Ten Tips for Avoiding California Lane Change Accidents
California lane change accidents are often serious but can be avoided by learning and practicing ten simple preventative measures.
What are My Rights in a California Limousine Accident?
When the news carries a story of a California limousine accident, it invokes an image of people having the time of their life, suddenly ruined by tragedy. It may be a wedding, a night on the town, a trip to wine country or a ride to the airport for a long awaited vacation. Such was the case in Santa Clarita on August 1, 2015. A limousine carrying ten people, including the driver, crashed into a car that was stopped in the road. The excessive weight of the limousine made it impossible for the driver to stop in time. The vehicle that was stopped went out of [...]
Why Should I Wear My Seatbelt in an Uber or Lyft?
Ride share companies utilize smartphone technology to provide an alternative to taxi cabs and other forms of public transportation. The ride share company can keep its operating costs low because they are not regulated by states and cities and are not required to carry the same type of insurance as cabs or to purchase expensive medallions. Statistics from the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that only 65% of passengers buckle up in taxis compared to 87% in private vehicles. The apparent reason for failure to buckle up is the fact that most pubic transit lacks seatbelts and riders are not accustomed to doing it. California [...]
San Diego Police use the Drager Drug Test 5000 to Assist in Making DUI Marijuana Arrests
Last month the first arrests were reported in San Diego for driving under the influence of marijuana using the new Drager Drug Test 5000. The device acts much like a Breathalyzer except it requires police to swab the inside of a driver’s mouth and test the results onsite for active THC. Once a positive result is returned, the police can obtain a warrant for a blood drawing to determine the actual blood level of THC. While a blood alcohol test is generally accurate, a screening for THC may be inconclusive. There is no level of THC that is a current standard for a DUI marijuana charge [...]
Cause and Prevention of California Tailgating Accidents
Tailgating in California, and everywhere else, is not only distracting and irritating to the driver being followed too closely, it is very dangerous. Tailgating is a contributing cause in more than one third of all motor vehicle accidents, according to research by the Highways Agency. If you are one of the many people injured in California tailgating accidents every year, it is important to seek the aid of a skilled accident attorney who will recover the compensation you deserve. Tailgating is defined by California Vehicle Code section 21703 as following another vehicle “more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of [...]
Motor Vehicle Accidents are the Leading Cause of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system, extending downward from the base of the brain. It is made of soft tissue and surrounded by small bones called vertebrae. The spinal cord consists of nerve cells and groups of nerves called tracts, which runs to different parts of the body. Messages are carried by these tracts from the brain to the rest of the body. The tracts are separated into two groups. Sensory tracts carry messages related to heat, cold, pressure, pain and the position of limbs. Motor tracts carry messages from the brain to control muscle movement. Damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or [...]
The Importance of Cell Phone Records to a Distracted Driving Case
It is an unfortunately common experience to see a driver drift over the lane marker or onto the shoulder of the highway, only to notice his eyes are on a cell phone, a taco or some other form of preoccupation. When you consider that a car at 55mph travels the length of a football field in the time it takes to read an average text message, it is no wonder that distracted driving is a leading cause of death and injury on our nations highways. Each day in the U.S. an average of 1,161 people are injured in crashes involving distracted driving. In the same day, [...]
How Can Airbags Injure When They Are Supposed to Save Lives?
Anyone who has access to the news is aware of the massive recall of vehicles due to defective Takata airbags. A report issued by the NY Times, in December of last year, indicated that 11 deaths and 184 injuries had occurred in just the US from exploding airbags that propelled shrapnel into the chests of vehicle occupants. Over 92 million vehicles from multiple auto makers were recalled. When considering those figures, it seems like a very small percentage of deaths and injuries compared to the number of installed airbags, but even one death is too many. In addition, there are many other airbag related injuries that [...]
Pedestrian Deaths Rise Sharply – Is Distraction the Cause?
Pedestrian traffic fatalities reached the highest total in more than two decades, according to recent data. A total of nearly 6000 people were killed, reaching the projected rise of 11% for 2016. The figures, released on March 23, 2017, are based on data from the first six months of the year, gathered from every state and the District of Colombia, then projected for the rest of the year. Pedestrian deaths during the first six months totaled 2,660 nationwide, compared to 2,486 deaths over the same period the year before. The figures which were prepared for the Governors Highway Safety Association represent the steepest year to year [...]
Study Shows Driving is Affected Even After Concussion Symptoms Are Gone
A concussion can impair a person’s driving ability after all the symptoms have resolved, according to a study conducted at the University of Georgia’s College of education. Participants in the study were tested using a driving simulator. Researchers found that many participants tended to drive erratically despite feeling that they were completely recovered from their concussions. In some cases, the participants drove as if they were under the influence of alcohol. Concussion Patients Should Refrain from Driving This is the first study to closely observe the way a concussion affects a person’s ability to drive. Published in the journal Neurotrauma, the study involved 14 participants, all [...]
