The Most Common Personal Injury Cases
It has been an American tradition for decades. Teenagers impatiently counting down the days until they can get their first driver’s license! Driving gives a young person a sense of freedom and excitement. Even as adults, a leisurely drive through the beautiful countryside is a favorite way to rejuvenate after a hectic work week in the city. Scenic highways, like California’s Highway 1 that hugs the pacific ocean coastline, are driven for sheer pleasure by millions of people each year. However, as relaxing and enjoyable as driving can be, it can also be a dangerous activity, especially on the congested crazy roads of southern California! According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately fifty-two percent of all personal injury cases in the United States involve damages received during automobile accidents.
With more than half of all personal injury cases stemming from automobile accidents, it is very likely that you or someone you know has been in a major car accident. This is probably why almost all parents worry so much about their kids getting into a car accident. We say things like, “Don’t forget to buckle up!” to comfort ourselves as much as protect our children as they head out the door smiling with our car keys in hand! Heck, we even worry about them getting into an accident when they get on one of those big yellow “tank-like” school buses! We also worry about our spouse as he or she makes that “hari kari” southern California commute every morning and evening! In fact, the worry never seems to stop because we all know how common automobile accidents are, and no matter how much monetary compensation one may get from a car accident personal injury case, it is always far more preferable that the car accident never happen in the first place.
In light of the above, we want to share three simple strategies you can employ that will drastically reduce your odds of getting into an automobile accident. You can also teach these life saving strategies to your children and encourage your spouse and others to follow them as well.
1. Never Drive When You Are Mad Or Emotionally Upset
It’s happened to all of us. We get really upset about something and we just want to get away from the person(s) or situation causing us to be upset. So, what do we do in this emotionally charged state? We get in our car, slam the door, and race away!
While this may make you feel better, it will also drastically increase your odds of having a car accident. Perhaps ironically, this includes accidents that are not deemed your fault! Remember, many accidents are avoided by careful defensive drivers looking out for the faulty actions of others. When a defensive driver sees the canary yellow jag racing through the intersection after the traffic light turns red, he or she pauses to let them pass even though they have the right away — a close call but it’s an automobile accident avoided! Unfortunately, however, when we are upset, we are less likely to be defensive drivers! We are also less likely to be patient, so in our upset state, we are much more likely to get into a car accident, even when the car accident is not our fault.
So, it is always best to wait until you’re less upset and level-headed before you drive! If you really MUST get away from the person(s) or situation making you upset, drive a block or two away and then stop, calm down, and collect your thoughts before you continue driving! Drill this into your kids’ heads and you will help prevent them from being in car accidents too!
2. Wait Until It Stops Raining Before You Drive
If it is raining so hard you have trouble seeing the road and the traffic around you, it is always safer to wait until it stops raining, or at least calms down a bit, before you start driving. Likewise, it is safer to pull over and wait it out if you are driving when a particularly hard squall hits!
3. Pre-tune Your Radio BEFORE You Start Driving
Many automobile accidents are caused by momentary inattentiveness! Taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds while traveling 55 miles per hour means you will drive about 161 feet (about 484 yards!!) without your eyes focus on the road and the traffic around you! Fiddling with the volume knob or the tuner on your car radio can easily take two seconds, often longer!
Free Consultations
If you or a loved one has been involved in an automobile accident and you need to find a good personal injury attorney, give The May Firm a call for a free consultation. Remember, never attempt to negotiate with a car insurance company directly! Their representatives are trained to act like they care so they can extract information from you (they often record your conversations) that may help them avoid paying you the compensation you deserve. Robert May and his team are seasoned and highly successful personal injury lawyers who know exactly how to handle the insurance companies who often resort to subterfuge and other tactics in order to avoid paying what they should!
