Picture a game of dominos in which the first game piece is perfectly positioned to cause a chain reaction which will knock down all the others. On a busy highway, a mistake made by one driver can act like that first domino, creating a chain of accidents and injuries which affects many fellow motorists.
Six passengers injured during San Francisco MUNI accident
Last week, our blog highlighted the California Public Utilities Commission report accusing the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency of regularly committing explicit passenger safety violation. The report revealed a variety of issues, including track defects and problems with the subway train control system.
Three pedestrian fatalities is three too many for San Fran. residents
A tragic fatality last weekend marked San Francisco’s third fatal pedestrian accident since the beginning of the new year. The pedestrians injured in all three of the accidents were senior citizens, leading some San Francisco residents to call for greater emphasis on creating senior-friendly streets.
MUNI Cited for Violating Safety Codes and Endangering Riders
The Public Utilities Commission reported last month that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has repeatedly violated state, federal, and various safety codes, endangering Muni passengers and resulting in unsafe operations. Inspectors conducted over twenty inspections between July 2009 and January 2011, and found track deterioration, malfunctions with automatic train control, poor maintenance, and failure to implement safety procedures. The CPUC also expressed concern over the failure of Muni officials to respond promptly to these concerns.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “Muni officials said they felt blindsided by the report but believe that once all the facts are out the agency will be exonerated.” Things don’t look so great for Muni, though, with other reports coming out about drivers that seriously neglect their duties by speeding or even sleeping on the job. With so many violations of safety code, Muni is going to have a lot of work to bring their service up to standard.
Four-car accident takes the life of California motorcyclist
A San Francisco area motorcyclist was killed late last week in a domino-effect motorcycle accident which also involved a Toyota Corolla, A Honda CRV, and a big rig truck. California Highway Patrol investigators believe that the series of crashes involving all four vehicles are related to one another, and resulted in this tragic fatality.
Motorcycle Warning Device: new invention could prevent accidents
Unfortunately, victims of a motorcycle accident often suffer severe and debilitating injuries. Since motorcycle riders are less protected during collisions it is all too common for victims to seriously damage their spine or head, which can lead to paralysis and even death. Of course, the other driver involved in the accident could also sustain grave injuries, meaning that motorcycle accidents do harm to everyone involved.
Market Street bikers beware: dangerous intersection alert
San Francisco streets are gaining national notoriety as a dangerous place for pedestrians and bikers. Yet, reports indicate that one of the city’s intersections is more dangerous than others: the crossing between Market Street and Octavia Boulevard. Using its new bicycle accident tracking technology, the Bay Citizen determined that this intersection has witnessed more bike accidents than any other in the city during the past two years.
But is it safe? Potential concerns over brain powered car, part 3
Our previous two posts have concerned a new automobile industry innovation called BrainDriver. BrainDriver-the collaborative invention of a San Francisco technology company and a team of German researchers-allows a driver to fully operate a car using only their mind. We’ve discussed how the device works and the potential benefits it could provide for victims of paralysis or amputations, but many people believe that this exciting innovation could also prove quite dangerous.