Driver's Training Should Become Mandatory

State legislators in Michigan and elsewhere should revisit the concept of graduated licensing for young drivers.  The intent is to limit when, where and with whom drivers younger than 18 can drive, to ease them into the responsibilities, art and science of operating a vehicle and to keep them and the people around them safe. But a new report from the Journal of the American Medical Association shows disturbing unintended consequence.


Graduated licensing has indeed reduced fatalities for drivers in the 16 to 17 age group. But that appears due, in part, to teens in that age group putting off driver training and licensing until they turn 18 and don't need to meet all the requirements of those a year or two younger. And that, in turn, appears to be responsible for a spike in fatalities for drivers when they turn 18 and take to the road with less training and sometimes none at all.


Licensing at age 18 with no training is permitted in most states, the study's lead author said. Michigan appears to be among them. "I was actually bummed by my own findings--to find out we're offsetting the benefits" in young drivers so much, said author Scott Masten. "It was quite unexpected.


The net impact is that graduated licensing appears to be a lifesaver, with more lives saved among 16-year-olds than lost among 18-year-olds. And fatality rates for 17- and 19-year olds? Not affected. Other studies corroborate the JAMA report. In one nationwide survey, about a quarter of people who were 18 and hadn't obtained a license cited the licensing requirements as a reason.


It tells us, as it tells the study's authors, that state legislators should take a look at the statistics in their own states. Where there are no requirements for driver training for anyone getting a first license, we think they should be added.


--Courtesy of The Oakland Press

No-Fault Benefits Available in Michigan

The Michigan No-Fault Insurance Law allows injured persons in a Michigan auto accident to seek benefits from their own insurance company for the following:

(1). Medical expenses;

(2)  Incidental expenses necessary for medical care and treatment (such as private nurses, home aides, family member reimbursement for providing necessary care);

(3). Wage loss benefits for an injured claimant (for the first 3 years after);

(4)   Transportation costs (to and from treatments);

(5).  Home modifications (for example, wheelchair ramp);

(6).  Survivor’s loss benefits in cases of death;

(7).  Replacement services (cooking, cleaning, and lawn care) up to $20 per day (very often overlooked);

(8). Other benefits related to necessary and reasonable treatment (for example, food and lodging for a severely injured person requiring 24 hour care in a treatment facility).

Oftentimes, Insurance Company Adjusters don’t fully explain all the benefits that injured persons are entitled to and insurance contracts are often very confusing to read and understand.  It is important to contact an attorney after the accident to make certain you are asking for, and receiving, all the benefits that the law entitles you to collect to aid in your recovery from the accident.  

Pedestrian Safety in Traffic Circles

Michigan drivers are facing new driving challenges presented by traffic circles.  More and more Michigan communities are installing traffic circles to decrease perpendicular (T-Bone) type accidents and thereby decrease serious injuries at intersections.  While drivers adjust to where and when to yield to other cars in traffic circles they also need to be keenly aware of pedestrians trying to navigate traffic circle sidewalks.  City and State officials have been attempting to educate drivers to proceed slowly and be aware that the law requires automobiles yield to all pedestrian traffic prior to entering the traffic circle and before exiting the traffic circle.  

City of Ann Arbor's Pedestrian Crosswalk Law Under Scrutiny

Ann Arbor City officials are reconsidering the new local law that requires motorist to stop for all pedestrians that are either "in" or "approaching" a crosswalk.  Many residents have complained that the new law causes confusion amongst motorists and may cause more rear-end collisions that endanger the safety of pedestrians that are in front of a law-abiding stopped car.  Even Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett Jones has expressed his concerns that the new law may cause more rear-end collisions. 


Motorist that fail to stop for a pedestrian face a $100 fine and two points on their driving record.  The City is studying new ways that they can educate drivers and they have recently placed new temporary lighted warning signs on busy two lane roads like Plymouth Road in north-east Ann Arbor where the speed limit is 35 miles per hour.


Due to the fact that Ann Arbor draws so many out-of-town vistors that are either in-town for University of Michigan events (such as football or basketball games), an educational program that only targets local residents may not alleviate the danger from an uneducated out-of-town driver.  Many people would prefer that Ann Arbor withdraw the new ordinance and go back to a law that is consistent with Michigan State law that holds that you must stop for pedestrians when they are "inside" the cross-walk.  They argue that this eliminates the difficulty in predicting whether or not a pedestrian actually intends to enter the cross walk or is just walking past the cross-walk.


The Ann Arbor Mayor and City Council members are currently studying the new law and all options that have the potential to make Ann Arbor streets as safe as possible for pedestrians.     

New Bill Would Weaken The Michigan No Fault Law's Protections

Recently, the Michigan auto insurance industry has been lobbying our elected officials in an attempt to break the Legislature’s decades-old promise of providing lifetime medical benefits to those persons that suffer catastrophic injuries in auto accidents. Due to the insurance industry lobbying pressure, two bills were introduced attempting to cap medical benefits, SB 293 and SB 294, available to those injured in Michigan auto accidents.  These two bills have now been essentially abandoned; however, a substantially similar bill has just been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives – HB 4936. The bottom line is that Michigan’s comprehensive No-Fault System is under attack and many seriously injured persons, their families, and the Michigan taxpayers could be confronted with financially disastrous circumstances.

The insurance industry lobby is arguing that they want to give Michigan consumers a choice as to limits of medical coverage and thereby making insurance coverage more affordable.  The industry argues that motorist should be able to buy insurance coverage for medial costs with limits ranging from $50,000 to $400,000 rather than being required to carry full life-time coverage for catastrophic medical care.

Medical and Rehabilitative treatment providers argue that under the current mandatory full medical insurance coverage of the current Michigan’s No-Fault law, accident victims can get the care they need without bankrupting their families and relying on state welfare if they are catastrophically injured.  The fear is that taxpayer-funded government benefits such as Medicare and Medicaid will take on a huge share of the burden if some persons opt out of full coverage for catastrophic medical care coverage.  In fact, a recent study found that Michigan’s Medicaid system would likely face an additional $30 million in costs in the first year alone if the proposed changes to the No-Fault system are adopted.

Now is the time for Michigan residents to contact their State Representatives and Senators and request that they vote to keep the current No-Fault Insurance Law requirements of providing lifetime medical benefits to the catastrophically injured auto accident victims.   

Michigan Construction Zone Accidents

Each year Michigan drivers are challenged with a very busy summer road construction season.  Although it is frustrating to slow down for the construction zones, the penalties are severe for those that ignore the speed limits.  The penalties for speeding in a construction zone include doubled fines, more points, increased insurance rates, and severe penalties that could lead to jail and / or significant fines.  In 2001, a law named after Andy Lefko was passed (Andy's Law) that created penalties of one year in prison for injuring a highway construction worker, up to 15 years in prison for killing a construction worker, and up to $7,500 in fines.  Andy was a worker who was left paralyzed after being struck by a speeding motorist in a construction zone.   In 2003, Andy's Law was strengthened by requiring signs that emphasize where Work Zones begin and end. Additionally, "Begin Work Convoy" and "End Work Convoy" signs are now required for mobile crews that travel along roads repairing potholes and painting lines.  Interestingly, the majority of Michigan construction zone injuries and fatalities involve drivers and their passengers rather than the construction workers.  Construction zones are particularly dangerous for automobiles due to the heavy machinery, frequent and sudden traffic back-ups, and uneven road surfaces. For your own safety and your family's safety it is important to follow the 45 miles per hour speed limit when workers are present and there is no concrete barrier separating workers from the open roadway. 

Stopping for Pedestrians in Ann Arbor's Crosswalks

In late 2010, the Ann Arbor City Council passed an ordinance that grants Ann Arbor pedestrians greater safety when entering crosswalks.  The city ordinance requires vehicles to come to a complete stop at crosswalks with no traffic control signals.  In the past, vehicles were only required to yield to pedestrians that were in a crosswalk.  Vehicles must now stop for both those pedestrians that are in the crosswalk and those that are approaching the crosswalk; however, the ordinance states that pedestrians cannot enter a vehicle’s path when the driver is unable to respond in the proper fashion.  Additionally, the ordinance does not cover those pedestrians that cross streets at places other than crosswalks. The aim of the new ordinance is to give pedestrians in the City of Ann Arbor a greater feeling of safety and encourage more people to walk to work, use Ann Arbor’s pedestrian friendly downtown, and provide safety for the city's university students.

In order to educate the public, Ann Arbor City Police have set up targeted enforcement areas that have included changeable message signs to announce the new ordinance.  Police and city officials have stated that they have observed more drivers obeying the new ordinance and coming to a complete stop for pedestrians entering crosswalks. Be aware of pedestrians entering crosswalks when in Ann Arbor or you may face a costly ticket.    http://www.michiganautoaccident.com/Practice-Area/Common-Injuries.shtml