NHTSA Reminds Motorists to Avoid Drunk Driving on St. Patrick’s Day Weekend

St. Patrick’s Day will be celebrated this Sunday, March 17. Although it is not a legal holiday here in the U.S., it is widely recognized and observed as the celebration of Irish and Irish-American culture.

The celebratory mood of St. Patrick’s Day is filled with religious observances, especially among Catholics. Since the day falls on a weekend, it is expected that parades and festivals will draw large crowds, featuring the color green and the 3-leaved shamrock; two things associated with the saint.

Of course, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day involves plentiful amounts of alcohol. Unfortunately, the alcohol-filled mood induces drunk driving, resulting into accidents and eventual injuries and deaths to motorists. In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), alcohol-impaired crashed claimed a life every 53 minutes during St. Patrick’s Day 2011.

Moreover, a third of the deaths that happened that time were due to drunk driving. On average, motor vehicle deaths as a result of alcoholism in 2011 stood at about 31 percent.

In this regard, the agency is urging the public to celebrate responsibly and never drive drunk. In its press statement released just recently, the NHTSA advices those who will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to designate a sober driver before consuming alcohol at a local parade/festival or at a party with friends in a local bar.

The NHTSA even provided some helpful safety tips. Here are some of them:

•    Aside from designating a sober driver, it is also important to plan for an alternate transportation before starting the party.
•    If you cannot designate a sober driver, call a cab, friend, or family member to fetch you. You may also stay where you are and wait until you are sober enough to drive.
•    Don’t ever let your friend drive home drunk. Before the party, arrange a plan for them to get home.
•    Because there are drunk drivers on the road after the party, it is best to buckle up so that you can defend yourself against one of them on the road.

This St. Patrick’s Day weekend, keeping yourself safe is the best thing to do to avoid any injuries on the road because of drunk driving. For every Los Angeles car accident lawyer, drunk driving contributes to the injuries and deaths of many motorists and unsuspecting pedestrians. They are likewise reminding those who plan to go out this weekend to designate a sober driver.

“Game of Change”: Breaking the Racial Barrier in American Collegiate Sports

 Image Source: http://karllusbec.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/pique-against-racism.jpg?w=490

There have been many instances in American history where the racial barrier was broken in many facets of life. One of these facets is in the realm of athletics, particularly in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

In fact, one of the memorable moments in the tournaments’ history happened exactly 50 years ago that defied the segregation sentiments of the nation. It was the matchup between the Loyola University of Chicago Ramblers and the Mississippi State University Bulldogs (then called the Maroons), in what was to be called the “game of change.”

It was during March Madness 1963 when the college athletics was marred with politics, especially with all the segregation between African-Americans and whites. During those times, collegiate basketball was still predominantly white. Many teams that time only had two to three black players on their rosters. Loyola had four in their starting lineup.

The tournament kicked in with the Ramblers beating an opening round opponent, paving way to their matchup with the then-called Maroons. But then, due to the segregation issue, many felt the two teams shouldn’t go up against each other. In fact, the Maroon’s center Bobby Shows was even aware of an unwritten law in which “no college basketball team from Mississippi would ever play against blacks.”

To add fuel to the fire, then-state governor Ross Barnett, a known segregationist, issued an injunction that would stop the Maroons from going to East Lansing, Michigan, where the game was to be held. Fortunately, the state university’s president, Dean Colvard, along with the coaches, team manager Jimmy Wise, and the players decided to leave before they could be served with the injunction.

The game was held March 15, 1963. Before the opening tip, the two team captains, Joe Dan Gold of the Maroons and Jerry Harkness of the Ramblers, walked to midcourt and shook hands. It was a pivotal moment not only in the world of collegiate sports, but also in the world of sports. For Harkness, “it was more than just a game. This was history being made.”

The game ended with the Ramblers winning over the Maroons 61-51. The former went on to win the 1963 national championship. Meanwhile, the Maroons won the consolation game and went home to a cheering crowd of fans.

Indeed, the “Game of Change” helped signal the end of the segregation policy during the troubled period in American history. From then on, collegiate teams fully integrated African-American players into their athletics programs, totally destroying the racial barrier in the country.

For many Los Angeles employment lawyers, these are one of the moments in American history which inspired others to stand up for their rights and also paved the way to equal opportunity not only in sports, but also in many other facets of life.

The Dilemma of Liability in an Accident Involving a Driverless Car

Image Source: http://www.futuristspeaker.com/wp-content/uploads/Driverless-Car-Concept-18.jpg

The world of motoring and transportation has been changed forever with the emergence of technology that would make autonomous driving a reality. In just a matter of years, driverless cars may be roaming around on the major thoroughfares in the United States.

Such technology would help address the issue of accidents on the road. In fact, this could save thousands of lives on an annual basis. To begin with, human error accounts for about 90 percent of fatal car crashes in the United States.

The slow yet steady development of driverless cars also comes with the needed legislation on both federal and state levels that would incorporate these vehicles into the road. In fact, a few states have adopted laws that would determine the needed safety and performance regulations that would allow driverless cars to be tested and later on be operated on their state roads and highways. The first one was the State of Nevada, followed by California, which happened a few months ago last year.

Despite the promise of this new advancement in both technology and transportation, there are certain issues that need to be addressed, especially with regard to the legal issues. One of them is liability in a car crash. Simply put, who’s to blame when a driverless car crashes into a motorist or to a property?

Legal experts such as Los Angeles personal injury attorneys know that accidents on the road—collisions, hit-and-runs, damage to property—are often caused by negligence. When this happens and the plaintiff who was injured in the crash filed a claim against the liable party, the latter may be forced to pay compensation for the damages suffered of the former.

As it is, there’s always a legal risk when accidents occur on driverless cars, and the automobile industry players are aware of it. For Dan Gage of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, they “have great exposure as an industry in terms of product liability.” He also went to say that “most of us (automakers) suspect that there will always be someone in that driver’s seat.”