Car Accident

Causes of Serious Auto Accidents

June 27, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

Have you ever driven past an accident on the side of a highway and thought, “What in the world happened?” Sometimes it’s not easy to actually tell what happened at the scene of an accident, especially when you only have a few seconds to assess the scene before you drive right by.

Now you may not have to wonder about these accidents any longer. The Auto Insurance Center, an information and news site dedicated to keeping up with the latest in car insurance news, began researching the answer to that very question. The center combed through records in the United States from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatal Accident Reporting System, which has been keeping records on every serious and fatal car crash in the United States from 2009 to 2013.

The data itself showcased the number of pedestrian, driver, and passenger deaths that resulted from those accidents. When the center finished compiling their information, that made a color-coded map to show which fatal accident was the most common in each state. The map included nine colors:

Auto Accidents Are Top Cause of Teen Deaths in US

May 24, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

To most parents, there is nothing more terrifying than letting a teenager get his or her license and start driving. Parents tend to imagine every possible worst-case scenario – the car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, a drunk driver hits the teen’s vehicle – and really, they have cause to worry.

A new report states that auto accidents are actually the number one killer of teenagers in the United States, beating out both homicide and suicide. The study, which was funded by the General Motors Foundation, says that both drivers and passengers are at risk.

The report was mostly based off a national survey that looked at 1,000 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 19. According to the report’s findings, 2,439 teenagers died in 2012 due to auto accidents on U.S. roads. Of those teenagers, about 56 percent of them were driving at the time, and 44 percent of them were passengers at the time. The study also found that more than half of those killed did not put on a seat belt.

Are Sacramento School Zones Safe?

May 20, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

Whenever you see the yellow diamond-shaped sign with two black figures crossing a road, you know you’ve entered a school zone. Typically the speed limit drops, and drivers need to be extra cautious to avoid hitting any parents and children when school is in session.

Whether or not school zones in Sacramento are safe depends almost exclusively on the drivers and the attention to the road. Most research concludes that each year roughly 100 children are killed on their way to or from school, and another 25,000 are injured in accidents around school zones.

Of course, children should be taught how to stop, look and listen when crossing the street, and many school districts employ crossing guards to get children safely across the street. However, neither of those factors excuse a negligent, distracted driver who is speeding through a school zone.

Explosive Car Accidents

May 18, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

When a car crash suddenly goes from bad to explosive, there is little you or any other bystander can do about it. One evening around 10 pm in 2002, a California man driving a black Ferrari at high speeds suddenly lost control of his vehicle and went veering off to the left where the car struck several trees on a grassy median and then went into the other lanes before finally stopping. After that horrific crash, the car caught on fire.

Luckily, the driver and his passenger were just able to make it out of the car before it was inflamed, and no one else was injured. The Ferrari did not hit any other vehicles.

While rare, cars catching on fire are highly dangerous and definitely something you want to avoid, but do you know what to do if something like this does happen to your car? Let us tell you what you should know if you ever find yourself in this situation. Of course, every situation will be unique, but if you generally know what to do and what not to do, you’ll be ready for the emergency.

The Benefit of Uninsured Motorist Coverage

May 16, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

Personal injury lawsuits can really do a number on your finances. When you are hit by another driver, usually you will rely on their insurance to pay for the damages to your car as well as any medical fees. If the driver is uninsured, you will probably go after the driver with a personal injury lawsuit, but no matter what, it will cost you plenty of time and energy.

Some states are better than others when it comes to personal injury and safety. WalletHub.com rated all 50 states plus the District of Columbia in order from the riskiest states that will hit your wallet the hardest (#1) to the most lenient states that may save you money but not protection (#51). To judge the level of safety, the site looked at the level of auto insurance required for drivers.

Auto accidents are one of the leading causes for many personal injury lawsuits, and not all states require drivers to have enough insurance to cover damages. That means if another car in the state with the least strict laws hits you, there’s a good chance you will end up paying for your own damages, unless you chose to go after that driver in a personal injury lawsuit.

California’s Worst Celebrity Car Crashes

May 11, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

California is famous for many things but one thing may be more accurately termed as infamous; celebrity car accidents. There is a high concentration of celebrities in this state, so it stands to reason there would be more celebrity auto accidents here but the fact is still dismaying. Often times it is the excesses of success that lead to the accident. Plentiful, drugs, alcohol and little responsibility can be a dangerous combination. Other times it is road construction, negligent drivers or just dumb luck. Regardless of how it happens, our California roads have taken many famous lives.

Paul Walker

Paul Walker is the most recent celebrity to die on California roadways. He was a passenger traveling with friend, Roger Rodas, who was a Pro-Am racer and also Walkers financial advisor. They had left a charity event in Rodas’s Porsche. While no drugs or alcohol played a part in this terrible accident that left Paul Walker dead and burning in a car on a Hercules Street in Santa Clarita, California, careless, childish drag racing may have. Police have made no connection between the accident and drag racing, although the section of the road the accident occurred on is popular for drifting cars, they did, however, say that speed was definitely a factor. The area was a 45 mph zone. Reports show the car going in speeds excess of 100 mph.

The Most Dangerous Roads in the State of California

May 5, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

California Highway 138

It is no surprise that California is home to some of the most dangerous roads in the country. Partly due to road construction, partly our area geography, our roads are infamous for devastating and taking lives. The areas of Orange County and neighbors such as San Bernardino, San Diego, and Los Angeles are the most dangerous. While knowing this fact is uncomfortable for drivers, being aware of the danger is a big step in avoiding it.

Highway 138

Highway 138 gained its notoriety when the television show Dateline investigated its deadly reputation for its story on America’s most deadly roadways. The section east of Palmdale and west of Interstate 15 was determined to be the worst area of road in the country. The problem is said to be the wide variety of dangers faced on the road as it typifies the issues California drivers face on the states profusion of two lane highways. In its early days, Highway 138 served as a rural, farm to market travel way. The traffic was slim to none, except on market days. Its original travelers were in considerably smaller cars, going at much slower speeds. Today, the vehicles are much greater in number, size and speed, overloading the original intent of the highway. To add insult to injury, modern day travelers have designated the highway the short and scenic route to Las Vegas, hence it is often inundated with drunk drivers.

Marijuana and DUI – What Does California Law Say?

April 14, 2015 | by Moseley Collins

Marijuana laws in the United States are changing rapidly. It seems every few months another state has another bill to introduce, either in favor or against in some way. It is a controversial subject with remnants of prohibition days thrown about. Someone traveling across the country be alternately criminal and noncriminal as they sped down the Interstate. Regardless of the laws for possession, all states have outlawed the use of marijuana while driving. Marijuana is widely used, not only throughout the United States, but the world. It is said to be the most widely used of all illicit drugs. No matter how common it is or how innocent the public believes it to be, use of marijuana causes delayed reactions due to physical and mental impairment that can impair driving.

Far more research has been done on driving under the influence of alcohol than marijuana. Research into marijuana highs tells us it has physical and mental effects that will impair the ability to drive. THC is the element in marijuana which causes the adverse effects. While some states do test impaired drivers for specific target levels of THC, California does not define specific levels to qualify as under the influence. Statistics have shown roughly 6 to 11 percent of fatal accident victims test positive for THC. Although significantly lower than alcohol fatal statistics, it is still a public safety issue that must be adequately addressed.

Penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana are the same as driving under the influence of alcohol as per California Vehicle Code 23152(e) VC. The fact that California does not detect specific measures of THC in it’s DUI marijuana arrests, it can make those cases hard to prove. The prosecution must be able to prove a person was driving a vehicle, was under the influence of marijuana and that said marijuana impaired the person’s driving ability in order to convict them of DUI.

Pecuniary Recovery May Still be Possible in Single Car Calamities

August 5, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

When people imagine horrible car accidents it is most often involving another car. Nightmarish flashes of drunk drivers and irresponsible big rig operators occur when talk of tragic car accidents comes up. Surprisingly, studies have shown that most fatalities occur in single car crashes. AAA Mid-Atlantic produced studies of 8,000 fatal crashes over a period of five years. More than half died in single car crashes.

Survivors of single car accidents, including families of fatal victims, are faced with monetary issues that are often insurmountable. Grief, sadness and mental anguish added to financial difficulties clouds the thought process considerably. Many victims in these cases wrongly assume they cannot seek monetary recompense for damages accrued in the accident. There are some instances when a victim can seek financial compensation even though there were no other drivers involved.

When a third party is responsible for a single car crash they can be held responsible for damages accrued. Negligent drivers taking part in unsafe driving practices do not fit into this category. Unsafe driving practices include drunk driving or driving impaired, speeding, tailgating and distracted driving among others.

Pedestrians Hit By Cars: When to Settle With the Insurance Company

April 22, 2014 | by Moseley Collins

Pedestrians hit by automobiles often have the same question; should I just settle with the insurance company or is there a smarter option? While this may seem to be a simple question, the ramifications are tremendous. Unfortunately, insurance companies have built a sturdy business model by making their offers seem far more lucrative than they are. Choosing to settle with an insurance company can mean a decision to go into debt.

More often than not, the answer is to hire a personal injury attorney to represent your legal rights and pursue who is responsible for your injuries. A personal injury attorney has the experience to recognize the many and varied tricks insurance agents use to give accident victims lower settlements. Insurance agents can confuse the issues surrounding a pedestrian accident to the point where a victim will settle for a considerably lower amount than they should have.

Insurance companies don’t like to give settlements to pedestrians involved in accidents and may refuse. They use any excuse possible to infer the pedestrian was at fault. If the pedestrian was drinking, for instance, the insurance company will say he or she was drunk and caused the accident.