Safety Tips and Legal Advice in Texas

Starting next month, you better buckle up, even in the back seat

Texas law already requires buckling up in the front seat, and starting September 1, it’ll be the law to do so in the back seat, too. The change affects people 17 and older; those 16 and under are already required…

Lawmakers trying to ban texting in the car

Democratic lawmakers recently called for states to ban texting while driving or face cuts in highway money, citing the need to reduce driver distraction and potential highway deaths and injuries. “When drivers have their eyes on their cell phones instead…

Texas No. 1 in cutting teen traffic deaths

Texas leads the nation in the decline in fatal crashes involving teen drivers. Fatalities involving 16 to 19-year-old drivers fell 33 percent from 2002 to 2007, more than double the national rate of decline, according to a study released Monday.…

Study – Texting increases risk of crashes

The first study of drivers texting inside their vehicles shows that the risk sharply exceeds previous estimates based on laboratory research and far surpasses the dangers of other driving distractions. The new study, which entailed outfitting the cabs of long-haul…

Study – Austin has unsafe drivers

Allstate America’s fifth annual ranking of U.S. cities for safe driving puts Austin in a familiar position – far behind almost everyone else. According to the study, Austin finished 179th out of 193 cities ranked. On average, the Austin-area driver…

Car Congestion

Austin is notoriously known for its terrible rush hour traffic.  Statistics show that a rush hour trip, on a national level it would take 25% longer than in a normal time, however, in Austin, it would take 29% longer. This percentage of…

'Talk and Die' Syndrome

‘Talk and Die’ Syndrome Here is an excellent article on what can happen if you incur serious trauma to the head after an accident. The key take-away points are to immediately seek medical assistance if you And if you need…

3 Big Pickups Don't Deliver Good Side Protection

Three large pickup trucks that serve as workhorses for construction crews, farmers and small-business owners are not providing good protection from side crashes, according to tests conducted by the insurance industry which struck the side of the vehicles with a…

Immigrants Challenge Driver's License Rules

An Austin woman and two others claim in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Travis County that new Department of Public Safety driver’s license requirements for noncitizens discriminate against them, even though they are legally in the United States. The women,…