The federal government is taking legal action against a bus company that runs from Albany, New York, to Chinatown on Manhattan Island, since the company has refused to stop it’s services after allegations of serious safety issues. According to reports from News Channel 10, the Department of Transportation has received a restraining order to halt business against the Philadelphia-based company after the company ignored several previous requests from the department.

The requests to halt services were issued after the company came under heavy scrutiny following an audit by Federal regulators that found the company in violation of more than 220 safety codes and laws, including violations related to vehicle maintenance, rules pertaining to service hour limits and proper logging of those hours, as well as falsified and incomplete records concerning driver drug testing prior to service.

The laws that regulate the transportation industry play a vital role in keeping all motorists safe around commercial vehicles by ensuring that drivers are not fatigued by long hours on the road and that trucks are not too heavy or overloaded. Any violation of these laws could be used to help hold a negligent bus or truck driver responsible if an accident was to occur.

William Mattar Injury Lawyers may be able to help you if you have been seriously injured in an accident that was no fault of your own and involved a commercial vehicle. Just remember, Hurt In A Car, Call William Mattar!

New York State’s Move Over Law is being expanded to include more vehicles, according to Hudson Valley Your News Now.

In an effort to keep all workers safe, New York lawmakers have amended the year-old Move Over Law to include, not only emergency vehicles like police cars and ambulances, but also maintenance, utility, and tow trucks.

“All drivers need to understand that they have a responsibility to keep roads safe. Slowing down and moving over for emergency and hazard vehicles on the highway needs to be one of those responsibilities,” State Police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico said.

The New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) has 100 work zones set up across the state each day. There were 100 accidents involving drivers at those work zones last year.

“When you’re working to hook that vehicle up or load that vehicle on a tow truck, if you’ve got traffic passing by you, it’s hazardous, it’s dangerous, and it’s one more worry,” said tow truck operator Doug Rowland.

A big part of the amended law will be enforcement. Anyone caught violating it could face a $275 fine, three points on their license, and potentially jail. Troopers issued roughly 16,000 citations for the Move Over Law in its current form last year.

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If you or someone you know were the victim of an accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

Drunk driving accounts for numerous deaths and injuries year after year. That’s why William Mattar Law Offices are partnering with Designated Drivers of Buffalo and Rochester to offer free rides home for people who have been drinking or who need a safe way home on New Year’s Eve.

Too many tragedies occur on New Year’s Eve because of drinking and driving. Don’t be another statistic. Get a free ride home.

William Mattar challenges us to set an example for our family, friends, and peers this New Year’s Eve by not drinking and driving.

Actions speak louder than words: do not drink and drive. Encourage your friends with your words and your actions by getting a free ride home for you and your car this New Year’s Eve (January, 1, 2012).

Rides are available in Buffalo from 12 a.m. until 4:00 a.m. Just call 716-713-7703.

Rides are available in Rochester from 12 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Just call 585-880-0380.

Put these important numbers in your phones now! Some restrictions apply.

Find out how you can get a FREE ride home this New Year’s Eve!

If you or someone you know were the victim of an accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission and Division of Highway Traffic Safety offered shoppers visiting Bridgewater Commons a chance to experience firsthand the simulated dangers of drunk driving, reports Central Jersey.

Whether it was a 16-year-old or an 81-year-old, once the person strapped on a pair of specialized goggles to simulate alcoholic intoxication, the results were identical. Neither could take a single step without awkwardly stumbling around. Each person had to be kept upright by a state police sergeant.

“That was weird,” the 16-year-old said. “It’s like you think you’re standing in one place, but you’re actually in a completely different place.”

“It was tough. I just lost my balance,” said the 81-year-old. “And if you can’t put your foot in front of you, how the hell are you going to get behind the wheel?”

In the U.S., nearly one-third (32 percent) of all traffic-related deaths last year occurred as a result of alcohol-related car accidents, accounting for 10,839 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Especially at this time of year, we know how people are. They’re under pressure. . . . But when people are driving, they should be focusing on the task at hand,” the Motor Vehicle Commission’s chairman and chief administrator, said Tuesday, while watching shoppers participate in the simulations. “The goal here is not to write more tickets. . . . It’s less crashes, less injuries, less fatalities.”

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If you or someone you know were the victim of an accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

The National Transportation Safety Board  (NTSB) recommended on Tuesday, December 13, that drivers be banned not only from texting while driving but also from placing hands-free calls, reports PC magazine.

“More than 3,000 people lost their lives last year in distraction-related accidents,” NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman said in a statement. “It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving.”

The NTSB is recommending that there be a nationwide ban on electronics while driving, but the agency focused on state efforts rather than an overarching ban from the federal level.

“A combination of enforceable state laws, high visibility enforcement, and supporting communication campaigns can reduce the number of accidents caused by drivers distracted by the use of portable electronic devices,” the NTSB concluded.

It remains to be seen what state lawmakers might do with the NTSB recommendations. Different states have different laws regarding cell phone use in the car. No state bans cell phone use outright at the point. Many do require hands-free devices or ban texting.

Along with eight other states, New York already requires hands-free mobile use while driving a vehicle, but will it ban cell phones altogether as the NTSB recommends?

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of an auto accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

On Sunday evening, the New York State Police conducted a DWI (driving while intoxicated) patrol to coincide with the Buffalo Bills game, reports WIVB.com.  traffic Three arrests were made, and 98 tickets were issued.

Tickets included two DWI arrests, one unlawful possession of marijuana arrest, 41 speed violations, eight cell phone tickets, three seat belt tickets, and 43 other vehicle and traffic law violations.

Around 4:50 p.m. a 30-year-old Walworth man was arrested and charged with DWI. He was stopped for allegedly passing cars in the center lane of Southwestern Boulevard. He allegedly had a 17 percent blood alcohol content (BAC) and failed the field sobriety test.

Also failing the field sobriety test and arrested and charged with aggravated DWI was a 33-year-old Jamestown man. He was stopped for failing to yield the right of way when turning onto Southwestern Boulevard. He allegedly had a 19 percent BAC.

In Lancaster, a 20 year-ole Alden man was riding in a car that was stopped after someone threw a beer can out the window on Transit Road. The young man was arrested for unlawful possession of marijuana.

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If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York auto accident lawyers at the William Mattar Law Offices may be able to help you.

A 35-year-old 10^th Mountain Division soldier from San Bernardino, California, died Sunday in a rollover crash at an Army post in Fort Drum, New York.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the fatal accident occurred during exercises at a training range at Fort Drum. The victim was traveling in a Humvee with two other soldiers who were also injured in the crash.

The victim, who joined the Army in October 2010, was a supply clerk in 543rd Quartermaster Company, 548th Combat Service Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade. He trained at Fort Leonard Wood, in Missouri and Fort Lee in Virginia before arriving at Fort Drum earlier this month. He had already collected the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.

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If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York accident lawyers at the Law Offices of William Mattar may be able to help you.

A 54-year-old Niagara Falls, New York, man intentionally backed his pickup truck into a taxicab while intoxicated on Friday night. He has been charged with DWI, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, consumption of an alcoholic beverage in a public place, having no registration, and unsafe backing, according to the Niagra Gazette.

The incident occurred at 9:10 p.m. on Friday, October 21. Police were responding to a property damage accident in the 1800 block of Pine Avenue, where they found the man had backed into a taxi. Officers said there was no damage to either vehicle.

The man told officers that the taxi was parked too closely and didn’t leave him room to get out.

“I hit that car with my truck, and I will hit any car if I don’t have room,” the man told police.

Smelling alcohol on the man, officers asked him to perform roadside sobriety tests, which he failed. The Buffalo News reports that they also found an open bottle of gin inside his truck. Afterwards he was charged.

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If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York accident lawyers at the Law Offices of William Mattar may be able to help you.

A Nesconset, New York, man was arrested in Suffolk County Friday afternoon for driving drunk with his two-year-old son in the backseat.

ABC reports that a witness called police about the man when they noticed that his car appeared to be missing one of its front tires. When police pulled the man over on Commack Road at 12:35 p.m., they took him to jail and charged him with Aggravated Driving While Intoxicated with a Child, which is a felony under Leandra’s Law. He was also charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

The son was not harmed and has been released into the care of a family member.

Police say the man’s black 2002 Ford Focus hatchback had significant damage and that the front tire was worn down to the rim. They’re asking residents to call 631-854-8252 if they found property or vehicles with damages caused by unknown means.

The man will be arraigned October 22 at First District Court in Central Islip.

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York accident lawyers at the Law Offices of William Mattar may be able to help you.

On Tuesday a Trailways bus rear-ended a tractor-trailer in Ramapo, New York, injuring eight people.

The accident occurred at 5:35 a.m. on the New York State Thruway near Sloatsburg, which is about 35 miles north of New York City. The Associated Press reports that the accident may have been triggered when the 49-year-old tractor-trailer driver slowed down to let a car enter the southbound lanes from a service plaza.

According to the report from the scene, “An uninvolved vehicle entering the highway caused the trailer to slow down.”

The bus, which was carrying 16 passengers from Kingston, New York, to New York City, slammed into the back of the tractor-trailer, crumpling the bus driver’s compartment and trapping him inside the bus until rescue groups could cut him out. Both vehicles had been traveling in the far right southbound lane.

Eight people were transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern. Seven were treated and released, but the 57-year-old bus driver remained hospitalized in stable condition.

The rest of the passengers were put on another bus to New York City.

An initial report found no mechanical problems with the New York Trailways bus. In addition, The Journal News found that the bus company has been given a satisfactory safety rating by a federal regulating agency.

Read more.

If you or someone you know were the victim of a New York auto accident, the New York accident lawyers at the Law Offices of William Mattar may be able to help you.