Pittsburgh Personal Injury Blog

As a Pennsylvania resident, you likely know the potential charges and penalties you may face for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. However, distracted driving is becoming a frequent problem as more smartphones and other personal electronic devices become essential for daily life. It is important to understand that there are state regulations that prohibit you from using a cellphone or tablet while you are behind the wheel. The penalties also change slightly if you are a truck driver.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation provides information on the state's distracted driving laws. According to the DOT, using an Interactive Wireless Communication Device while driving is a primary offense. The DOT specifically lists several actions: sending, reading and writing texts, emails and instant messages. Essentially, if you use your device to engage in written communication while your vehicle is moving, you may face a $50 fine. You may also have to pay additional expenses for court costs.

Drowsy driving is a serious problem in Pennsylvania and the rest of the United States. According to CNN, drowsy driving accounts for 20% of motor vehicle accidents, 25% of fatal crashes, 1,500 deaths and 40,000 injuries. In fact, staying awake for 20 hours or more may cause impairment similar to having a blood alcohol content level of 0.08%. One doctor explained that at this point, data processing and reflex speeds slow tremendously, just as when a person becomes drunk.

Drivers tend to become drowsy at the wheel if they get less than six hours of sleep per night, or if they snore. People who unintentionally doze off at their desk or during other activities during the day are also more likely to fall asleep behind the wheel. One of the common misconceptions is that truck drivers tend to be sleepier at the wheel than anyone else, but CNN says this is false. Still, truck accidents tend to cause the most damage to property and person when they drive drowsy.

The NovoTTF-100L System, combined with pemetrexed and platinum-based chemotherapy had recently been approved by the FDA for a front-line treatment option for patients who have unresectable, metastatic or locally advance malignant pleural mesothelioma. This marks the first treatment in 15 years for those who suffer from this condition. The FDA made its decision based on the findings from the single-arm STELLAR trial, which increased the median survival rate to just over 18 months when the treatment was combined with physical therapy.

Most drivers in Pennsylvania know that driving under the influence of alcohol is a no-no, but many underestimate the amount of alcohol it takes to reach the legal limits. There are numerous factors that affect how alcohol metabolizes in the body, and a drink can affect one person way different than another one. This can result in people getting behind the wheel when they should not be driving. 

According to the Stanford Office of Alcohol Policy and Education, gender plays a major role in how one metabolizes alcohol. In general, men have more of the enzymes needed to metabolize alcohol, and they are often larger in size and have more water composition than women. This allows men to drink more before they are legally drunk. The amount of food in the stomach also makes a big difference. Alcohol reaches the blood stream much faster when food is not present.