There was a time when seat belts were not automatically installed in vehicles. Over time, as the public began to understand that seat belts save lives, seat belts became more common. Eventually, installation of these safety devices became mandatory for auto manufacturers. As the seat belt example illustrates, the auto industry does not always embrace safety technology of its own accord. Oftentimes, public awareness and regulatory pressure serve as necessary catalysts in order to inspire the auto industry to keep motorists and passengers safe. It seems that this trend is set to continue regarding the matter of collision avoidance technology. […]

We frequently write about the actions of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As the federal agency most directly tasked with ensuring the safety of the nation’s roadway travelers, the priorities, values, actions and inactions of the NHTSA affect nearly every American at one time or another. It is ultimately important to keep abreast of this agency’s evolution because the NHTSA directly influences the safety or lack of safety that the nation’s motorists, cyclists and pedestrians are subject to on a regular basis. Over the past few years, the NHTSA has become the subject of criticism from lawmakers, safety organizations and the public. Although the agency [...]

Since the beginning of the year, a specific kind of crash has been plaguing California’s busy freeways. These crashes are almost always preventable and are almost often tragic catastrophes. When drivers are intentionally or unintentionally forced to navigate wrong-way traffic in high-speed action movies, the event tends to be thrilling. When drivers are intentionally or unintentionally forced to navigate wrong-way traffic in real life, fatal collisions tend to result. In one single community, four wrong-way freeway crashes have occurred in 2015 alone. This number may seem relatively small when compared to the number of crashes which occur on California freeways annually, but when one stops to [...]

Earlier this week, we began a discussion about DUI recidivism. We observed that while it is surprisingly easy for responsible adults to be arrested for a single, unintentional and ultimately accidental drunk driving incident due to the ways alcohol metabolizes in the body, repeat drunk driving offenders pose a significant threat to public safety. We also noted that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is directly tasked with ensuring the relative safety of the nation’s roadway travelers and that this agency has a particular interest in the matter of repeat drunk driving offenders. Recently, the NHTSA released valuable research related to this issue that will hopefully [...]

When individuals drive while intoxicated, their behavior endangers their own lives and the lives of everyone within range of their vehicles at any given moment. Oftentimes, sincerely responsible adults drive while illegally drunk based on a misperception that they are actually sober. Because alcohol metabolizes differently in the body based on a host of factors, one can feel sober and still be illegally “drunk” for the purposes of legally operating a motor vehicle. When adults are unintentionally driving drunk and they are pulled over, they tend to be much, much more careful about letting an accidental DUI occur ever again. However, there are those individuals who [...]

Motor vehicles accidents are not just something we hear on the news, happening in some faraway place. Rather, it is the people here — in our community — who are injured or killed every year in fatal motor vehicle accidents.  The Vititoe Law Group opened an Oxnard law office in order to better serve those in the area. We represent those who are hurt in traffic accidents, along with those who lose loved ones in these crashes. In all of these cases, when someone else’s negligence is the reason behind the crash, we work hard to hold those other individuals accountable. […]

We frequently write about the hazards associated with distracted driving. We have discussed technology and educational campaigns designed to curb this behavior. We have also noted that numerous kinds of distraction are hazardous. It is understandable that most technology and educational campaigns are currently focused on reducing the prevalence of interacting with electronic communication devices while driving. However, it is important to understand that distraction in any form can lead to an injurious or fatal accident. According to scientists employed by the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, drivers negatively impact their personal safety and the safety of those around them when they glance away from [...]

In our last blog post, we began a discussion about vehicle crashes that may or may not be considered “work related” under the law. We noted that if you were recently involved in a vehicle crash that had some link to your employment that you may want to consider speaking with an experienced attorney. A local attorney should be able to analyze the specific circumstances surrounding your case and be able to advise you on whether it can be considered work related. If it can be considered work related, you may then decide whether to file a workers’ compensation claim or a personal injury suit. We [...]

If you have recently been involved in a motor vehicle accident, it is important to determine whether the accident can be considered to be “work related” under the law. If your accident was work related, you may be able to collect workers’ compensation depending on the circumstances of the accident and the nature of harm that you suffered as a result of the accident. However, it may be more beneficial to pursue a personal injury suit whether or not your accident was work related. Before you consider your options for compensation, you must first determine whether the crash you were involved in can be considered work [...]

When it comes to preventing teens from driving while distracted, a lot of focus goes towards keeping teens off their phones while driving. However, it is important to not forget that cellphones do not have a monopoly when it comes to distracting teen drivers; there are many different distracting activities teens may be tempted to do when behind the wheel. […]