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As technology improves and expands, Rhode Island drivers face an increasing number of distractions while driving. Smart phones, navigation systems, in-vehicle entertainment, and a host of other devices can have deadly consequences for a driver who allows them to divert his or her attention from the road. This increasingly pervasive problem demands answers to an important question: how can these devices be made safer for use in vehicles? The Rise Of Do Not Disturb Features Business Insider reports that Apple will release an expansive “Do Not Disturb While Driving” function for the iPhone with the iOS 11 operating system (due for release in late 2017). This comes after multiple wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against the tech giant. The New York Times reported on a lawsuit arising out of a fatal accident…Read More

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, but it's nonetheless a popular tourist destination, with the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation reporting there were more than 24.1 million visitors in 2015, with tourism economy reaching $6 billion. One in every eight jobs in the state is sustained directly by the tourism industry. Many of those who visit are traveling by car, and summer is prime season - with July and August the busiest of the year. That means both locals and travelers need to use extra caution on the roads - particularly on the highways. The state has 70 highways zigzagging through it, though the main routes are I-95, U.S. 1 and I-84. Compensation For Providence Car Accidents If you are involved in a Providence car accident, our injury lawyers can help…Read More

Rhode Islanders have been rated among the most distracted drivers in the country, according to a new study described as the biggest ever on the issue. Zendrive, a traffic analytics start-up, recently took on the issue of distracted driving by tapping into data from 3.1 drivers with smartphones across the country between December 2016 and February 2017. What they discovered was that of 570 million trips that spanned 5.6 billion miles, drivers were using their cell phone on 88 percent of those trips. Some were on a voice call. Some were using various apps, like Facebook or FaceTime or Snapchat (Zendrive declined to call out the specific apps most frequently used). Some were using GPS data. But almost all of them were on their phones for an average of 3.5…Read More

According to the Washington Post, federal lawmakers will be mulling a series of legislative actions that could upend protections for plaintiffs in civil injury, malpractice and consumer rights claims. These proposals, which some legislators believe are necessary to stop frivolous lawsuits and drive down healthcare costs, could make it much more difficult for victims to effectively use the system designed to allow them to right wrongs and recover compensation for harm endured. The civil justice system is one of the only places wherein "the little guy" can enjoy a level playing field against deep-pocketed companies, doctors and others in positions of power and wealth. With the help of an experienced attorney, plaintiffs in injury and malpractice cases can hold wrongdoers accountable and attain fair compensation. The proposed reforms seek to undercut these…Read More

Accidents can happen for many different reasons. More often than not, driver negligence is the catalyst. Human error, often simple mistakes, are the cause of a significant number of motor vehicle crashes. Unfortunately, around half of all deadly accidents may be caused by something more sinister than just a simple mistake. Approximately 50 percent of all fatal collisions on U.S. roads occur due to at least one of the involved drivers engaging in a "potentially aggressive action," according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Drivers who engage in aggressive behavior behind the wheel must be held accountable for the consequences of their decision. If they violate the rules of the road with their aggression and a crash occurs as a result, this creates a presumption that the aggressive motorist is to…Read More

Apple is being sued by a family as a result of a tragic automobile accident that occurred several years ago. The accident happened shortly before Christmas when a family of four was traveling in their Camry on a highway. When the Camry had to come to a stop because of police activity on the road ahead of them, the driver who was behind the vehicle did not see the brake lights and did not stop the vehicle. The driver was using Apple's FaceTime, which is a video chat app. His SUV slammed into the family's Camry at full-speed, injuring all four occupants. Both the father and a five-year-old child in the back of the car were trapped inside of the vehicle and had to be extracted. While the father was able to…Read More

The holiday season sends lots of people to stores to shop for gifts and decorations. Unfortunately, some of those people visiting stores are likely to be hurt while shopping. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) estimates there are around 250 people injured every single day during the holiday season. If a store fails to maintain its premises in a safe way, the store could be responsible for some of those injuries happening to customers. Stores who open their doors to the public have certain obligations. A body of law called premises liability law determines exactly what those obligations are. Since a store invites people in for commercial purposes, the store has a basic obligation to make the premises safe. This means that routine inspections of the property should be done to see if…Read More

Uber recently unveiled their self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. The cars are capable of driving passengers to their destination unassisted. However, in each of these cars, an Uber engineer is in the driver's seat, ready to take control of the car if necessary. Self-driving technology is still in the testing stages and has a long way to go before it is ready for the public. Some reports speculate that it might take decades to get to that point. A reporter for WESA, Megan Harris, had the chance to ride in one of the new Uber cars. "Uber is like the Wright brothers testing the world's first airplane on the coast of North Carolina," she said. "Pretty cool. But not terribly practical yet." Though the technology is exciting, the ride is anything but. The Uber…Read More