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You may not hear about them every day in greater Wilmington, but wheel runoff accidents can be devastating, and even fatal, to anyone affected. They often happen on roads where vehicles travel at high speeds, such as on Routes 17 and 117. When a wheel detaches from a vehicle moving at a high speed, it can be thrown in any direction. It can strike vehicles following behind or bounce off a median strip and into oncoming traffic. Detached wheels ...

Blame it on kinetic energy. Dr. David Logan, senior research fellow from Melbourne’s Monash University Accident Research Center, says modern safety technology can only do so much to protect us.  “The whole purpose of a modern car is to absorb as much of the energy in the structure of the car by deforming the structure of the car and preventing that from going into your body,” he said. “But, in higher speed crashes – and for some cars, and some kinds ...

If you were involved in an accident in North Carolina, the first thing to do is call the police. An officer will arrive, take all the information from the parties involved, and file a police report. Filing a police report is not the same thing as filing a claim with your insurance company. Always file a police report. Even if the accident seems minor A police report gives you and everyone else involved an official record of the accident. ...

As safety technology makes headway into many newly manufactured vehicles, drivers must understand the risks associated with many new safety features. The American Automobile Association (AAA) reports a staggering number of drivers who may be too dependent on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and do not fully understand what these electronic systems can and cannot do.  These features include:   Blind spot monitoring systems: This feature can alert drivers when a vehicle in another lane is passing or hovering in a blind spot.   Forward collision warning: This ...

Wilmington drivers are obliged to obey traffic signals. However, some drivers are in a hurry and fail to slow down when they see the traffic light turn yellow. Others speed straight through red lights.   Drunk driving, distracted driving, and speeding are common factors when drivers fail to stop at a red light. Their negligence puts other road users at risk of suffering severe, sometimes life-threatening, injuries.  A recent Wilmington accident, caused by a speeding driver who ran a red light, left two law enforcement officers injured. The ...

Wilmington is one of the most dangerous cities in North Carolina for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to data published by Port City Daily. The state's Department of Motor Vehicle's 2016 crash facts report revealed that Wilmington crashes involving pedestrians resulted in death 8.8 percent of the time. Of the 85 cities with 10,000 people or more ranked most dangerous for pedestrians statewide, Wilmington came in at No. 4, with factors including an overall number of pedestrian accidents, crash rate ...

It's well-known that many Wilmington car accidents occur at intersections because, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) notes, left turns, crossing over and right turns have the potential for conflicts resulting in crashes. Illegal maneuvers and inattention were cited as top factors in the NHTSA study. More recently, Andy Pilgrim - founder of the Traffic Education Foundation, professional race car driver and contributing vehicle tester for Automobile Magazine - penned an advisory for the National Safety Council, ...

When it comes to summer road safety, few motorists stop to consider the condition of their tires. But it's your tires, more than any other part of your vehicle, that will have the most impact on whether you arrive safely at your destination. The American Automobile Association (AAA) reports vehicles on worn tires take nearly an extra 100 feet to stop at highway speeds compared to vehicles traveling on newer tires. AAA reports more than 800,000 collisions a year ...

As of May 2018, all new vehicles manufactured in the United States must be equipped with backup cameras. CNBC reports that the initial law was passed by Congress in 2008. The law was, in part, supported by evidence given by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The official report NHTSA submitted to Congress estimated that an average of 292 fatalities occurred every year as the result of backover accidents. Some 78 percent of these backover fatalities (and a whopping ...

We’ve all seen them on the road – aggressive drivers. Tailgating. Weaving in between traffic. Running a red light. Racing on the streets like there’s no one else on the road. What these drivers don’t realize – or don’t care about – is that their actions can dramatically increase the risk of a car accident that results in serous injuries or fatalities. And according to recent findings, it is a serious problem in North Carolina. A survey conducted by ...