Now, there is another possible solution to this problem. According to a CNet news report, AdelaVoice, a Massachusetts-based tech firm, has come up with a program called StartTalking. So, instead of actually using your hands to text the message, you will be able to talk and send out a text. Similarly, when someone sends you a text, it will read it right back to you. The good news is this is also free of charge.

How does this work? Once installed on your Android phone or your other smart phones, the application runs quietly and listens for voice prompts to begin working. When new messages arrive the app alerts you and offers to read them back to you. Other commands also allow you to listen to other messages in the inbox, clear a conversation log or even send out Facebook or Twitter updates.

The question still remains: This is legal, but is it safe? Experts have maintained that even when you talk hands-free while driving, you are not completely out of danger. That’s because your mind is engaged elsewhere other than the road. If your mind is busy thinking about text messages, voice commands and Twitter updates, there is a good chance that you are not paying attention to the road. While this may be a good alternative to texting while driving, it is not the perfect solution. Please drive safely. Keep your hands on the wheel and attention on the road. If you have been injured in a Kentucky car accident as the result of a distracted driver, please contact Louisville personal injury lawyer, Mike Schafer, to get more information about how to pursue your legal rights.

This is because federal law also requires truck drivers to rest and not spend more than the allowed number of hours on the road. These laws were introduced to keep tired, fatigued or sleepy truckers off our highways. Fatigued truck drivers can cause devastating truck accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries, or even death.

For decades, truckers have been using these log books to track their hours. In fact, this legislation has remained unchanged since the 1930s. The two Arkansas firms – J.B. Hunt Transportation Services and Maverick USA – have endorsed the proposed law along with three other trucking companies. Although some trucking companies already use electronic logs, it has only been voluntary. If the bill passes, the devices will become mandatory on all commercial trucks within three years.

There is no question that this is an important law, which will save not only the lives of many motorists on our nation’s highways, but also the lives of truck drivers themselves. This is an opportunity for the trucking industry to put lives before profit. All trucking companies nationwide should be backing this important, life-saving legislation.

As auto accident lawyers in Kentucky, we have represented numerous injury victims who have been seriously hurt by tired or sleepy truck drivers. While handling these truck accident cases, it is common for attorneys to seek out driver hours-of-service logs to check how long the driver had been on the road before the accident occurred. If these logs become electronic, it could be easier for plaintiffs’ attorneys to obtain these logs. There will be an increased accountability on the part of truck drivers and their employers.

Whether it’s using a hand-held cell phone or texting while driving, it can have disastrous consequences on the road. Several recent studies show that distracted driving can be deadly. According to study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), dialing a cell phone made the risk of crash or near-crash event 2.8 times as high as non-distracted driving. The study also found that talking or listening to a cell phone made the risk of crash 1.3 times as high as non-distracted driving. Reaching for an object increased the risk of a crash by 1.4 times, the study found.

In fact, distracted driving is being viewed as the new drunk driving. There have been several recent studies that have shown that driving while texting is like driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent, which is the legal limit in all states including Kentucky.

If you or a loved one has been injured by a distracted driver in a Kentucky auto accident, please remember that distracted driving does amount to negligence. Injured victims in such cases would be well-advised to contact an experienced Kentucky auto accident lawyer to find out more information about your legal rights and options.

Auto accidents account for 20 percent of traumatic brain injuries in the United States. The other common causes include falls (28 percent), struck by/against events (19 percent) and assaults (11 percent). Some of the most visible symptoms of traumatic brain injury include:

• Headaches
• Memory loss
• Mood changes
• Change in sleeping patterns
• Fatigue
• State of confusion
• Slowness in thinking, speaking, acting or reading
• Dizziness or loss of balance
• Vomiting or nausea
• Blurred vision

The CDC estimates that at least 5.3 million Americans currently have long-term or lifelong need for help to perform everyday activities as a result of suffering a traumatic brain injury. It can cause a wide range of functional changes affecting thinking, reasoning, sensation, language and emotions. It also increases an individual’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other disorders relating to the brain.

The medical costs of traumatic brain injury can be extremely high. CDC estimates that medical costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity totaled an estimated $60 billion in the United States in the year 2000. Those costs have only increased tremendously over the last decade.