Simon Law Firm October 2017

Roundabouts Positive All Around

Roundabouts have two huge advantages over traditional intersections, in that drivers rarely come to a complete stop, which reduces traffic backups, and yet, they are forced to slow down so that there are much fewer opportunities for cross traffic turns that lead to hard head-on or T-Bone

collisions. By comparison, traffic studies have shown that there are 32 places in a traditional intersection where cars can cross each other’s path, versus only eight in a roundabout. In a 2007 report from the Transportation Research Board (an arm of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine) researchers studied 55 intersections before and after the installation of roundabouts. They found the following:

Having grown up in Europe until I was 10, I was very familiar with the traffic roundabout and always wondered why we did not have them here in the U.S. Then, a few years ago, they started popping up in neighborhoods, and now, we even have one in front of Lenox Mall in Atlanta. Almost 145 roundabouts have been constructed in Georgia in the last 10 years, with over 100 more on the drawing board. By comparison, in the ’90s, there were less than 100 roundabouts in the U.S., and that number has skyrocketed to over 2,300 today. See http://roundabout. kittelson.com/ for more information. As a lawyer who deals with traffic accidents, I have studied roadway design, and when you look at the massive benefits of roundabouts over traditional intersections, it’s not even close.

* reduction in accidents by 35 percent

* reduction in injuries from those accidents by 76 percent

* reduction in fatal or serious injury accidents in urban roundabouts by 81 percent

* reduction in fatal or serious injury accidents in rural roundabouts by 71 percent

Meet Our Newest Team Member:

BEAR THE DOG!

Bear will be joining on as the official firm pooch full time moving forward. We’re certain that her friendly personality will fit right in at the office — though as a Great Pyrenees mix, her furry body might take up a little bit of room. Bear is a rescue pup from Georgia organization Angels Among Us , a nonprofit that saves dogs and cats from high-kill Georgia shelters and places them in foster homes. Angels Among Us is dedicated

responsible pet ownership, including spaying and neutering and heartworm prevention. They save as many animals as possible from these shelters and follow them from the initial rescue all to way to their loving foster home and, eventually, into the forever home that the animals always deserved. If you’re looking to adopt a dog or cat like Bear (and who wouldn’t — just look at her!) make sure to head to angelsrescue.org and check out the resources they have available. With their help, we can reduce the number of needless shelter fatalities of our beloved critters. Oh, and next time you’re near the office, stop in and say hello to Bear! She’s eager to meet all our wonderful clients. All of us look forward to working with her for the years to come.

This month, all of us at the firm are thrilled to welcome our newest member of the team: Bear the dog!

to educating the public on the plight of the animals that tragically end up in high-kill shelters throughout the state, as well as encouraging

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