888) 228-3860 to schedule a consultation.

Help protect yourself and others from drunk driving-related injuries with these tips:

• Choose a designated driver before the party begins. Treat your designated driver right by making sure their non-alcoholic beverage is topped up regularly. You might even offer to pick up a designated driver’s tab to show your appreciation.
• Keep the phone numbers of local taxi companies in your pocket. Not only will you be able to get a ride home if you need one, you’ll also be able to call a cab for anyone else who looks like they’ve had one too many.
• If you’re hosting a party, stop serving alcohol at least one hour before the party is expected to end. Serving coffee or dessert at this time can help mark the official end of alcohol service and help guests start to sober up before they leave.

Drunk driving can cause serious injuries in the event of an accident. If you or someone you love has been injured by a drunk driver, don’t hesitate to call the experienced Seattle drunk driving accident attorneys at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. Our number is (888) 228-3860, and your initial consultation is both free and confidential.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among U.S. residents ages 5 to 34, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2009, over 2.3 million adults were treated in emergency rooms for injuries related to car accidents.

Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and other serious damage can all occur in a car accident, and the costs are high. According to the CDC, the estimated lifetime cost for all motor vehicle accidents and injuries in 2005 was $70 billion. These included both the immediate costs of treating an injury after an accident, the costs of rehabilitation and therapy, lost wages due to disability, repairs to damaged vehicles and other property, and other losses related to motor vehicle accidents. Even a relatively minor car accident can drive these costs up, placing an additional burden on a person already trying to recover from injuries.

Although the statistics can look grim at times, the CDC considers the fight against motor vehicle accident injuries and deaths a “winnable battle.” When a driver is negligent, however, serious accidents can still occur. If you’ve been injured in a crash, the experienced auto accident lawyers in Seattle at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free, confidential consultation.

The study examined crash data for several consecutive years. It found that 33 percent of deaths in car accidents nationwide occur in rollover crashes. Sports utility vehicles, or SUVs, were most likely to roll over, followed by pickup trucks, minivans, and cars. Passengers in a rollover crash were over 10 times more likely to die than passengers in a crash that did not involve a rollover.

Risk factors that increased the chances of death in a rollover accident included younger drivers, a full load of passengers, failing to wear a seatbelt, and speeding. Alcohol use also played a large role in many rollover accidents. Rollovers were frequently caused by one driver attempting to pass another, only to realize a crash was imminent, overcorrecting, and rolling the vehicle or crashing into an embankment that flipped the vehicle. Finally, rollovers were more likely to occur on stretches of road where speeds were high and intersections were few or nonexistent, such as on interstate highways.

Rollovers can be caused by many factors, and serious injuries can result from a rollover accident. If you or a family member has been injured in a rollover crash, don’t hesitate to call an experienced Washington rollover accident attorney at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. Our number is (888) 228-3860. Call today for a free, confidential consultation.

According to the National Safety Council (NSC), drivers whose brains are distracted with conversation, following directions, or other cognitive activities miss up to 50 percent of the information in their surrounding environments. When driving, this means missing up to half of the vital information needed to avoid a crash, such as things like whether a light is changing from yellow to red, whether and from what direction other cars are approaching, or whether there are children or animals present that might suddenly run into the street.

In response to growing distracted-driving concerns, some automakers are revamping the gadgetry in their vehicles so that it decreases the distractions available. For instance, automakers are making text messages shorter and disabling cell phone functions built into vehicles while the car is in motion.

Distracted driving greatly increases the risk of an accident, whether the distraction is caused by a technological gadget, eating, an in-car conversation, or some condition outside the vehicle. If you’ve been injured by a distracted driver, the experienced distracted driving accident lawyers in Washington at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free and confidential case evaluation.

At the center of the safety conference’s discussion is the safety of using large lithium-ion batteries in vehicles. Concerns about the batteries’ safety in cars have mounted after several recent accidents regarding them. For instance, a Chevy Volt undergoing safety testing had its battery catch fire in a laboratory, although researchers later admitted they were not using required safety procedures to maintain the vehicle at the time. An accident in a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant last month caused serious injuries to an employee, when a battery undergoing rigorous testing suddenly exploded.

While automakers are interested in electric cars as a way to reduce gasoline reliance and provide alternatives for buyers, most in the industry agree that the vehicles need to be reasonably safe before they can replace standard cars for most drivers.

Electric cars are becoming more popular, but any vehicle can have a manufacturing or design defect that can lead to an accident. If you’ve been injured in an accident, the experienced Renton auto accident attorneys at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. can help you figure out what caused the accident and seek the compensation you need. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free and confidential case evaluation.

The NHTSA study found that 25 percent of those who lose their lives in rollover crashes were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. Failing to wear a seat belt in a rollover makes it more likely the person will be thrown from the vehicle, increasing the likelihood of a fatal head or spinal cord injury.

Even among those who are securely belted in, however, traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries made up nearly 70 percent of fatal or permanently disabling injuries among those hurt in rollover accidents. These types of injuries can cause permanent impairments, are difficult to treat, and often require longer hospital stays and more rehabilitation than other types of injuries, increasing their cost. For these reasons, auto manufacturers often make rollover safety a priority, and any condition in the vehicle, its parts, or the roadway that might increase the risk of a rollover should be promptly fixed.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a rollover accident, please don’t hesitate to call the skilled rollover accident lawyers in Washington at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. We will help you investigate what happened and hold any negligent parties responsible so that you and your family can focus on healing and moving forward after the crash. Call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free and confidential case evaluation.

The override system would kick in whenever both the accelerator and the brake were pressed at the same time. Simply put, the system would instruct the vehicle to recognize the “brake” signal and to stop following the “accelerate” signal, slowing the vehicle down and eventually bringing it to a stop even though the accelerator is still pressed down. With the system in place, the driver of a car whose accelerator became stuck would be able to slow or stop the vehicle simply by pressing on the brakes.

The NHTSA is considering the regulations after several incidents in which stuck accelerators led to severe injury or a wrongful death. The most well-known of these were the problems in several Toyota vehicles in recent years, in which accelerator pedals would get stuck under floor mats or under the carpet layer on the floor. While some drivers were able to slow their runaway vehicles with the emergency brake, at least one driver could not stop the car, leading to multiple lost lives.

Defective car parts or bad repairs can cause serious car crashes that leave drivers, passengers, or others with disabling injuries or even take lives. At Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S., our dedicated Bellevue car accident attorneys have helped many families secure the compensation they deserve after a serious accident. To learn more, call us today at (888) 228-3860 for a free and confidential telephone consultation.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identify several reasons that younger workers face higher injury rates. First, younger workers are concentrated in industries with high accident and injury rates, like restaurant work and unskilled labor of various kinds. Second, younger workers frequently lack the experience they need to identify and avoid many workplace dangers, some of which are specific to the equipment or methods used in the particular industry.

Working teenagers ages 15-19 have the highest risk of injury of all workers under age 24, according to the CDC. Currently, the rate of injury for teen workers is approximately five workers in every 100, or about 5 percent – much higher than the rate for other age groups. The CDC and other government agencies have combined forces to cut this rate in half – or even lower – by 2020.

One of the most common types of injury causing accidents on the job is motor vehicle accidents. If you’ve been injured in a work-related auto accident, please don’t hesitate to call the experienced personal injury lawyers in Seattle at Hardwick & Pendergast, P.S. We can help you with every step after an on the job car accident injury, from seeking workers’ compensation benefits to fighting for compensation from any negligent parties. Call us today at 1(888) 228-3860 for a free and confidential case evaluation.