Curbing Road Accidents Involving Teenagers

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Teenage drivers are the most common victims in road accidents these past few years. According to a Los Angeles car accident lawyer, teenage drivers are most likely to figure in road accidents.

What makes teenagers at higher risk in road accidents?
Despite the information they have acquired from driving lessons and even after driving tests, teenage drivers have very minimal experience in driving vehicles. This inexperience makes them less capable of making the right decisions when demanding situations happen. Add this to a teenagers’ generally reckless attitude, then you have an accident waiting to happen every time they are behind the wheel of a car.

Not too long ago, a teenager behind the wheel of a car in Newport Beach together with four friends figured in an accident that got him and all of his passengers killed. An unlicensed 17-year-old Adbulrahman M. Alyahyan, drove the Infiniti travelling southbound on Jamboree Road, north of Island Lagoon suddenly veered off the road, slamming into a tree. The impact was so strong that it severed the vehicle and caught fire. All of the five children occupants of the car died at the scene.

What can you do to help stop accidents involving teen drivers from happening?
A Los Angeles attorney shared that driver error has been the most common reason why car accidents involving teenagers happen. He added that driving the influence and distracted driving are also the two major contributors as to why these kids end up in fatal crashes.

One thing that you can do is enroll your children in reputable driving schools. These will give them the right knowledge that they need when the time comes that they will be driving. Also, by being good role models to them, these children can pick up your driving style and can end up emulating you. You can also spend more time training your kids yourself. More than being able to instill in them good driving practices, you can also use this as a special time to bond with them. While you are at it, you can better guide your kid in doing the right thing while they are behind the wheel.

Teenage drivers can really get irresponsible and immature at times. But by being there for them and guiding them, you can help contribute making your kids better motorists. This could help make the roads safer for everyone using it.

NHTSA Study Reveals Greatest Safety Risks To Drivers

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One driver’s undivided attention is one very important thing to ensure everybody’s safety on road. That is why as a driver, you need to drop everything the moment you step on the car and take the driver’s seat. The reason for this is that even the smallest distraction can cause catastrophic accidents that can leave people injured or worse, dead.

Taking distractions away
Given the very bad effects of distracted driving, the government, through the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been coming up with various efforts to put an end to distracted driving. One of the many efforts done by these agencies had it releasing guidelines that can help minimize in-vehicle distractions that can affect one’s driving. According to the DOT, as affirmed by a Los Angeles accident attorney, any activity that require drivers to take their hands off the wheel or their hands off the road  when using them is classified as a cause of distraction. The most common examples of such distractions while driving are one’s reading and/or sending of a text message through their mobile phones. Another is the use of video-based equipment for communications and entertainment. This includes video phoning or video conferencing. Finally, displays of types of text like text messages, web pages and social media contents.

NHTSA studies
NHTSA’s “The Impact of Hand-Held and Hands-Free Cell Phone use on Driving Performance and Safety Critical Event Risk” is a naturalistic study that the agency conducted to help put an end to distracted driving. By determining the source and the effects of distraction to drivers, the NHTSA hopes to come up with solutions that will help soon end distracted driving and the accidents that it brings. These are some of the points the agency has discovered through the study:

• Visual-manual tasks degrade a driver’s focus and increases the chances of getting into a crash by up to three times
• It is found that text messaging, browsing, and dialing are the ones that cause the longest duration of a driver taking his or her eyes off the road that increases the risk of road accidents by up to 1.73 times

These findings are used by the DOT in its “Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving”; a safety plan that has been launched by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. This plan aims to come up with a more systematic and strategic approach that can help the government end distracted driving, which can greatly lessen the amount and extent of damage to property, injuries, and deaths by putting a stop to accidents. A Los Angeles attorney believes that with the citizen’s support, these programs initiated by the government will bring about results that will make American roads safer.

About Winterizing Your Car

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Winter season may be over, but it doesn’t mean you should not keep yourself well-prepared. Regardless of the weather or the climate outside, it still pays for you to keep your car in tip-top condition.

Being prepared keeps you away from accidents, but you should know that this is not a guarantee that you’ll stay mishap-free for the rest of your driving days. There is a possibility that you may get involved in one, especially if it is due to someone else’s negligence.

If that is the case, then you may want to seek the expertise of a  Los Angeles car accident attorney.

Meanwhile, here are some tips on how you can winterize your car, helping it become safer in the coldest nights of winter.

•    Prepare and keep an emergency kit. Bring with you a spare tire, bottles of engine oil, washer fluid, coolant, and anti-freeze. Put an emergency kit inside the glove compartment. Carry an ice scraper. All of these things can help you stay away from trouble when the going gets tough.
•    Make sure your car’s working well. A car in top shape helps prevent accidents from happening.
•    Replace wipers and wiper fluid. See the road ahead clearly, all the time. Make sure that the wiper mechanism works and you’ve got enough amounts of washer fluid.
•    Check the car’s defrosting and heating units. Make sure that the car’s window defroster and cabin heater in good, working condition. These help keep the windows clear from fogs and the car’s cabin warm.
•    Gas up. Keeping your fuel tank full to the brim helps prevent condensation and water inside the tank. Water in the tank and fuel lines, more than being bad for the engine, can freeze up and clog down these vital components.
•    Load up on antifreeze. This keeps the coolant from freezing that retards coolant circulation and worse, overheating. With this in your cooling system, you’re assured of perfect engine temperature and operation during the coldest of winter.
•    Check the oil and its viscosity. The right amount of oil and viscosity helps keep the engine lubricated and running well. Winter can have the oil thicken and have problems lubricating your engine. Filling up with oil with the right viscosity helps ensure optimum engine protection.
•    Check the battery. The cold winter is tough on the engine and the battery. Make sure that it is in the best condition for worry-free winter motoring.
•    Check your tires. Does it have the right tire pressure? The cold weather can cause the tire pressure to drop. Fill it up with air if needed and deflate if the pressure’s too high. The right tire pressure ensures optimum grip to avoid accidents. Given the season, you should also consider replacing all-weather tires with special winter tires for safer drives.

Qualities of a Good Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney

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Los Angeles is not only a hotspot for traffic jams but also for traffic accidents.

In 2006, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 799 road accident fatalities in Los Angeles area. The city, dubbed as the “City of Angels”, is being invaded by “traffic angels of death” due to the frequency of fatal road accidents in the area.

The growing problem of traffic accidents in Los Angeles prompts motorists and pedestrians to know beforehand their legal options with respect to California personal injury laws. These days, it is a must for any driver or pedestrian to know a Los Angeles attorney who can support him or her in case he or she got involved in a road accident.

Personal injury claimants must only trust attorneys with proven track record in pursuing such cases since expertise is key in winning cases or securing favorable settlements. Accident victims should only entrust their cases to Los Angeles lawyers who are experienced, reputable, and known to be great negotiators.

Experience stands out – Car accident victims should only hire a lawyer with years of experience in handling personal injury claims. Although there is nothing wrong about hiring a newcomer attorney, hiring an experienced or seasoned personal injury lawyer is still considered the best option.

Reputation is a must – Personal injury lawyers with untarnished reputation should be the go-to attorneys of Los Angeles car accident victims. Personal injury claimants should only entrust their claims to lawyers with proven track record in winning car accident cases. Hiring an attorney who has not won any car accident claims is almost synonymous to losing the case before it even started.

Great negotiators are great litigators – Claiming for personal injury payments is like playing mind games with insurance companies – it requires wit, persistence, and logical thinking. It is not uncommon for insurance firms to lowball injury claimants, which is why having a personal injury with exceptional negotiation skills is a must. A car accident lawyer who is skilled in dealing with insurers can aid the claimant in receiving sufficient amount of injury payments.

Car accident victims are advised to only hire personal injury lawyers with the abovementioned traits to ensure that they will get fair compensatory damages. Injury claimants can find a Los Angeles attorney through various ways like:

Online search – Using the Internet to look for personal injury lawyers who can help you out in your case.

Referrals from co-leagues – Asking your friends, co-workers, or family members if they know a car accident lawyer whom they can refer.

Referrals from lawyer directories – Car accident claimants may look for a lawyer using California lawyers’ directories.

Los Angeles car accident victims must know beforehand the traits of a reliable personal injury lawyer to avoid having their cases compromised and to ensure their receipt of just compensations.

Logical Reasons why Street Racing is Illegal in California

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Street racing is exciting and adrenaline-pumping – and illegal.

In California, automobile speed contests are strictly prohibited to ensure not only the safety of the racers, but also of other drivers and pedestrians. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), illegal street races in California have caused 135 fatal crashes in 2001 alone.

Pursuant to California Vehicle Code (VC) 23109, it is illegal for any person to participate in a car speed contest on roadways, highways, and on public streets. Violators of the said VC may be subjected to imprisonment for not less than 24 hours, but not more than 90 days, or $355 fine, or both. The main intention of VC 23109 is to ensure the safety of the driving public including drivers, pedestrians, and bystanders.

Speed racing is not only illegal but also dangerous. People who participate in illegal street races are susceptible to different severe physical injuries such as:

•    Traumatic brain injury
•    Spinal cord injury
•    Whiplash injury
•    Multiple bone fractures
•    Severe bruises
•    Paralysis

People who get injured due to an act of an illegal street racer should file a personal injury lawsuit against liable individuals involved. Under California’s tort law, any person who gets injured or harmed due to a civil wrongdoing of another individual has the right to file a personal injury claim. Under the law, a personal injury victim may be entitled to both economic and non-economic damages like reimbursement for hospitalization and medical treatment bills, income lost, property damage repair, and other expenses caused by the accident.

California drivers should never participate in any illegal street race to protect themselves and other people from harm and legal troubles. Los Angeles attorneys advise California citizens to immediately report to authorities any speed racing activity that they witness to ensure public safety.

Real-life Dangers of Drowsy Driving

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Falling asleep while driving could cause fatal car accidents. Take the case of Michael Cedarland, a sheriff deputy who fatally struck an ex-marine in the Starbucks coffee shop at Fillmore, California. According to an online report, Cedarland plowed his SUV through the coffee shop, killing an Iraq war veteran named Sergio Mendez. Police investigation stated that Cederland fell asleep while driving his vehicle thus causing the fatal accident.

Unfortunately, the news story about Cedarland and Mendez is not that uncommon around the country. Drowsy driving is a serious threat to many motorists in the United States. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 100,000 automobile accidents are caused by fatigue and drowsy driving each year. Furthermore, according to the same agency, sleepy driving is responsible for at least 1,550 fatalities and 71,000 injuries annually.

Common Victims of Sleepy Driving
According to a 2002 study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, people who are at the most risk of experiencing drowsy/fatigue driving accidents includes:

•    Drivers who are aged 18 to 29
•    Men who are more likely to drive while sleepy as compared to women (56 percent VS 45 percent)
•    Adults with children in the household are more likely to feel fatigue when operating vehicles
•    Employees who are working at night are more to feel sleepy when driving than daytime employees


Symptoms of Drowsy Driving

Drivers must learn beforehand the early signs of sleepy driving in order for them when to pullover and take a quick nap. The following are the common symptoms of drowsy driving:
•    Having heavy eyelids and losing focus on the traffic situation
•    Excessive yawning and blinking
•    Involuntarily changing lanes
•    Feeling restless and irritable

Tips on How to Avoid Driving Sleepy

If you believe that, you are susceptible to drowsy driving, it would be best to follow these tips:

•    Get some good sleep – Studies suggest that a person needs to have at least seven hours of sleep to have the energy that the body needs for the rest of the day.

•    Do not drive under the influence – Alcohol can impair a driver’s skills and performance and may also cause fatigue and drowsiness.

•    Pullover occasionally – If you are driving for a long trip, it is advised to pullover every two hours.

In California, when a person is injured due to a sleepy driver’s negligent action, he has the right to claim for injury compensations. Any good Los Angeles attorney would suggest that accident victims must assert for personal injury claim against the liable party in order for him to receive proper amount of monetary damages.