The autumn can present many driving dangers on the roads in West Virginia. The season is known for family holidays, sports and the changing leaves, but it can also be a time for unpredictable weather and unexpected difficulties during a daily commute. Traffic on the road in the fall often increases as children go back to school and students go back to college. Cars, buses and pedestrians may fill the road before the beginning and after the end of the school day, and drivers may need to pay extra care for children potentially running out into the street.
Study: truckers among the most sleep-deprived workers
Ball State University released a study involving more than 150,000 working adults that traced the rise of sleep deprivation in several industries. West Virginia residents should know that lack of sleep mostly plagues industries where 24-hour shift work is common. It is no surprise that commercial truckers have been frequently affected.
Night driving requires safety adjustments
According to a recent study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, roughly 168 million drivers claim they have driven while drowsy during the previous year. Even worse, 103 million drivers say they have fallen asleep while behind the wheel. Driving conditions in West Virginia can change based on the weather or road conditions, and driving at night can bring hazards that are not present during the daytime. The glare that comes from approaching headlights, for example, can cause drivers to lose track of the road.
Common types of head injuries
West Virginia residents could suffer a brain injury in different ways. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when an individual is struck in the head, falls down or is involved in a car accident. Concussions and contusions are among the most common types of TBI. A person does not necessarily have to lose consciousness to be concussed, and typical symptoms of a concussion include dizziness, confusion and memory issues.
GM study shows benefits of AEB and other safety features
A General Motors study has measured the benefits of automated safety features like automatic emergency braking and rear cross-traffic alerts. Drivers in West Virginia should be aware that these features are known by the name of advanced driver assistance systems, or ADAS. GM, together with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, analyzed crash data for 3.8 million GM vehicles across 10 states, distinguishing between cars with ADAS and those without it.
TBIs: symptoms and prevention methods
West Virginia residents should know that traumatic brain injuries are not just common among professional players of contact sports. During the summer and autumn, when both children and adults become more active, one may suffer a TBI while boating, while playing softball or even while playing football in a more casual setting. Then there are the times when people hurt their head in a fall or car crash.
Deaths from red-light running have recently spiked
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety states that red-light running is leading to more and more deaths, 65% of them being someone other than the offending driver. In fact, 2017 (the latest year for which complete crash data is available) saw a 30% increase in these deaths when compared to 2012. Drivers and pedestrians alike in West Virginia will want to recall the ways they can protect themselves from red-light runners.
New blood test may diagnose TBI better than MRIs and CT scans
What at first may seem like minor brain injuries can have serious consequences in the long term. This is why it is so important for individuals who sustain head trauma to be tested. MRI scans, though, are slow and costly while CT scans are liable to miss traumatic brain injuries. Therefore, an alternative way of diagnosing TBIs is needed. West Virginia residents may be interested in knowing that some researchers may have found something to fulfill that need.
Why newly licensed teen drivers should not have passengers
In West Virginia and across the U.S., teens are getting into a significant number of car crashes. According to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teen drivers raise their risk for a crash by 44% the moment they allow a single teen passenger into their car. The reason is simple: Teens are inexperienced drivers and can easily be distracted by conversations and other passenger behaviors.
