NHTSA to Conduct Electric Vehicle Safety Symposium

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announces that it will be hosting a one-day symposium on May 18, Friday. The conference will tackle safety issues related to lithium-ion or Li-ion batteries that are being used in electric vehicles.

Several representatives from the auto and battery making industries, along with government panel participants, are expected to join the symposium.

The symposium aims to gather key stakeholders in an event to share knowledge and information on the status of safety activities that can be linked to the use of Li-ion batteries in vehicles, the NHTSA said in a statement in its official website.

The conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the West Building Atrium of the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters situated at New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC.

No attendance fee is required, but early registration is recommended since slots are limited. As a requirement, participants need to bring a government-issued photo ID for security purposes.

Issues regarding Li-ion battery’s safety became more public since November2011 when a Chevy Volt caught fire a few weeks after the NHTSA conducted a crash test. Earlier this year, the agency regulator conducted an investigation that declared electric vehicles are no more of a fire risk.  

However, just earlier this month, another standard battery pack at a General Motor (GM) plant situated at Michigan burst into fire after an extreme stress testing. GM said that the said accident involved a battery that was being tested under high pressure. The fire reportedly left six workers seriously injured with $5 million worth of damages.

Now, to lessen the risk of fire after an electric vehicle was involved in a car accident, the NHTSA is doing everything possible to inform the public about road safety and everything that people has to know. Even a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles here is hoping for further similar public awareness programs to come so that people wouldn’t be like lost in the middle of nowhere due to insufficient knowledge.

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LAPD Reminds Motorcycle Drivers and Bicyclist to Promote Road Safety Reminders

As the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month approaches, the Los Angeles Police Department joined forces with other non-profit organization to spread out the message clearly to both motorcycle drivers and bikers.

Due to the alarming number of injuries and fatalities that occurred in the State of California, the authorities eye this month of May, being the Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, as the best time to promote road safety to motorists.

The goal of this campaign is to lessen the number of motorcycle accidents in the State. In figures gathered in 2010, about 11,000 people were injured and some 361 died from motorcycle and bike accidents.

Authorities said that one of the most important safety tips for motorists is to check the braking capability of their motorcycles or bikes.

Take a look at these few basic tips that can be helpful in preventing accidents:

•    Make sure that you are well-trained before driving a motorcycle or even a bicycle, especially in crowded and vehicle congested areas.

•    Make sure that you have already obtained a driver’s license before going off the road.

•    Always wear proper safety gear for protection.

•    Be attentive and smart cautious while driving.

•    Religiously abide with the traffic rules and regulations imposed by traffic enforcers.

Although there is no way to avoid such motorcycle accidents since they  really happen like natural occurrences, it is still best to follow some preventive measures to somehow lessen the rapidly increasing number of injuries and fatalities statewide. Even a Los Angeles injury attorney agrees to that.

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Elderly Driver Smashed Car into Dental Clinic; Injures 6

An 82-year-old woman smashed her vehicle into a dental clinic in Reseda, Los Angeles Apr. 19, leaving six people injured.

According to initial investigation, the elderly woman was driving an old, beat-up station wagon when the vehicle smashed in front of a dentist’s clinic which is situated at the intersection of Vanowen St. and White Oak Avenue.

Three bystanders and three others were seriously injured from the said vehicle accident. All of them were rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.

Fortunately, the elderly driver did not sustain any personal injury, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officer Matt Spence. Spence added that it is not yet determined whether there are any dentists of dental patients involved in the accident.

Apparently, the vehicle never entered the dental clinic but just knocked off its door from its hinges, according to authorities.

Spencer said that firefighters had to use Jaws of Life to free two victims who were pinned to the building in the said accident.

Authorities speculated that the elderly driver was probably trying to park her vehicle and lost control of it. Nevertheless, it was not yet sure how she managed to drove her car through the dental clinic entrance since no further details were yet released by the authorities.

Despite the road and traffic regulations promoted by traffic enforcers and safety advocates in the United States, vehicle accidents still remain as the most common type of injuries. Most often than not, accidents are caused by a driver’s negligence, particularly the elderly. In fact, the ability of the elderly to drive safely is currently being disputed.

The elderly woman held accountable for the case will more likely face multiple personal injury claims. Hence, she needs to consult competent injury lawyers Los Angeles to know her legal rights as the responsible party as well as to determine whether she could mount a defense or not.

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1 Dead, 4 Missing in Farallon Islands Boat Race Accident

At least one person was killed while four others are still missing following a boat race mishap along Farallon Island.

According to the Coast Guard, the 38-foot sailing vessel known as Low Speed Chase was one of the participants in the 2012 Full Crew Farallones Race that started at St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco last Saturday afternoon. The Coast Guard further said that the 8 people on board the boat were all experienced sailors.

A spokesperson from the Coast Guard said that a huge wave hit the boat, which caused four people to be thrown into the water. The boat captain, James Bradford, then turned the boat around to fetch them out of the water. That’s when another wave subsequently hit the boat, which led it to crash into the rocks of the Fallon Island. Due to its collision with the rocks, the boat’s captain apparently lost entire control of the boat.

A helicopter from Air Station San Francisco, an 87-foot cutter, a 47-foot boat from Golden Gate, and two Blackhawk helicopters from the 129th Air National Guard Unit at Moffett Field immediately responded to the accident scene.

At least three people were able to get into the rocks while one was pronounced dead and four people were still missing. It was not yet confirmed whether the captain was among the missing. Based on the list of race participants, the crews were described as young people.

The Yacht Racing Association of San Francisco Bay, through its official website, said more than five boats registered for the annual yacht race and all boats returned safely except for the Low Speed Chase.

The annual sailboat race around the Farallon Islands has been a tradition in San Francisco since the early 1900s. The association is offering its thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of the missing crews, having a wishful thinking that the four missing crews would return home safely.

Nowadays, many people don’t realize the dangers present in boats as compared to other types of land vehicles. People usually believe that dangers are much minimal, and serious personal injuries are far possible in boats. Definitely, such accident can prove people’s underestimations were wrong, since boat accidents have been reported to occur in US on such large ratio. Even a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles can prove such.

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Aviation Accident in Siberia Kills 31 and Injures 12

A Russian passenger plane crashed and burst into flames after taking off in Siberia last Monday. The said aviation accident killed 31 and injured 12 people according to emergency officials.

Initially, 13 survivors were removed from the wrecked plane, but one later died while being airlifted to the hospital in the City of Tyumen, just east of Moscow.

Video footages from news reports showed that the plane had broken into half, reclining in a snowy field, with only the tail and rear part of the fuselage visible.

Information about the main cause of the UTair airlines ATR72 crash was not yet released. However, an investigative committee is eyeing at technical malfunction of the 21–year-old plane as a possible cause of the accident.

The UTair airlines’ ATR72 was loaded with 39 passengers and 4 crews when the accident occurred. Apparently, it was the most recent aviation accident to be recorded into Russia’s safety record.

The head of the regional branch of Emergencies Ministry, Yuri Alekhin said that the “black box” flight recorder had been found and lead to the discovery that contact with the plane was lost 3 minutes after taking off in Siberia.

UTair, in its official website, said that the twin-engine, turbo-prop plane on the way to Surgut had been trying to execute an emergency landing when it came down 1.5 km from the airport in the Western Siberian city of Tayumen, an oil town in the northeast part of the region.

At present, five of the survivors were in serious condition.

Aviation accidents rarely happen. However, when it occurs, it is frightening since the possibility of all passengers and crews being killed are very high. Therefore, personal injury lawyers who particularly specialize in the said field can be very helpful in such cases.

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