Frankfort Legal Blog

Many in Kentucky drive "smart cars" with high-tech devices involving touchscreens and voice command features. While these devices are meant to reduce the amount of time drivers take their eyes off the road, they still tend to be confusing, especially to older drivers. A study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that older drivers become more distracted than younger drivers do by this in-vehicle technology.

For this study, researchers at the University of Utah had two groups, one composed of drivers aged 21 to 36 and the other composed of drivers aged 55 to 75, use in-vehicle tech while operating a 2018 model vehicle on the road. Among the tasks they performed were sending texts, dialing phone numbers, plotting navigation and setting up music to play.

Kentucky drivers should know that front-end collisions are the most typical kind of car crash. After analyzing nearly 23,000 such collisions that occurred from 1998 to 2015, researchers came to several intriguing conclusions, which were published in the journal Traffic Injury Prevention. It turns out that women are 73% more likely than men to be injured in these crashes even when they are wearing a three-point seatbelt.

Female car occupants are especially prone to injuries involving the spine, abdomen and legs. Ailments to the spine and lower extremities are precisely what newer model vehicles can reduce the risk for. However, researchers found that the aforementioned trend among women applies both to vehicles made in the most recent decade (2009 to 2019) and older vehicles.

Since Kentucky is an equitable division state, marital assets are divided equitably as opposed to equally. There are several factors that go into determining how marital assets are split, which may include the length of the marriage as well as how much a given item is worth. If a spouse chose to stay at home during the marriage, his or her contributions to the household may be considered when determining how to divide joint property.

A married couple may be able to decide on its own how to negotiate an end to a relationship. However, any agreement that a couple creates will still need to be reviewed by a judge. If the agreement seems unfair or illegal in any way, all or part of it could be rejected. It is worth noting that Kentucky has passed the Uniform Disposition of Community Property Rights at Death Act (UDCPRDA).

Drowsy driving is to blame for 9.5% of all car accidents, according to a AAA study made back in 2018. In a survey, also conducted by AAA, nearly one third of respondents admitted to having trouble keeping their eyes open behind the wheel at least once in the previous month. Kentucky residents should know that this trend is growing and is also, where there are no comprehensive public transit systems, inevitable.

Yet drivers can reduce the risk for a crash by taking precautions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends seven hours of sleep every night. Even drivers feel tired even with that, they may have a disorder like obstructive sleep apnea. Also, if they take medications like antidepressants, antihistamines or muscle relaxers, these will naturally cause drowsiness. They may ask their doctor about changing the timing of each dose.