Ever since the days of Ralph Nader’s mission to rid the highways of the Corvair, state governments like the Mississippi legislature have been focused on making highways continually safer. This movement was further enhanced by Mad Mothers Against Drunk Drivers in the 1980s that led to the contemporary change in DUI laws across the nation. The current attention is now directed at distracted driving in its many forms, including technological, and all of these movements were successful because accident studies were implemented regarding the dangers of certain aspects of driving.
Evaluating accident evidence
One of the primary methods of conducting studies is isolating certain evidence involved in specific auto and truck accidents that produce personal injury. The results of the studies and surveys are accumulated and categorized by particular details, and then the numbers are published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The NHTSA compiles information about all accidents in general, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration primarily evaluates truck accident information.
Legislative action
The next step in the process is changing driving behavior through changing highway rules and regulations with respect to safe and legal driving. Personal injury attorneys in Mississippi understand that sometimes encouraging motorists to drive defensively is not enough without new driving legislation. A prime example is banning texting on a cell phone while driving. While texting is not a first class offense allowing officers to stop drivers when the activity is noticed, it is still a reason for law enforcement officers to issue citations when it can be proven.
Accident studies assuredly have helped all concerned agencies and individuals who want to see safer and sensible regulations governing driving behavior on the nation’s roads, and in Mississippi as well. All Mississippi personal injury attorneys applaud this attention to detail by state governments, and they urge everyone to adhere to the information they are given about driving safely.