Posted on December 23, 2020 in Pedestrian Accidents

If you're a runner and you're looking for ways to stay safe, you know that one of the greatest risks you face is running at night. Drivers just tend not to see you. You may have the "cross" signal at an intersection, but just stepping out into the street could result in being struck by a turning vehicle.

Reflective vests can work, but the issue is that they need lights to be pointed at them in order to reflect that light. A driver who is turning is not pointing the lights at you until the last second. If you've thought about adding an LED vest into your safety gear but you're not sure about how well they work.

Here's what you should know:

Flashing lights are best for safety

These vests absolutely can help. LED lights are long-lasting and do not add much weight as you go for a run. They stand out in the dark, even when headlights are not pointed in your direction. This is an easy way to make sure that drivers see you before they turn.

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 Posted on December 21, 2020 in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Truck drivers have a big job, and they have to be cautious about how they handle their rigs at all times. When a truck driver loses control, there is a risk that the trailer could jackknife. If no one is in the way, there is a possibility that the driver could get the vehicle back under control. However, the large trailer is more likely to swing across several lanes and into traffic — and that can lead to serious accidents.

What should truck drivers do to avoid jackknifing?

While it may not always be 100% possible to avoid a problem with a truck, jackknifing is preventable. Drivers should remember the following:

• To avoid jackknifing, truck drivers should always do their best to carry a heavier load. Underweight trailers are more likely to swing out. Those loads must also be properly secured and balanced so that they do not suddenly shift as a driver moves around a bend.

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 Posted on December 18, 2020 in Car Accidents

Virginia is a beautiful state, with plenty of rolling hills and gorgeous scenery — but it's got a lot of snow and ice in the winter. That can make driving particularly treacherous, especially when you may be doing it in the dark.

What can you do to make winter driving safer?

You can't do anything about the weather, but you can make sure you're ready to handle it. With that in mind, follow these tips:

• Get your car checked for any issues. You need to make sure your tires are in good shape, your brakes are working properly, your lights and blinkers are operational and you have a snow-scraper and de-icer on hand.
• Build extra time into your schedule. During the summer months, you may head out the door every day at the last minute, coffee in hand. In winter, rushing can be dangerous. Start adding extra time into your schedule so you're never forced to hurry on bad roads.
• Clear your car before you drive. Building that extra time into your routine can also make it easier to clear the snow off your car before you drive away. Driving around with a pile of snow on your roof can lead to an accident if it suddenly falls down over your windshield.

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 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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