Pedestrian Accident
What are some reasons for a Syracuse pedestrian accident?
| July 26th, 2018
The latest statistics about pedestrian-vehicle accidents in Onondaga County, which includes Syracuse, found that 192 crashes involving injuries to pedestrians occurred in 2015. Fatal accidents totaled 6, while 29 pedestrian-vehicle crashes did not result in an injury. Some Causes of Syracuse Pedestrian Accidents Vehicles Making Left Hand Turns Just because a crosswalk has signals doesn’t […]
Is Distracted Walking in NYC as dangerous as Distracted Driving?
| May 7th, 2018
Cell phones have become a “must have” device for everybody, which has resulted in a dramatic increase in distracted driving accidents. In fact, many states, including New York, now have laws against using a cell phone while driving. If you are caught texting while operating a vehicle, you could be issued a ticket, fined and […]
Autonomous Car Liability
| September 21st, 2017
A law review article published in the Southern Methodist University Science and Technology Law Review makes the novel argument that “[l]aws governing canine ownership are a good model on which to base laws governing autonomous cars.” While it may seem implausible to compare a sentient animal—a dog—to the motions, sensors and axels of an autonomous […]
Could self-driving cars impact our privacy?
| July 11th, 2017
“In [a] near-future filled with self-driving cars, the price of convenience is surveillance.” That is the argument advanced in a recent Atlantic article, “How Self-Driving Cars Will Threaten privacy.” The article begins with a morning commute “sometime in the indeterminate future” where the humanoid voice of a hypothetical self-driving car makes seemingly innocuous suggestions as […]
Self-Driving Uber Cars??
| July 11th, 2017
Will self-driving cars eliminate the livery industry as we know it today? A recent Reuter’s article seems to presage, at the very least, major changes. According to a recent Reuter article, citing an auto industry cars source, ride-hailing service Uber is looking to place a “large order for self-driving cars.” Would a fleet of Uber-bots […]
Uber & Lyft Insurance Coverage in Upstate NY
| July 7th, 2017
As companies such as Uber and Lyft set up shop in Upstate New York, many insurance coverage questions arise. New York State has passed legislation allowing these types of companies to operate as transportation network companies (TNC) throughout the state. “A major question is, Who will insure the TNC?” asked attorney William Mattar, who focuses […]
The Future of Self-Driving Cars
| July 7th, 2017
A recent article in the Philadelphia Business Journal distills five takeways from a recent Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the future of self-driving cars: Human drivers only make self-driving cars less safe. According to a Google employee who is leading the technical development of its self-driving car technology, “[d]eveloping a car that can shoulder the […]
Product Liability and the Self-Driving Car
| July 7th, 2017
A previous entry took a look at a Brookings Institute paper examining products liability and self-driving cars. That paper, observing that “[a]utonomous vehicles will complicate the . . . entanglements between insurance providers, plaintiffs, drivers/owners named as defendants, and manufacturers,” set forward a number of proposals for state lawmakers. As a follow up, this entry […]
Using a hand-held GPS device while driving
| June 29th, 2017
Are you allowed to use a hand-held GPS device while driving? Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1225-d generally provides that no person shall operate a motor vehicle while using any “portable electronic device” while such vehicle is in motion. The term “portable electronic device” is broadly defined to encompass ‘any hand-held mobile telephone, as defined […]
William Mattar: One of 2017’s Best Companies to Work for in NY
| May 2nd, 2017
William Mattar is very pleased to announce that it has been named one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State for 2017. “We have great people and they are dedicated to helping our clients. It’s nice to know that we have been able to create such a great work environment for […]