Good Lawyers in Injury Divorce DUI

Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone, and for the Los Angeles Police Department, it was just another day at work, cracking down on intoxicated drivers.  The City’s police officers did not disappoint, and were out in large numbers on Sunday. Officers conducted saturation patrols across the city to arrest drunk drivers.

Super Bowl Sunday is likely the biggest sporting event in the US calendar.  Unfortunately, it is also one of the deadliest days of the year, with a large number of drunk drivers on the streets and a high risk of alcohol-related car crashes. In 2008, Super Bowl Sunday was no different. Out of the total number of accidents that day, 49 percent of deaths occurred in accidents involving a driver or a motorcyclist with a BAC level of .08 percent or more.

Nationwide, law enforcement agencies were making use of innovative measures to get drivers to drive sober or get a designated driver. Sobriety checkpoints and patrols were a common theme for many law enforcement agencies across California on Super Bowl Sunday.

Any event that involves sports is also likely to be celebrated with heavy drinking. Add to that the fact that the typical Super Bowl audience consists of young and middle aged men, and you begin to understand why California law enforcement agencies has such a challenge on their hands at this time of the year. It’s tradition to watch a game at a Super Bowl party or at a restaurant or pub. Needless say, spirits can be high and once the game is over, fans are very likely to stumble out of the venue sloshed and in no position to drive.

Every year, alcohol related car accident fatalities account for about 30 percent of all accident fatalities in California. Although fatality rates in these accidents have been dropping steadily, drunk driving continues to be a major safety concern and a challenge for California law enforcement agencies.

Drunk driving fatality statistics are not the same for all people. As accident lawyers in California see, Men continue to be at a much higher risk of dying in a drunk driving accident than women. However, the gap between men and women in DUI crash fatalities seems to be narrowing. The percentage of women involved in alcohol-related car crashes has been increasing slowly.

Besides, young drivers and teen motorists are much more likely to be involved in a drunk driving accident. Motorists between the age of 15 and 20 are more at risk of accidents than any other factor. Among people in this age group, motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death, and drunk driving plays a big part in determining those numbers.

Efforts against drunk driving in California must focus harder on women, young male drivers and teen motorists. This could further reduce DUI fatality rates in the state.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of drunk driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

A Brentwood resident was killed in a motorcycle accident over the weekend. According to the California Highway Patrol, the 43-year-old motorcyclist was riding in the afternoon, when for unknown reasons, he veered off the roadway. The motorcycle crashed into a tree, ejecting the rider. The motorcyclist sustained serious injuries, and was rushed to the hospital, but died later.

So far, investigators don’t believe that drug use or alcohol use were a factor in this accident. There also seems to have been no other vehicles involved in the collision. However, this was the second motorcycle accident at the same intersection in a week. Last Thursday, another motorcyclist sustained serious injuries that required hospitalization.

Motorcycle accident lawyers in California would call for a closer look at the intersection where two serious motorcycle crashes occurred in a span of 7 days.  Considering that speeding and alcohol use have been ruled out as factors in the accident, it may be worth looking into whether a dangerous road design contributed to this accident.

Very often, a poorly designed road or intersection may continue to be used for years with no increase in crash rates. However, increased traffic and changing demographics may place the site at a higher risk of an accident. Unfortunately, shortage of funds to make enhancements to these roads, bridges and intersections may delay repairs.

The procedure to make a particular dangerous road safer can be an arduous one that can go on for years. State and county authorities, who are responsible for making the enhancements, will first determine the number of accidents that have taken place at the site over a period of time, and the amount and kind of traffic the area sees. If a site meets eligibility criteria for enhancements, it may be put on a priority list. Even after being placed on this list, it may still take months before funding is granted and all formalities are competed, before work can begin.

More than motorists, motorcyclists may be at risk from poor highway design or road construction. The basic design of a motorcycle can cause skidding, loss of control, and ejections when a motorcyclist hits an obstruction on the road, or when a suddenly steep curve causes him to lose control of his bike. The resulting consequences can be life threatening for the motorcyclist.  Loss of control can cause the motorcycle to flip over several times, throwing the rider off, and ending in serious injuries like head and brain injuries.

A motorcyclist wearing a helmet may, to some extent, be protected from traumatic brain injury. In fact, a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year found a strong correlation between the incidence of moderate to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and helmet use.  Motorcyclists who wore a helmet during an accident had a significantly higher chance of avoiding TBI. These motorcyclists were discharged from the hospital quicker, and incurred lowered hospital expenses than those who were not wearing their helmet.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of motorcycle accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

The US Department of Transportation has announced a ban on text messaging while driving for all commercial bus and truck drivers. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the ban this week, saying that the administration wants truck and bus drivers as well as the motorists who share the highways with them, to be safe. Under the new rule, commercial truck and bus drivers caught text messaging while driving, could face civil and criminal penalties that touch up to $2,750.

The ban which goes into effect immediately, is the most recent in a series of steps taken by the Department of Transportation to combat distracted driving. Many of these steps have been set in motion since the first Distracted Driving Summit was held in September-October 2009.

Since that summit, President Obama has signed an executive order banning federal employees from text messaging or using cell phones while driving government-issued vehicles. The Department of Transportation has also since then set up a website dedicated solely to combating distracted driving. The website called distraction.gov went live in January, and contains data and statistics related to distracted driving accidents across the country.

That was followed by the establishment of a new support group for survivors of distracted driving accident victims.  The organization is called FocusDriven, and aims to give a voice to the family members of those killed in distracted driving accidents. This new ban on text messaging while driving for commercial vehicle drivers is one more step designed to cut down the risks from distractions to truckers as well as motorists.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Anne Ferro says that these new regulations will help “prevent unsafe activities” by truck and bus drivers. Surveys conducted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have shown that truck drivers who text message while driving, take their eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds at a time. Truck drivers who send and receive text messages while driving are 20 times more likely to be involved in an accident than drivers who are not distracted while driving. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says that it is working on more regulations to combat the use of cell phones and other electronic communication devices while driving. These measures will be announced over the next few months.

California truck accident lawyers have been very encouraged over the past few months at several measures that aim to enhance safety for both truck drivers as well as motorists. Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it would revise the 11-hour Hours of Service rules for truck drivers. The agency has been under pressure from highway safety groups, and had agreed to revise the rules within a few months. That step had been welcomed by California truck accident attorneys who have been strong supporters of lowering the HOS rules back to the earlier 10-hour rule.  Now with the new ban on texting while driving, truck accident fatality rates are likely to decline further.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of bus accidents and truck accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

The slowdown in the economy has had at least one happy after effect in Monterey County.  The California Highway Patrol has confirmed that there were fewer numbers of fatal accidents on Salinas highways last year, as people cut down on driving to save on gasoline expenses.

According to the California Highway Patrol, the agency’s Monterey office investigated a total of 21 fatal accidents in 2009. These crashes resulted in 26 fatalities.  That was a drop of 22 percent in the number of accidents over the previous year. It was also a drop of 25 percent in fatalities compared to the figures of 2008. That year, the California Highway Patrol investigated a total of 27 accidents, which left 35 people dead.  The King City area saw 4 fatal accidents that caused 7 fatalities in 2009, compared to 7 fatal accidents which caused 8 fatalities the previous year.

According to the CHP in Monterey, the drop in accident fatalities has been due to increased enforcement activities and stronger awareness campaigns. However, even the California Highway Patrol has not been able to deny that 2009 saw fewer motorists driving, and hence fewer accidents.

The Monterey area also saw two high profile multiple fatality accidents in 2009. In April last year, a tour bus accident on highway 101 in Soledad killed 5 people, including the driver of the bus. The bus had been carrying a group of French tourists, when it overturned on a remote highway. In May 2009, an accident involving a Honda Accord on highway 101 killed 4 people in the Accord.

Across the country, highway fatalities have dropped over the past few years.   There is still no way of confirming for sure that this drop occurred because of the economic slowdown.  However, the fact is that people tend to drive lesser during times of financial crisis. When jobs are in peril and the employment rates are high, people are more likely to save on fuel expenses, by cutting down on non-essential trial. As the year progresses, California auto accident lawyers will have a much clearer picture of the reasons for the dip in fatalities last year.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has upgraded and expanded its investigation into dozens of complaints that airbags on some F-150 pickups deployed suddenly and without warning, leading to injuries. The investigation has been updated to an engineering analysis, which may be the last step before a recall is announced. However, there is no indication that a recall of Ford pickups is in the works. Last year, the NHTSA had launched a preliminary review of 2005 pickups. The updated investigation now covers pickup trucks of model year 2004 to 2006.

The problem involves airbags that deploy without necessity, causing serious injuries. The Ford Motor Company has received 300 complaints from owners of F-150 pickups that the driver’s side airbag deployed suddenly and without warning. These deployments resulted in 60 injuries, including facial cuts and wounds to the hands and arms. At least two people lost consciousness after the airbags deployed, striking them in the face. Ford Motor Company said it is cooperating with its investigation. The company believes that the problem may be due to an electrical short in the airbag/horn assembly.

Airbags are doubtlessly one of the most important safety devices in an automobile, and are highly recommended by California personal injury lawyers. When used together with seatbelts, they can prevent serious head injuries, and every year are responsible for saving 1000 lives. However, these devices are also responsible for several injuries every year. According to the NHTSA, since 1987, 22,466 people have escaped fatal injuries in an accident because of the use of airbags. However, since 1990 the agency estimates that there have also been 284 airbag-related deaths.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of motor vehicle defects and airbag failures. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

California auto accident lawyers are always very encouraged when state law enforcement agencies focus on innovative ways to educate motorists and enhance traffic safety. The California Highway Patrol has announced that it will partner with the Ventura County Medical Center to present a traffic safety program for teen motorists and their parents. The program called Start Smart will be held next week at the new Ventura County Medical Center cafeteria in Ventura.  The classes will be held on Tuesday at 7pm, and will be free of cost.

The program includes tips and information for teen motorists on avoiding accidents. There will also be a focus on DUI awareness, as well as information on traffic laws in California. Teen motorists are one of the highest risk groups for auto accidents in California. In fact, auto accidents are the number one cause of death for teens between the age of 15 and 20. Therefore, any efforts that focus on teen motorist safety must be encouraged.

• There are several factors that increase the risk of accidents for teen motorists.
• These motorists are younger and inexperienced
  They tend to be influenced by peer pressure.
• They may face risks from distractions from their teen passengers.
• Teen motorists may also have a love of adventure which manifests itself as recklessness.

The California Office of Traffic Safety has also launched an innovative new strategy to improve traffic safety, and bring down accident rates in California. The Office of Traffic Safety has launched a Facebook page. The page was launched during the annual California Holiday Drunk Driving Enforcement Campaign. The Office of Traffic Safety intends for the page to be used to communicate directly with California’s motorists, including teen motorists and young drivers through interactive applications and regular updates. The OTS kicked off the Facebook page with a Mocktail Recipe contest. Fans of the page were required to send in their recipes for non-alcoholic beverages that could be served to designated drivers during the holiday season.

The use of social networking media has increased phenomenally over the past couple of years. The Office of Traffic Safety seems to have recognized that there is only so much impact that can be had by blaring out safe driving messages. It makes much more sense to go where California’s motorists are. Facebook is easily the largest social networking site with 350 million members, and counting. Taking the message to Facebook will allow the OTS to interact with California’s motorists. The Facebook page encourages people to share their thoughts, driving experiences and ask questions about auto and traffic safety.

Initiatives like the Facebook page are especially effective because Facebook is hugely popular with teen motorists. These are the motorists that California law enforcement agencies will have to more strongly target if they want to bring abut a drop in the number of auto accidents in the state.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of auto accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.