April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month. A new federal law that prohibits commercial vehicle operators from using handheld cellphones while driving affects about 4 million truck and bus drivers. Drivers who violate the new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration law could be fined $2,750 for each offense and loss…
A young Conway girl was killed in a three-vehicle accident just west of Mayflower on Interstate 40. According to the Arkansas State Police alcohol and speed are the two determining factors in the crash. According to written reports, there were 173 driving fatalities in Arkansas involving driving under the influence…
A recent Arkansas employment case was decided by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. An Arkansas jury found in favor of plaintiff on her Title VII claims of race discrimination and constructive discharge against a school district and members of the school board. The jury awarded her compensatory damages, wage…
Recently, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) examined deaths of 16 and 17 year old drivers through the first six months of 2011 and found an 11% increase over the same period in 2010. Deaths of 16 year olds rose 16% and 17 year olds 7%, for an overall jump…
A multiple vehicle accident slowed down traffic on I-40 westbound near Brinkley. The accident occurred at mile marker 207 between Brinkley and Little Rock. According to the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department, traffic is being diverted at exit 221 westbound and exit 202 eastbound. According to news reports, Medflight transported…
I just read a report of a recent study that found women to be better drivers than men. According to the study, some 80 percent of all fatal and serious car crashes are caused by male drivers. The car accident study found that women are 27 percent less likely than…
According to the National Transportation Safety Board states should ban all driver use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices. The recommendation applies to both hands free and hand held phones and significantly exceeds any existing state laws restricting texting and cellphone use behind the wheel. The recommendation came…
The Arkansas Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed a 48 million verdict for farmers who say they lost money because a company’s genetically altered rice seeds contaminated the food supply and drove down crop prices. Bayer argued that Arkansas tort laws set a limit on punitive damages and that courts should…
The nation’s largest for-profit nursing homes deliver significantly lower quality of care because they typically have fewer staff nurses than non-profit and government-owned nursing homes according to the study by UCSF. The 10 largest for-profit chains operate about 2,000 nursing homes in the United States. Nursing home chains have expanded…
An off-road utility vehicle company has recalled 3,200 buggies because the steering arm assemblies may break during operation. The recall involves Bad Boy LT, Classic, XT, XTO and XT Safari model electric off-road utility vehicles. According to the company, it has had reports of steering arm assembly breaking. When this…