Posted on December 02, 2020 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Fatalities among drivers involved in traffic accidents have hit record lows in Virginia, but the same cannot be said regarding pedestrian deaths. Those have started to rise at a rate that has authorities alarmed.

According to a report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), pedestrian deaths rose 53% in the decade between 2009 and 2018. In recent years, however, the rate at which pedestrians are dying in traffic accidents seems to be increasing even faster. In 2018, for example, there were 8% more fatalities among pedestrians than 2017.

Human error and bigger vehicles are a deadly combo on the streets

Smartphones initially took the blame for a lot of the problems - but that's a simplistic answer that doesn't really explain the surge. In fact, research indicates that it's a different American obsession in play: The increase in sports utility vehicles (SUVs) and heavy-duty trucks on the road.

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 Posted on November 20, 2020 in Truck Accidents

The winter holiday season is historically a time of family get-togethers and celebrations. What many people fail to realize is that the holidays also bring with them a lot of extra risks.

Especially for those who intend to travel on the roads around Christmas, Thanksgiving or New Year's, there may be increased risks on the road. As you can probably guess, drunk driving risks are higher around the holidays. However, your risk for a crash with a commercial truck could also be higher as well.

The holidays are a time of extreme commercial and retail demand

Many businesses only finally begin to turn a profit in the last months of the year. They depend on intense holiday shopping to balance out their company's revenue and losses.

Given the flurry of shopping and spending that usually takes place in late October, November and December, retailers have more demand than any other time of the year for quick replenishment of their stock. That means that there is a sharp increase in the demand for commercial transportation services. The need for more commercial transportation increases the risk of a crash.

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 Posted on November 19, 2020 in Car Accidents

The cost of car insurance every month can sometimes come close to actual vehicle payments on leased or financed vehicles. Quite a few people will try to limit what they pay for insurance without stopping to think about the implications of doing so.

The less insurance you have, the more liability there is for you if there's a crash. Under Virginia law, the person responsible for the crash is the one whose insurance policy pays for the damages that result. When someone else crashes into you, if both they and you have the lowest coverage available, that could be financially disastrous.

The other person's policy may not be enough

Virginia state law only mandates $25,000 worth of liability coverage if someone causes injury to another person in the crash. If there are two or more people who get hurt, that amount only goes up to $50,000.

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 Posted on November 17, 2020 in Car Accidents

Some of the injuries people suffer in car crashes are obvious. A broken leg won't let someone put any weight on it, meaning they aren't going to casually walk away from a wreck, in most cases. Spinal cord injuries and amputations will also have dramatic, often instantly obvious symptoms.

The fact that so many collision injuries are catastrophic in nature may, unfortunately, lead some people to make a bad decision after getting into a car crash. If they don't notice signs of a horrific injury right at the scene of the collision, they may decline evaluation from paramedics who arrive at the scene of the crash and might go on with their day as though nothing happened instead of going to the doctor or the hospital for an exam.

Unfortunately, there can be both medical and legal consequences to that decision.

What are the legal consequences of not seeing a doctor after a crash?

If you get hurt in a crash but don't get diagnosed with an injury for several days or even a couple of weeks, the delay in evaluation and treatment might reduce your legal options. Insurance companies and the courts may be skeptical of claims related to injuries where a person did not receive care the same day that they got hurt.

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 Posted on November 12, 2020 in Car Accidents

When considering the leading causes of car accidents, it's easy to pick out specific issues. Texting is one example, and drunk driving is another. But are these really the main reasons for car accidents?

For young drivers, inexperience often plays a very big role. Experts note that the old cliche about perfection only coming with practice may understate the risks, but it's actually very accurate in this case. Drivers who have less experience are more prone to mistakes.

This is true in anything that you do. If you're learning to play an instrument, you're going to hit more wrong notes than someone who has been playing for a decade. If you're learning to ride a bike, you're going to be less secure and more likely to crash than someone who rides every day. It just comes with the territory. We accept this in all parts of life.

With driving, though, the major issue is that you have to put those inexperienced drivers on the road with other traffic so that they can gain experience. This is going to cause car accidents, just as playing an instrument causes wrong notes. There's no way around it. But those accidents can take lives or leave others with serious injuries. Is that fair? Of course not. But it is something every driver must consider.

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 Posted on November 03, 2020 in Car Accidents

Distracted drivers cause crashes because they can't keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. The few seconds they need to process what has happened near them, like a car braking for a kid with a ball, can mean causing a crash that another, more attentive driver could have prevented.

Even if you have fully committed yourself to avoiding distractions while driving, you are still at the mercy of the behavior of other people whenever you get out on the road. Most people already know that drunk drivers often swerve, make erratic maneuvers and either go way too fast or far under the speed limit, which makes them easy to identify.

Is it possible to identify and avoid someone distracted while driving?

Sometimes, distracted drivers are obvious and visible

Someone dramatically singing along to the radio, turning around in their seat to scream at a child in the back seat or holding their phone up by their wheel is easy to spot. Realizing that distraction involves not just mobile devices but also anything that takes your hands off the wheel, your eyes off the road or your mind off of driving conditions can help you broaden your search for questionable behavior.

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 Posted on October 27, 2020 in Car Accidents

Among the most common causes of truck crashes is a lack of vehicle maintenance. A truck requires regular maintenance because it goes thousands of miles every year. Trucks may be carrying thousands of pounds of cargo, too, which must stay in place to keep the driver and others around them safe.

Poor vehicle maintenance can mean that the truck becomes worn. When a large truck is worn, it could be prone to collisions. For example, bare tires may slide instead of having the tread needed to stop. Damaged clasps or latches on the truck could come loose or open so that the cargo ends up falling out onto the highway or shifting to cause a jackknife or rollover crash.

Worn brake pads, cracked windshields and other issues make any vehicle dangerous, but trucks are particularly so. Failing to check the rig at the beginning of each shift shows a complete lack of responsibility on the part of the driver and could lead to a fatal collision if anything goes wrong.

What should you do if you're hit by a poorly maintained vehicle?

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 Posted on October 27, 2020 in Motorcycle Accidents

As fall has arrived, it's an important time to talk about riding your motorcycle around fallen leaves. While they might not seem very dangerous, the truth is that piles of wet leaves can be slick and lead to collisions for cars and motorcycles alike.

To stay on the road, your vehicle needs to have friction with the road below. If the tires can't get a good grip, then you're more likely to slide and find yourself struggling to maintain control.

Riding in autumn always has its challenges. As you go out during this season, remember that you can stay safer if you look for leaves of any kind on the road. If you see them piled up, try to avoid them. Plan your routes so that you have an idea of where you can travel without running into piles of wet leaves or other debris on the roads.

Throughout the season, it's a good idea to slow down if you see obstacles that you think could cause a crash, like leaves, ice or snow. Slick surfaces are more likely during autumn as it moves into winter, so stay alert when you drive, and be prepared to slow down as you approach those hazards.

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 Posted on October 19, 2020 in Car Accidents

Everyone who drives on the roads in the Commonwealth of Virginia has a duty to do so in a safe manner. While most drivers meet this duty, there are some who allow negligence or recklessness to creep in when they're behind the wheel. Unfortunately, this can lead to crashes that cause serious injuries or fatalities.

Naturally, certain problems lead to car crashes more than others. If you're hoping to avoid a wreck, it can definitely help to understand some of the most common causes of car wrecks:

• Driver error: This includes accidents that are caused by speeding, fatigue, distractions, and impairment. The infuriating point that all of these have in common is that they could have been prevented if the driver had waited to drive until they're fully prepared to take on this responsibility.
• Road conditions: Inclement weather, including rain, snow, and fog can all cause visibility issues. Wet pavement can make it difficult for drivers to keep control of the vehicle, especially if drivers are going too fast for the conditions.

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 Posted on October 14, 2020 in Pedestrian Accidents

It doesn't matter where you're riding your bike or how much experience you have in the seat, you're always at risk of an accident. And for that reason, you should prepare to the best of your ability.

In addition to wearing all the necessary protective gear, such as a helmet, it's good to know the most common causes of bicycle accidents. Consider the following problems you may encounter on the road:

• Reckless drivers: This comes in many forms, such as speeding, failure to yield, failure to stop for pedestrians (cyclists) in a crosswalk and neglecting to stop at traffic lights and stop signs.
• Distracted driving: When a driver is distracted, they're not taking in everything that's happening around them. This increases the likelihood that they'll lose track of you, thus causing an accident.
• Driving under the influence: When a driver is intoxicated, they're not in the right frame of mind. The inability to make sound decisions and follow good judgment has the potential to cause an accident.

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