A somewhat novel idea in Minnesota is saving lives by keeping cars from crossing the median during accidents. A little over 15 miles of cable fencing has been strung up on highways around the Twin Cities area this year. The state has been installing the cable fencing since 2004, and covers a total of 116 miles of highway and road medians. Minnesota plans to add another 50 miles next year.

The role of the cable fencing is simple: When a vehicle loses control and leaves the highway, the 42-inch-tall fencing keeps the vehicle from crossing the median or flying off the highway. It slows a vehicle enough so that the driver can walk away. The fencing is strung along steel posts that are designed to snap off at the base and slide into a sleeve. They are easily replaced after an accident, and highway workers replace them as quickly as possible.

The cables are safer than concrete medians that can total vehicles and injure the passengers. One pickup truck driver who hit a patch of black ice at 50 miles per hour says that when she hit the cable it bounced her back onto the highway. She was able to stop and pull over. While the truck was damaged, it was minor compared to what a concrete median would have done.

The sections of highway where the fencing is placed have seen fatalities caused by vehicle accidents drop nearly to zero.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, please contact an experienced personal injury lawyer in your area.

Another tool to help determine what exactly occurred during an accident has been developed. An event data recorder, often referred to as a black box, in a car or truck provides what engineer Jim Graham, senior engineer at Graham Ryan Consulting, says is, "an electronic fingerprint of what happened" during a crash. This creates "an unbiased source of data" which can be used in court or by insurance agencies to determine who was at fault, or how the accident transpired.

Technology like this is especially useful for forensic engineers when trying to piece together why a pickup truck rolls off a road (using something called an inclinometer), or who caused an accident when both drivers claim to have been stopped. The event data recorder can also be used in construction equipment, such as in cranes that collapse or heavy machinery that catches fire.

Imagine how much guess work can be eliminated during investigation and resulting lawsuits with technology. While this has yet to make it into every vehicle on the road, or every piece of construction equipment, using event data recorders can help victims of accidents by showing the truth, and eliminate any ambiguity.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.

Daimler AG's 2008 Smart fortwo micro car received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) highest rating for front-end and side-impact testing. In rear-end crashes, the Smart received the second highest rating. This is the smallest car for sale in the US at eight feet, eight inches in length. The testing may address some of the concerns consumers have had about a two-seater car this size.

While the Smart received the rating of "good," the institute stated the front-end score cannot be compared across all weight classes. A larger car that didn't earn a good rating may in fact be safer than a small car like the Smart. However, institute president, Adrian Lund said that high-density urban areas where high speed impacts are less likely are more practical for the Smart. In cases like this, the Smart is a very safe car.

The tests simulate a frontal end crash at 40 miles per hour with a similar vehicle. A side impact simulation shows a crash at 31 miles per hour if the car is hit by a sports utility vehicle.

Earlier tests of Smart by the government gave it a five star rating, but in side impact tests the driver side door came unlatched. This required the government to note their concern for vehicle safety which will appear on the window stickers at dealerships. The concern is that occupants of the Smart will be ejected in accidents. The IIHS noted the driver side door also came unlatched, but said injury measurements on the dummy were low.

Smart Stats

Just over 6,000 Smart units were sold through the end of April, and the vehicle's automaker has stated there are over 30,000 reservations. It gets 33 mpg in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. It is three feet shorter and 700 pounds lighter than the Cooper Mini, weighing 1,800 pounds. It comes with a steel safety cage, four standard air bags, and has standard electronic stability to keep it from swerving off the road.

Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA, notes that the first question in people's minds isn't about fuel economy, but safety, when it comes to choosing a vehicle.

If you have been injured in an auto accident, even one involving the Smart, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.