David

A large majority of Rhode Island Car Accident and Personal Injury claims settle prior to litigation. The insurance companies usually prefer to settle prior to litigation. The injured person also wants to get paid as soon as possible. Also, most insurance adjusters and experienced plaintiff’s personal injury Lawyers have a general idea what a case is worth. Why should everyone expend the resources when everyone has a general idea of the final settlement?

Lawsuit settlement before filing the case

When a RI Auto Accident lawsuit is filed, the insurance company has to retain a Rhode Island Attorney to represent their insured. The Insurance companies typically use a Rhode Island Personal Injury defense law firm. When defense counsel receives the lawsuit filing they see a carrot in front of them and the carrot is “billable hours.” The defense Law Firm figures that the insurance company was unable to settle the case so now it is time to litigate. Why should the defense firm try to settle the case when they can get paid thousands and the insurance company was unable to settle the case?

Litigation is filed

After litigation is filed, the case may not settle until defense counsel makes their money. Defense counsel will answer the case and schedule depositions. Defense counsel will send interrogatories for the Plaintiff to answer and will send request for production of documents. The defense firms have high overhead and need to make money. Why settle the case quickly if the insurance company could not settle it? The case may still settle later but not until the personal injury defense lawyers make their money. After all, the defense firm can settle the case years later right before trial, and resolve the case after making thousands of dollars.

If the Plaintiff requests $10,000 and the insurance company offers $6,000, the insurance company would be better off coming up to $8,000  and ending the case rather than pay at least 3,000 of attorney fees and later pay the plaintiff $6,000. The injured party has a vested interest in settling the matter prior to litigation. Litigation may mean a 2-3 year delay in receiving money. The Plaintiff may need the money. Often the plaintiff would rather take less and be guaranteed to get the money quickly.

The Plaintiff attorney has a vested interest in resolving the case prior to litigation. The amount of work that a plaintiff’s attorney must do in litigation takes away resources from other clients. Often, the amount of additional money obtained in litigation does not justify the additional work In the above example, if the insurance company refuses to come up on its $6,000 offer and the plaintiff refuses to go lower then 10k and after 3 years right before trial the case settles for 8k it can be argued that everyone lost. The insurance company lost because it paid out 8k and 4 k to defense counsel for a total of 12k when it could have settled at 8.The Plaintiff lost because he had to wait three years to get his money and has additional out of pocket expenses. The Plaintiff’s attorney lost because he made an additional $666 dollars (1/3 of the additional $2000) but did a lot of extra work. The extra work took valuable resources away from other clients.

Businesses and corporations in Rhode Island can be exposed to liability for any accident caused by a negligent employee. Simply put, the employer can be held liable for nearly any action of their employee, especially when operating any vehicle while at work. The most common types of negligent accidents involve some type of distracted driving.

The Cost to Employers in Rhode Island

Distracted driving is a serious issue and one often overlooked by even the most skilled motorist. Statistics maintained by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) indicate that four out of every five collisions in the United States involve driver inattention. A high majority of drivers involved in a study conducted by the NSC (National Safety Council) indicate that they believe they are more skilled than average motorists when multitasking while behind the wheel.

Distracted driving in Boston while using cell phones, texting, talking to passengers, eating, drinking or driving impaired and causing an accident can cost the employer plenty. The NHTSA estimates that accidents caused by employees driving company vehicles or personal automobiles while on the job cost their employers nearly $25,000 per accident on average, along with $128,000 for every injury and almost $4 million for each fatality.

This is because Rhode Island personal injury attorneys handling cases for injured victims and surviving family members of a loved one lost to an employee-related accident will file suit using liability arguments that could include:

• Respondeat Superior – In Latin, the legal doctrine respondeat superior translates to “let the master answer.” In layman’s terms, the employer can be held legally liable for certain actions of their employee that occurred while working on the job.

• Negligent Employee Hiring or Retention – The personal injury attorney might file a suit claiming the employer was negligent by hiring an inexperienced driver or retaining the employee without providing adequate training on how to safely operate a moving vehicle.

• Negligence in Lending a Company Vehicle – If the personal injury attorney working on behalf of the victim can prove that the employer was negligent when lending a company vehicle to the employee, the business can be found legally liable to pay recompense to the injured or surviving family members.

• Lack of Vehicle Maintenance – Company records acquired by the personal injury attorney working on behalf of the victim might show a lack of vehicle maintenance that led to the accident. This includes an accident caused by faulty tires, malfunctioning brakes or defective equipment.

• Negligent Supervision – The supervisor, manager or owner of the company can be found at fault for the accident caused by an employee due to negligent supervision. A lawyer working for the victim must prove that the employer failed to provide or follow reasonable safety policies to ensure that every company driver complied with the rules of the road and safety laws.

• Vicarious Liability – The company can be held legally liable even if the employer, manager or supervisor was not directly negligent for the accident. The legal theory of vicarious liability asserts that harmful actions of any agent for the company is equal to the actions of the principal in charge of directing the agent. In simple terms, if the employer is telling the employee to do something that eventually causes an accident, the employer can be held liable to the victim.

Seeking Justice and Financial Compensation in Massachusetts

If you have suffered serious injuries or the life of a loved one is lost from an accident involving employer liability, you are likely entitled to seek justice and financial compensation. A skilled Providence personal injury attorney can explain liability rules and how they directly apply to your specific case. Your lawyer can protect your legal rights to ensure you receive adequate recompense from every party at fault.

These types of cases are accepted on contingency. This means that all legal fees are provided to you without any upfront payment. The law firm representing your case is only paid from the proceeds of a jury trial award or through an accepted negotiated settlement.

On May 27th, 2016  a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, Ethicon,  issued an urgent medical device removal of its “ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Flexible Composite Mesh (All Product Codes. In the letter, Johnson and Johnson stated, “We have initiated a worldwide medical device removal of ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Flexible Composite Mesh (for laparoscopic use) (“ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Composite Mesh”). There are currently thousands of Physiomesh lawsuits pending in the United States. A hernia mesh lawsuit attorney answers several important questions about  Physiomesh hernia mesh lawsuits. This post also answers important questions concerning product recalls.

Is Ethicon’s removal of PHYSIOMESH™ from market a removal or a recall?

Is the difference between a recall and market removal, “six one half dozen the other.” Does anyone care? At the end of the day, who cares? Well, the answer to that is:  Ethicon cares, apparently. Ethicon cares enough to get its high powered 300 attorney law firm to try to censor this legal blog and threaten us with a lawsuit.  Ethicon should care.  They are the ones who may need to open up the vault to pay seriously injured victims.

Should anyone care whether removal of PHYSIOMESH™ was a recall or a removal?

It is all semantics. The issue is:

• Is PHYSIOMESH™ defective and unreasonably dangerous?
• Did Physiomesh cause damages and complications to victims?
• How much compensation should Ethicon pay to the surgical mesh victims as a result of mesh complications and side effects?

The legal definition of a recall:  “What is RECALL 2. Removal of a contaminated or defective good by its manufacturer , either voluntarily or when forced by a watchdog agency.” Law Dictionary: What is RECALL? definition of RECALL (Black’s Law Dictionary)

Complications can result from defective hernia mesh

There are dozens of complication that are caused by defective hernia mesh implanted in a victim’s body as a result of a surgical procedure.  Some of the complications constitute: Mesh migration, bacterial infections, hernia recurrence, additional surgeries to treat hernia recurrence.

Lawyersandsettlements.com, citing the Food and drug administration (FDA),  listed certain complications, “Pain, Infection, Bowel obstruction, hernia recurrence, adhesion (when the mesh adheres to the patient’s tissue), infection, obstruction, adhesion (when the mesh adheres to the patient’s tissue), recurrence, perforation”  Lawyers and settlements 

Types of Hernia Mesh Claims we are reviewing

• Ethicon Physiomesh™
• Atrium C-QUR
• Covidien hernia mesh
• Composix® Kugel® mesh patches (manufactured by C.R. Bard subsidiary Davol)
• All C.R. Bard mesh patches made of Marlex polypropylene

Johnson and Johnson Ethicon hernia mesh recall

On May 27th, 2016  a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson, Ethicon,  issued an urgent medical device removal of its “ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Flexible Composite Mesh (All Product Codes. In the letter, Johnson and Johnson stated, “We have initiated a worldwide medical device removal of ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Flexible Composite Mesh (for laparoscopic use) (“ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Composite Mesh”). We are removing the product following an analysis conducted at the request of the Ethicon Medical Safety Team of unpublished data from two (2) large independent hernia registries (Herniamed German Registry and Danish Hernia Database DHDB). The recurrence/reoperation rates (respectively) after laparoscopic ventral hernia repair using ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Composite Mesh were higher than the average rates of the comparator set of meshes among patients in these registries. ” Medical Device Removal of Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh

The removal letter went on to state in pertinent part, “Based on the currently available data, we believe the higher rates to be a multifactorial issue (including possible product characteristics, operative and patient factors), but we have not been able to fully characterize these factors. Consequently, we have not been able at this time to issue further instructions to surgeons that might lead to a reduction in the recurrence rate and have decided to remove ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ Composite Mesh from the global market. Medical Device Removal of Ethicon Physiomesh Flexible Composite Mesh

Ethicon’s removal of ETHICON PHYSIOMESH™ is a gift to class action attorneys and hernia mesh lawsuit lawyers. This letter and the subsequent withdrawal (Johnson and Johnson denies this was a recall) appears to be a stunning admission of liability on behalf of Johnson and Johnson related to ETHICON PHYSIOMESH. Product liability attorneys who specialize in defective medical device litigation have now commenced the process of holding Johnson and Johnson’s subsidiary Ethicon accountable for their conduct.

Rhode Island (RI) and Massachusetts (MA) defective medical device lawyers and product liability attorneys are preparing litigation to get justice and accountability for injured and suffering victims. A high powered hernia mesh attorney knows how to hold corporate America accountable for their malfeasance.

The Hollis Law firm states, “The Physiomesh lawsuit is against Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The Physiomesh is made from polypropylene and is intended for hernia repair. Ethicon has been battling lawsuits for years against its transvaginal mesh products, which are also made from polypropylene. Ethicon continues to deny the life-threatening complications that polypropylene causes. However, Ethicon issued a market withdrawal on the Physiomesh in May of 2016.”  Hollis Law 

Hernia Mesh litigation attorneys

Many injured victims are searching google seeking information with the following types of searches: “ethicon physiomesh flexible composite mesh”, “ethicon physiomesh “, “physiomesh complications”,”ethicon physiomesh recall 2016″, “hernia mesh lawsuit”, “surgical mesh class action lawsuit”, “hernia mesh lawsuit settlements”, “hernia mesh lawyers”, “hernia mesh surgery”.

“A product recall is a request from a manufacturer to return a product after the discovery of safety issues or product defects that might endanger the consumer or put the maker/seller at risk of legal action.”

The recall is an effort to limit ruination of the corporate image and limit liability for corporate negligence, which can cause significant legal costs. It can be difficult, if not impossible, to determine how costly can be releasing to the consumer a product that could endanger someone’s life and the economic loss resulting from unwanted publicity. Recalls are costly. Costs include having to handle the recalled product, replacing it and possibly being held financially responsible for the consequences of the recalled product.” Wikipedia

Legal Notice per Rules of Professional Responsibility: The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers and attorneys in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer / attorney as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. While this firm maintains joint responsibility, most cases of this type are referred to other attorneys for principle responsibility.

Rhode Island car accident attorney, David Slepkow, provides this detailed analysis of the personal injury claims process in Rhode Island. This article addresses RI injury law and case screening as well as pertinent issues that injury lawyers deal with on a day to day basis.  If you covet a top dollar settlement for your motor vehicle injury claims, contact one of the best car accident attorneys in RI.

Finding the best car accident lawyer in RI

Case screening is perhaps one of the most important functions of a top Rhode Island personal injury attorney. The best personal injury lawyers in Rhode Island will be diligent in their initial client interviews. Some car accident attorneys will have the injured victim fill out a questionnaire.

Injury attorneys will simply ask all pertinent questions to their prospective injury client. The tort law attorney will seek to get as much information concerning the liability claim as possible.

The Rhode Island personal injury attorney will request the names and addresses of all eyewitnesses to the accident or crash. The lawyer will also want the names and addresses of all doctors, medical providers, surgeons, psychiatrists, chiropractors and physicians. The construction accident attorney or pedestrian accident lawyer will seek a very detailed description of the accident as well as the pain and suffering of the victim and medical treatment.

Knowing the injury law in Rhode Island

Rhode Island law has several key provisions that differ in many respect from other states.  Here are some interesting components of Rhode Island law:

• Comparative negligence: “§ 9-20-4  Comparative negligence. – In all actions hereafter brought for personal injuries, or where personal injuries have resulted in death, or for injury to property, the fact that the person injured, or the owner of the property or person having control over the property, may not have been in the exercise of due care shall not bar a recovery, but damages shall be diminished by the finder of fact in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the person injured, or the owner of the property or the person having control over the property.”
• Extra-contractual liability in Rhode Island: The Rhode Island Supreme Court determined that if an insurance company rejects a written demand, within the policy limits, and the injured victim is awarded a judgment for more than the policy limits, then the insurance company is liable to pay the entire judgment including interest! See also, Insurance Company refuses settlement
• RI wrongful death law pertaining to who receives the proceeds of a settlement or judgment as a result of a fatal car, truck or motorcycle accident: “…the amount recovered in every action under this chapter one-half (1/2) shall go to the husband or widow, and one-half (1/2) shall go to the children of the deceased, and if there are no children, the whole shall go to the husband or widow, and, if there is no husband or widow, to the next of kin, in the proportion provided by law in relation to the distribution of personal property left by persons dying intestate” RI General Law 10-7-2 

Funding the Providence Superior Court cause of action

It is crucial that all injured victim’s select an auto crash lawyer in RI who can properly fund the auto litigation, truck crash claim or slip and fall/ premises liability cause of action. Be careful retaining a new lawyer a few days out of law school!  Although these Providence injury attorneys have the same law degree as a seasoned, experience negligence solicitor, they often are too green to navigate the complex world of negligence litigation in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. This is not even accounting for the lack of resources to take the insurance company to the proverbial mat.

A personal injury case could cost thousand of dollars and perhaps tens of thousand of dollar to litigate successfully.  You certainly do not want a new lawyer deciding to pay his electric and car payment over taking an essential deposition of key fact witness or an expert witness such as an accident re-constructionist.

Insurance coverage research is crucial

Many clients underestimate the importance of insurance coverage research and investigation. The  injury lawyer in RI must investigate all applicable insurance coverage which may provide compensation for the injured victim as a result of the automobile, truck, bicycle or motorcycle collision. In some cases, coverage could be arguable depending on the interpretation of the insurance policy. There could be many coverage issues that the negligence lawyer must litigate in Providence Superior Court.

When there is an uninsured motorist or a hit and run scofflaw, the best injury lawyer  must investigate applicable uninsured motorist coverage. Many motorists, in this day and age, only have the state mandated minimums. If the injured victim has medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering and other damages in excess of the policy limits of the tortfeasor than the Providence personal injury attorneys must consider the possibility of an uninsured motorist claim. A RI personal injury attorney who is also a Providence uninsured / under-insured motorist claims lawyer will help the victim pursue compensation against their own insurance carrier.

“There were 34,439 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2016 in which 37,461 deaths occurred. This resulted in 11.6 deaths per 100,000 people and 1.16 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The fatality rate per 100,000 people ranged from 4.0 in the District of Columbia to 23.1 in Mississippi.  The death rate per 100 million miles traveled ranged from 0.66 in Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island to 1.88 in South Carolina.” Insurance Institute for highway safety

Stacking insurance policies in RI

“Stacking” in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations means that a seriously injured car, premises or other vehicular accident injury victim can receive compensation from a combination of applicable insurance policies. In other words, if a negligent motor vehicle operator with 50k policy liability limit rear ends a pickup truck motorist and the pickup truck driver has 50k in medical bills as well as lost wages, traumatic brain injury and pain and suffering then the injured motorist  can collect the $25,000 policy from the tortfeasor in addition to his own $100,000 under-insured motorist policy for a total of $125,000.

Stacking could also mean a person who owns multiple vehicle or is an insured on multiple vehicles adding together all applicable UM and UIM policies as the maximum recovery available.

Many people are seeking info about a car accident in RI today. Car accidents in RI are a common occurrence in every state in the U.S. According to the Association For Safe International Road Travel, 2.35 million people are injured in car accidents in the United States each year. Rhode Island is no exception. Heavy traffic and distracted driving are two common causes of accidents.

car accidents in RI today

The following is an overview of accidents by the month, day and time in Rhode Island. If you have been hurt in a car accident in Providence due to another drivers negligence, contact a  Rhode Island personal injury lawyer to learn what options you may have under the law.

Traffic statistic

State traffic statistics lists show the percentage of car accidents in the state of Rhode Island each month:

• January 6 Percent
• February 6 Percent
• March 2 Percent
• April 8 Percent
• May 13 Percent
• June 10 Percent
• July 8 Percent
• August 4 Percent
• September 10 Percent
• October 8 Percent
• November 13 Percent
• December 13 Percent

The highest number of accidents occurred in May, November and December annually.

Accidents By Days Of The Week

Below are the statistics of traffic accidents resulting in serious injury per days of the week:

• Sunday 13 Percent
• Monday 12 Percent
• Tuesday 8 Percent
• Wednesday 21 Percent
• Thursday 19 Percent
• Friday 13 Percent
• Saturday 13 Percent

As you can see above, Wednesday is the most dangerous day of the week for those on Rhode Island roads.

Accidents By The Time Of Day

Below are the number of fatal accidents listed by the time of day beginning with the highest percentage:

• 21 Percent 4 P.M. To 6:59 P.M.
• 19 Percent 7 P.M. To 9:59 P.M.
• 15 Percent 10 P.M. To 12:59 A.M.
• 13 Percent 1 A.M. To 3:59 A.M.
• 13 Percent 10:00 A.M. To 12:59 P.M.
• 10 Percent 1 P.M. To 3:59 P.M.
• 4 Percent 4 A.M. To 6:59 A.M.
• 4 Percent 7 A.M. To 9:59 A.M.

Accidents in ri yesterday

While it is impossible to predict exactly when accidents will happen, the above shows the trends for serious injuries in Rhode Island. If you or a family member has been injured in a Rhode Island car accident due to a negligent driver, it may benefit you to speak with a personal injury lawyer for advice.

Source: DOT RI 

“Of the 45 fatalities that occurred in Rhode Island in 2015, the majority were motor vehicle occupants, nine were riding motorcycles and eight were pedestrians. Working with the State Police and local law enforcement, educating Rhode Islanders has helped, the Department reports. RIDOT statistics show that roadway fatalities have been on a consistent decline. In 2010 Rhode Island reported 67 fatalities, in 2011 there were 66, and in 2012 another 64 people were killed. Although the state saw a slight increase in 2013 with 65 fatalities, the number of victims was reduced to 51 in 2014.” http://www.ri.gov/press/view/26910

In the United States, traffic accidents are common due to heavy traffic and drivers going over the posted speed limit. While many accidents are not serious, those involving high speed can lead to serious or even fatal injuries. The following is an overview of fatal speeding crashes in Rhode Island towns. If you or a loved one has been hurt due to an accident involving a speeding driver, contact a personal injury lawyer for advice.

Speeding accident Lawyer

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or NHTSA, speeding is one of the most common factors in accidents involving death or serious injury. It is estimated that crashes related to speeding cost the United States more than 40 billion dollars each year.

Statistics also show that young men are the most likely to be involved in a speed related accident, with men ages 21-24 being involved in fatal crashes 37 percent of the time. Females in this same age category are responsible for these types of accidents in 19 percent of cases.

Rhode Island Fatal Crash Statistics

Many speeding traffic accidents are preventable, with driver education and helmet laws for those riding motorcycles and bicycles. In Rhode Island, fatal accidents were more likely to occur:

• On Wednesdays
• Between 4 P.M And 1 A.M
• When Drivers Were Impaired
• When Road Hazards Were Along Roadways
• When One Or Both Drivers Are Travelling At A High Rate Of Speed

The Top Months For Fatal RI Speed related crashes in Rhode Island

• May
• November
• December
• June
• September

As of 2013, the total percentage of fatalities related to speed are:

• 26 Percent in Rhode Island
• 32 Percent  in New England

Alcohol, Drunk Driving and speeding accidents

“Alcohol involvement is prevalent for drivers involved in speeding-related crashes. In 2012, 42 percent of speeding drivers had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher in fatal crashes, compared to only 16 percent of non-speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes (Table 2). In 2012, 28 percent of the speeding drivers under age 21 who were involved in fatal crashes also had BACs of .08 g/dL or higher. In contrast, only 13 percent of the non-speeding drivers under 21 involved in fatal crashes in 2012 had BACs of .08 g/ dL or higher. For drivers 21 to 24 years old who were involved in fatal crashes in 2012, 50 percent of speeding drivers had BACs of .08 g/dL or higher, compared with only 24 percent of non-speeding drivers.”   https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812021

Most Common Reasons Drivers Give For driving too fast

While most drivers are aware that speeding is against the law, they give many different reasons for driving over the limit. Some of the most common reasons drivers give for speeding include:

• They Are In A Hurry
• They Were Not Paying Attention To Their Speed
• They Didn’t Think They Would Get Caught
• They Don’t Consider Speeding Dangerous

Drivers who speed are costing the United States billions of dollars every year and people are dying needlessly. If you have been injured in an accident with a driver who was recklessly driving over the speed limit, contact a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer for an evaluation of your case. After reviewing your case, your  RI personal injury lawyer will let you know what options you have available to you.

Anyone who has ever driven a car has been guilty of speeding at some point or another. It is only natural to want to break a rule or two in the name of excitement. Perhaps you were on a deadline, and had no choice but to speed up if you wanted to make it on time. Whatever the reason, we can all relate. With that being said, it is a  traffic violation and if overly excessive could constitute reckless driving and it is dangerous.  Speeding could result in a  speeding accident causing serious injury or even a fatality.

Speeding Statistics To Make You Slow Down

According to trafficticketsecrets.com, in the United States alone people pay approximately six billion dollars in speeding tickets every year. Sure, sometimes cops can be jerks and give you a ticket for surpassing the limit by only five miles per hour. More often than not in Rhode Island, however, people really are going too fast. If nothing else, just remember your wallet next time you think of speeding in Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

Driving is dangerous

According to Teen Driver’s Source, almost half of all teen deaths caused while driving were the result of speeding. In fact, young people are more likely to be killed while driving too fast than any other reason. That includes driving while drunk, which is also a big factor when it comes to the young crowd. If you have a teen child, or if you are one, it isn’t worth it. Rules were not put in place simply for the heck of it. The rules of the road have been carefully designed to keep everyone as safe as possible. Driving is dangerous, but it doesn’t have to be deadly.

Speeding and fatal accident

Overall, speeding occurs in thirty three percent of all fatal / deadly crashes according to government statistics  http://www.transport.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Research/Documents/Speed-2015.pdf.  That means that a whopping one third of car accidents are the result of driving too fast. Cars are big heavy machines, and they become harder to control the faster you are going. Slowing down not only gives you more control over the car, it provides more of a chance to observe your surroundings. As driving is primarily a visual exercise, observation is the key.

So before you go out and speed again, just remember that your chances of making it your destination safely just got a little worse. Actually, make that a lot worse.. A  speeding accident in Rhode Island is completely preventable.  We aren’t trying to preach here, as everyone speeds from time to time. That doesn’t mean it is good to do. Take care of yourself and those whom you ride with. Stop speeding every place that you go.

If you were injured in a speeding, car, truck or motor vehicle wreck, contact a Rhode Island car accident lawyer or a RI personal injury attorney. A Rhode Island personal injury lawyer will help you get the funds that you are entitled to.

To see more scary driving stats, check out the link below.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/accidental-injury.htm
http://www.teendriversource.org/stats/support_teens/detail/57
http://www.trafficticketsecrets.com/speeding-ticket-facts.html

Source: http://www.dot.ri.gov/documents/community/safety/Highway_Safety_Performance_Plan.pdf