And if a person is sick and single, or at least left to fend for themselves at home while their spouse or significant other is at work, it seems that driving is required to get to the store in order to get some (any) relief…and ice cream. Walking long distances when you barely have the energy to lift your head seems overwhelming, but getting to the car is just as hard.

However, now science has stepped forward and proven that driving with a heavy cold can affect ability to the same extent as drinking more than four double whiskies. Wow, now that IS a frat party!

Driving With A Cold

Could the most dangerous people on the road potentially be totally sober, if not for the bacteria that’s trying it’s hardest to consume them? Safety experts suggest the answer could be “yes.”

British Insurance company Young Marmalade, which carried out the research jointly with UK car and bike accessory manufactuerer, Halfords, say that they have found a dramatic increase in poor driving when cold sufferers were subjected to scientific tests.

Researchers say that driver’s reaction times dropped sharply when they had severe cold symptoms, sudden braking became much more frequent and cornering became erratic as the test subjects were found to be less aware of what was around them.

The research team used what is called a “telematic” box, which records drivers’ speed, braking, and cornering, just like the little black box one might find on an airplane. After a thorough examination of the data, researchers found that a participant who had an “excellent” driving rating of 95% when healthy dropped to 60% when suffering from a cold.

Based on a common UK rating system, a person at 60% should expect to be involved in an accident and may be deemed uninsurable by normal insurance companies. It inspired Young Marmalade to issue a warning for motorists not to drive with heavy colds or flu.

“We would advise a commonsense approach. A heavy cold can impair a driver’s mood, concentration and judgment, if you don’t feel well don’t drive,” they said.

Cardiff University Common Cold Unit in South Wales has also come out with similar conclusions from research they conducted in 2011 involving cold and flu sufferers. They found that their subjects had poor reaction times and alertness, putting them at risk of being involved in an serious car accident.

Symptoms of Bad Driving

Though it is almost impossible to truly gauge statistically, insurance companies suspect sick drivers are responsible for thousands of accidents every year. Police warn that drivers getting behind the wheel while suffering a heavy cold could potentially be putting other drivers at risk and could be found to be driving under the influence (DUI) if they’ve been found to have consumed too much over the counter medicines with alcohol in them. However, they also warn that flus and colds can lead to dangerous, even reckless, behavior.

“Sneezing can be very violent, especially with a severe cold and causes the sufferer to close their eyes temporarily,” said Pc Steve Rounds, of the Central Motorway Police Group.

Symptoms that should make you reconsider driving:

Fever (100º F or greater) – Fevers can cause lightheadedness and confusion and have even been known to cause hallucinations if they are greater than 104º. Every flu is accompanied a temperature, but if it exceeds 100º do not operate a vehicle.

Headache – A mild headache and operating a vehicle can be fine, but a flu headache resembles that of a migraine. Light and sound are abrasive and painful causing the sufferer to close their eyes and beg for quiet and darkness. Flu headaches can cause blurred vision, excessive blinking, confusion, and severe shooting pain. You should not drive with those symptoms.

Muscle aches – These are irritating, but driving with them is not a potential cause of a car accident unless pain medication is taken (see below).

Chills – This is a sign of a fever and should prompt the sufferer to stay in bed.

Extreme tiredness – This is a very bad symptom to be driving on. Drowsy driving causes thousands of car accidents and thousands of deaths and injuries every year as tired drivers drift into oncoming lanes and off of roads.

Coughing or Sneezing – A hacking cough or excessive sneezing can cause the driver to take their hand temporarily off of the wheel and may cause them to close their eyes. This can be a problem when accidents can happen in a split second.

Runny nose – This symptom is just irritating and gross, but doesn’t really contribute to accidents. But driving with one hand while the other is occupied with a tissue only adds to the over dangerousness of driving with a cold.

Seattle Car Accident Attorney

Washington law is very specific about its reckless driving laws, including such things as tailgating, speeding, and driving erratically. Though it may be found that sick drivers are not under the influence of cough syrup or other cold and flu drugs, if they get into a car accident they could potentially be found negligent reckless driving by driving erratically.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident in the state of Washington, you need an experienced representative to assure you receive the best settlement. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.
Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car Accidents and Insurance Coverage
• Legal Questions about Car Accidents

When some people make a mistake, they like to blame the alcohol. “I was drunk!” they might say, but this is seldom an excuse used by drunk drivers for obvious reasons. So how do they explain away their behavior? Well, who knows or cares, because as new research shows, there are no good excuses when it comes to DUI, because the drivers are fully aware of what they’re doing.

That’s right, DUI drivers can now give a laundry list of excuses, but that won’t eliminate the fact that they were completely aware that they had been drinking and were then getting into a car and that is not only a mistake, but illegal.

DUI Awareness Study

The new study called Alcohol Effects on Performance Monitoring and Adjustment: Affect Modulation and Impairment of Evaluative Cognitive Control, can be seen in the upcoming edition of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and was paid for by the The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the University of Missouri Research Board.

The study took brain tests of 67 people and showed that alcohol dulls a mechanism in the brain that tells an individual to stop their behavior when they realize they’re making mistakes. Essentially, the study shows that people who commit blunders while under the influence of alcohol know they’re doing it; they just don’t care.

“This isn’t the first study that shows alcohol alters the behavior of those who consume it, but it’s the first to show they don’t care that they’re making mistakes,” said Bartholow, associate professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia and lead researcher.

The implications of this study is that people who put the public in danger by drinking and getting behind the wheel can’t blame it on not having control because they are fully aware of their behavior, the potential for serious car accidents.

The study group derived of people between the ages of 21 and 35 that were broken into three groups:

Group A – One-third of the participants received drinks with enough alcohol to raise their blood levels to just under the legal driving limit of .08 blood alcohol content (BAC). Researchers noted that all participants in the control group got the same amount and they didn’t measure if the effect was gradual.

Group B – Another third of the participants received non-alcoholic placebo drinks, however they didn’t know if the drinks contained alcohol or not.

Group C - A third received drinks they knew contained no alcohol.

Each group was then assigned tasks designed to elicit mistakes. Researchers used devices on the participants to measure brain activity as the subjects took the tests. Medical technology exists to measure brain activity for impulse control, emotion, mood and other functions. With these devices they recorded results as they observed various factors in participants behavior during the tests such as

• Mood and demeanor
• Accuracy in computer tasks
• Perception of accuracy in the tasks

Though this was a computerized test and not a driving simulator, the moral and reactionary tests were similar. When the mechanism is working, researchers observed that the participants that didn’t ingest alcohol slow down and either tried not to make the mistake again, or they take corrective action. However, the control group that had alcohol was observed to be more likely to disregard the moral stop sign, even though they knew what they were doing.

It became apparent that non-drinkers had normal activity in the part of the brain that regulated recognizing mistakes, whereas drinkers had less activity.

“Normally, someone who makes mistakes is aware and makes an effort not to make that mistake again,” Bartholow said. “Drinkers made less of an effort or simply moved past their errors even though they knew they’d made errors.”

The dulling of the brain’s mistake alarm only occurred among people who had alcoholic beverages, he said, and added that using alcohol doesn’t allow someone to escape culpability.

Drinking and Driving In Washington State

Washington State DUI laws, like most laws around the world, prohibit the operation of a motor vehicle by a driver not only under the influence of alcohol, but also under the influence of a controlled substance such as marijuana, cocaine, inhalants and other intoxicants. These include prescription drugs that specifically warn against operating machinery.

The .08 percent limit is a general standard used across the US to determine which drivers are “impaired.” Washington has lower BAC limits for commercial drivers (.04) and drivers under the age of 21 (.02). This ensures that underage drivers and commercial drivers stay alert and responsible.

The DUI limits translate as such:

DRINK EQUIVALENTS: 1 drink / 1 dose equals:

• 1 1/2 ounces of rum, rye, scotch, brandy, gin, vodka etc.
• 1 12-oz. bottle of normal-strength beer 3-4%
• Approximately 7 – 8 oz. of Malt Liquor, or a strong micro brew.
• 3 ounces of fortified wine
• 4 – 5 ounces of table wine

Allow an hour per dose before returning to work. Example 2 glasses of wine, allow two hours from time of last dose.

Seattle DUI Victims Lawyers

If you or a loved one sustain serious personal injuries caused by a drunk driver then it is imperative that you find a good lawyer with a proven track record of success in personal injury litigation. Call Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Types of Injuries Sustained in a Car Accident
• Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit
• Personal Injury Settlements

This trend and safety advocate concerns have not fallen on deaf ears. Ray LaHood, the Chairman of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), has made many very public statements against the use of cell phones by both commercial drivers and the larger public. Not only that, there has been very large public committee meetings in both congress and senate concerning this issue.

All of this has led up to today, where the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) called for a national ban on the use of PEDs, the first large government organization to make such a drastic move.

Distracted Driving Research

This decision comes after some pretty extensive research. Though car phones have been available for several decades, they were exclusively used by the wealthy. In the words of NTSB Chairwoman Deborah Hersman, distracted driving has been a problem “since the Model T.” This changed in the early ninties, when low priced and free cell phones entered the market. Almost overnight it was apparent that there was a new danger on the road, but it took a decade for serious studies to begin regarding the concern.

Authorities say the danger become even more ubiquitous with the explosion in the number of portable smart phones. In the last two decades, there has been exponential growth in the use of cell-phone and personal electronic devices. Globally, there are 5.3 billion mobile phone subscribers or 77 percent of the world population. In the United States, that percentage is even higher – it exceeds 100 percent.

At any given moment during business hours, it is estimated that 13.5 million drivers are on hand-held phones, according to a study released last week by the NHTSA.

“Some 3,092 roadway fatalities last year involved distracted drivers, although the actual number may be far higher,” a NHTSA representative said. “However, because distracted drivers sometimes die during the crash or rarely fess up to their actions, determining whether distraction was a factor in an accident can be difficult.”

Serious Distracted Driving Events

The NTSB announcement was accompanied by a series of events that had been studied in order to come to the conclusion. They specifically cited a 2010 Missouri accident where a driver of a pickup sent 11 texts in the 11 minutes leading up to a chain reaction accident where he rear-ended a semi truck, then was rear-ended by a school bus, which was rear-ended by another school bus following it. All of this resulted in two deaths and 38 personal injuries.

An experienced motorcoach driver was distracted in 2004 by his hands-free cell phone, causing him to stay in the far right lane, failing to move to the center lane, causing the bus he was driving to strick the underside of an arched stone bridge on the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia. Eleven of the 27 high school students were injured.

In the 2008 collision of a commuter train with a freight train in Chatsworth, California, the commuter train engineer, who had a history of using his cell phone for personal communications while on duty, ran a red signal while texting. That train collided head on with a freight train – killing 25 and injuring dozens.

In 2009, two airline pilots were out of radio communication with air traffic control for more than an hour because they were distracted by their personal laptops. They overflew their destination by more than 100 miles, only realizing their error when a flight attendant inquired about preparing for arrival.

In Philadelphia in 2010, a barge being towed by a tugboat ran over an amphibious “duck” boat in the Delaware River, killing two Hungarian tourists. The tugboat mate failed to maintain a proper lookout due to repeated use of a cell-phone and laptop computer.

In 2010, near Munfordville, Kentucky, a truck-tractor in combination with a 53-foot-long trailer, left its lane, crossed the median and collided with a 15-passenger van. The truck driver failed to maintain control of his vehicle because he was distracted by use of his cell-phone. The accident resulted in 11 fatalities.

Distracted Driving Laws

Making a law national is a big step, particularly when there is such a heavy sentiment surrounding states rights in the US. As you can see by the graph, there is still an uphill battle on defining what is and is not distracted driving and appropriate behavior when driving a car.

Types of PDEs:

Cell Phones – These can be used with a hands free earpiece or onboard speaker system, however, some studies that having both hands on the wheel or having one side of your face unobstructed has caused on change in the level of distraction. This has caused some experts to recommend ending all calls in the vehicle while it’s moving.

Texting – This activity while driving has proven to be akin to being equal to being over the legal drinking limit. In fact, some studies have suggested that texting drivers could be equal to twice the legal limit in ability and attention.

Tablets – These may not belong when driving, yet people use them while driving anyway, just like reading the newspaper or a book while driving. Instead, they’re surfing the internet, even more distracting.

On Board Systems – The computer systems with touch screens in the newest cars coming out are specific to vehicles, but are not a ton different from a tablet or home computer. They are able to retrieve GPS information just as easily as take a call or retrieve email. This is equal to, or possibly more, detrimental to drivers.

All of these systems can cause serious distractions. Should they become illegal to use while the vehicle is moving? Some suggest that technology could be the answer to a technology problem. There is software on the market now that causes any phone going faster than 15 mph to be rendered useless. Will new technology be able to compensate for passing a law? Perhaps it will be easier to require.

Puget Sound Auto Accident Lawyer

If you or someone you know has suffered a serious personal injury after getting into a car accident with a distracted driver, then you need skilled legal council to represent you to assure that you get the compensation you deserve. Call the Seattle car accident lawyers at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car Accidents and Insurance Coverage
• Legal Questions about Car Accidents

These features are important to car makers because research shows that women are involved and 80% of all car purchases in the United States and 60% of all final decisions in purchasing vehicles. With this kind of influence it’s no wonder car manufacturers pander things women find important. However, the top thing that women find important on the list of needs is safety.

The issue of safety as a marketing tool is not new to the car industry, but it has only been in the last two decades that the car industry has been voluntarily attempting to out do each other with safety features, knowing that safety sells cars. Yet, research is coming out now that cars being safe for children or occupants may not include specifically women. Moreover, cars may be designed more for men despite their bigger cup holders or other female-focused features.

Women and Car Accidents

Through the years there have been numerous studies focusing on the differences between the way men and women drive and the outcome. It may come as no surprise that young men are considered some of the most dangerous things on the road because of their propensity to speed, take risks, and drink and drive. Yet, injuries amongst women remains disproportional.

Researchers have set out to seek answers to the impropriety in personal injuries. Reporting in the American Journal of Public Health have disputed the behavioral causes of women and injuries. They say another explanation could be the design of safety features. They suggest that women are more likely to sustain injuries in an auto accident because safety features are designed more with men in mind, a new study that was a joint effort between University of Virginia and Navarra University in Spain has said.

Combing through a decade of data about US motor vehicle accidents, three researchers found the odds of serious injury for female drivers wearing seat belts were 47% higher than those of men in a comparable mishap.

The study says that women face a higher risk of injuries from seat belt configurations due to the lower extremities because of their shorter stature. They also say that the positioning of head restraints fails to take into account how women’s necks are different in size and strength.

To address such sex-specific disparity, “health policies and vehicle regulations must focus on effective safety designs specifically tailor toward the female population for equity in injury reduction,” the researchers said.

Car Accident Injuries and Women

Shoulder Injuries – Women are more prone to shoulder injuries in car accidents. Side impact tests have shown that the armrest in many cars are level with the bumper of many normal sized cars on the road. This puts the impact on the elbow and lower humerus causing a lever effect that can pop the shoulder out. Truck bumpers are much higher and can cause a direct hit on the shoulder causing much more damage in women.

According to Dr. Bridget Quinn, physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, “Men are stronger up top than women. The combination of not having strong shoulder muscles, including the rotator cuff and periscapular muscles, and having loose supporting tissues can lead to instability in the shoulder.”

Knee Injuries – Women are more flexible than men and thus their ligaments are not as taught. This can lead to a condition known as “miserable malalignment,” which weakens their kneecaps and weakness in their inner quadricep and pelvic muscles. In a front end or side impact accident a serious rotation injury can occur causing serious damage to the joint and possible permanent damage. Knee injuries are extremely common in car accidents.

Stress Fractures – A head on auto accident can cause a stress fracture as people tend to tense and straighten their legs right before impact. Women have a lower bone density, thus they are more prone to fracture as the bone bends. A stress fracture resulting in a leg injury from a car accident can trigger a life long concern for re-injury in women, particularly those that lead highly active lifestyles.

Pelvic Injuries – During a car accident pelvic injuries are most related to seat belts. Seat belts will save a person’s life, so always wear one, no exceptions, but in a car accident there is also a chance for injury caused by the seat belt. In the event of a pelvic fracture this can also lead to internal bleeding. After an accident women should be monitored and aware that pelvic splintering and internal injuries are a real danger even days after.

Osteoporosis Related Injuries – Osteoporosis is a disease that causes a progressive decrease in bone density. Bones are porous and the pores get larger and larger causing the bones to be brittle and fragile. Women occupy the vast majority of the osteoporosis patients at over 80%. This is very common for women to have after menopause and can get worse as they age. In a car accident osteoporosis renders women far more prone to serious injury than their younger female counterparts and men in general.

Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

Some may speculate that smaller individuals are naturally more prone to injury because of lower muscle mass, thus a prevalence of injury is to be expected. But design definitely an issue. This is demonstrated by the research done in how children fit in child seats and how they need adjustable configurations to compensate for their size. This is particularly true with regards to where and how the seatbelt sits on their lap.

Perhaps seatbelt configuration is first place car companies need to look for adjustments for designing a real “girl car” that not only has the amenities, but also safety suited specifically for women.

Women experiencing personal injuries from a car accident may have more to lose also due to internal injuries to reproductive organs hampering their life long dream to have children and a family. These and all other types of injuries deserve compensation. If you or someone you know gets injured in a car accident you need an experienced representative to deal with the insurance companies to assure you the best settlement. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car Accidents and Insurance Coverage
• Legal Questions about Car Accidents

Bad habits by drivers are universal and passed down from bad drivers to children-of-bad-drivers as the kids ride around in the back seat and watch their parents yammer away at the phone and eat breakfast while they drive. This is apparent by the fact that many teen drivers start driving with bad habits rather than form them over time.

Now, research is coming out that puts the spotlight on some of those bad habits and show us that they have the potential to cause a serious auto accident.

Bad Habit Research

Kia Motors conducted a survey of 2,000 drivers in the United Kingdom to determine the cause of distractions which increases the motorists’ risk of being involved in an accident. Sure, I know what you’re thinking, “they drive on the wrong side of the road, what do they know?” Well, they have far fewer accidents per capita and still have problems with bad habits, so we can learn something here.

Kia published the results of their survey this week and researchers found that an average of 1.84 distractions per day were experienced, with the most popular cause being cited as the bad behavior from other drivers, and the second being the behavior of other passengers in the vehicle. Two things cited by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) here in the US as major causes of car accidents.

It takes confidence to drive distracted, especially when there are others in the car, but those aren’t the only distractions. The poll revealed 24% also revealed that an attractive pedestrian qualified as a distraction. However, that changed when the sun went down, as only 1% admitted to driving confidently with due care after dark.

This means that 99% of motorists surveyed cited a number of factors that only occurred at night. Nearly every driver surveyed felt that they personally experience more hazardous occurrences during dark or low visibility conditions. That speaks volumes about the driving confidence of other road users.

However, it wasn’t just the time of day that was a hazard, the day of the week also factored into the confidence of a driver and when they would engage in bad habits. Kia’s study found that drivers were the most uncomfortable with driving on a Monday. This is  because it marked the start of the working week, yet, it also inspired those surveyed to drive with more caution. They reported being more alert, making it statistically the safest day on the roads. For weekday commutes, Thursdays on the other hand were the most dangerous day of the week, as drivers were more relaxed.

Bad Driving Habits and Car Accidents

In Western Washington, as mentioned above, bad habits may be a potential contributing factor in our horrid national safe diving rating. Laws have been passed to curb cell phone use, texting, and DUI, but as you can see from the chart pulled from a 2009 Seattle traffic study, there are many various causal factors in car accidents in Western Washington.

Some rules you can implement to avoid bad habits are:

Turn Off Cell Phones – Easy to say, but not easy for people to do now-a-days. It seems being connected has become an emotionally driven act that overpowers the practical sense that a person can be disconnected for the hour that they are in the car.

Don’t Key in GPS locations and Drive – It’s just as bad if not worse than texting because of the increased number of prompts and unfamiliar key placement. Also, keying in a location while at a stoplight doesn’t count, even though you are stopped, you are still considered “driving.”

Examine the GPS Route – By taking a few seconds to examine the route and familiarizing yourself with where you are going, even though you are in a new place, it give you less of a chance of paying attention to the GPS than the road, which is far more important.

Passenger Distractions – As you can see, passengers can be the worst distraction. Tell them of their responsibility and if they get out of hand, please pull over.

Pick a Station and Stay With It – Though it is very nice to have a good song or news segment while driving, not all songs have to be perfect for driving. Rather than poking at the radio please keep in mind that most programming is only 3 minutes long or so and that the song or segment will change very soon.

Mobile Cafeteria – Eating on the go is an American phenomenon that has injured and killed many-an-innocent driver. Please eat your drive-through food in the parking lot and beverages should have a straw or spout to avoid spilling. Please do not choose beverages with twist caps or that are too hot.

The Floor is Off Limits – If you drop something on the floor consider it lost to a vortex until the car is in park. Even searching for something on the floor at a stoplight has the chance that your foot could slip, doing it while driving down the road is extremely dangerous, border lining on crazy.

Patience – The number one word for all driving is patience. The motor vehicle is every American’s fastest and most comfortable option to go anywhere until safe jet packs are widely available to consumers. Please be glad you’re not walking and practice patience when on the road.

Seattle Car Accident Lawyer

Distracted driving is a serious problem that could lead to a suspended license and in the event of a personal injury, could potentially lead to a vehicular assault charge if the driver is found to have been driving recklessly. This is far too much of a price to pay for a problem that could be solved with a 5 minute car wash and throwing away a little garbage out of the car. Please keep your views unobstructed and your car maintained.

If you or someone you know have sustained serious personal injuries as a victim of a negligent driving accident then you need experienced counsel to protect your interests with the insurance companies and health care providers. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car accidents and insurance coverage
• What to do in a car accident

Resources of course. Fender-benders are rarely spectacles, which means no gawkers, which translates to little chance of an eye-witness. Thus, they are responding to something that may back up traffic, but rather mundane to the point that even issuing a ticket is iffy. That leaves you needing to deal with it yourself. Most of the time you’ll be fine, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be cautious and use some simple rules to stay safe, particularly if you are a woman.

Staying Safe During A Fender-Bender

A fender-bender is one of those types of accidents that can make you more concerned with the fact that you actually have to deal with it than the fact that you just had a chance to get seriously hurt. Remember that you can always request an officer and wait in your car if there are problems, but if you follow the rules below you should be fine.

Write everything down - Take notes about the type of vehicles involved in the accident, where the accident took place, what the weather was like and the approximate time of day. Write down what you think might have happened to the best of your ability while it’s fresh. You will want to write down the essentials:

• Other driver’s name
• Policy number
• Insurance company
• Insurance company’s phone number to file a claim. 
• Other driver’s license number

Exiting the car - If there is a ton of traffic or you’re on a major thoroughfare then try to avoid getting out of your car. On top of that, if you are uncomfortable getting out of your vehicle because of a bad neighborhood or aggressive bystanders, call the police and wait for their arrival.  A police officer can get the necessary information and make the insurance information exchange for you.

Police – It is not mandatory for you to call the police after an accident if no one is hurt.  Simply exchange insurance information then and let the insurance companies can figure out the rest.

The other driver – You’d be amazed how attached people get to their cars, especially guys. Whether you’re male or female, if you feel pressured from the other driver about the accident or the exchange of information, you don’t need to tolerate it, call the police.

Moving your car – In Washington State, it is a general rule that you need to move to a more advantageous place to exchange information where you are not obstructing traffic. If you call the police, generally that’s what they’re going to make you do anyway. This is for the safety of everyone involved in the accidents. Plus obstructing traffic could cause others to be in danger.

License – You should have your license and insurance information on your person or in the car somewhere. If you don’t, this could result in a fine and may jeopardize your claim slightly if you are issued a ticket at the scene of the accident by an officer for not having that information whether it was the other driver’s fault or not.

Keeping a level head – An auto accident always causes a little adrenaline to rush. This can cause you and the other driver to perhaps have a more dramatic reaction to the situation than would normally be called for. Try not to let your emotions rule the atmosphere. Remember, the calmer head usually triumphs.

Don’t decide then – Admitting fault, partial or not, isn’t necessary. Doing that could jeopardize the outcome of the insurance claim, especially if it shows up on a police report. Just exchange information and do your paperwork.

Always offer your insurance information – Even if you are not at fault, the other driver will need this information to report a claim. By holding it back it could result in an altercation with the other driver and may slow the claim process as they investigate what could have been a very simple claim. You don’t need to give insurance companies any reason to deny or stall your claim.

Contact the insurance companies within 12 hours of the accident – The quicker you file a claim, the quicker you can have your car back to normal.

Car Accident Attorneys

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident anywhere in Washington state, you need a skilled lawyer to deal with the insurance companies to assure you the best settlement. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car accidents and insurance coverage
• What to do in a car accident

Those signs of distracted driving include swerving within the person’s lane, not using a turn signal, long sweeping turns, confused driving, sudden slowing or stopping, or ignoring traffic signals. Do some of these behaviors sound familiar? They are also on the long list of signs that a person is driving drunk.

Though passengers remain the top reason for distracted driving accidents according the to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), cell phone use while driving have also shown to seriously impair a person’s ability to drive, not just by taking one of their hands away from the steering wheel and blocking one side of their peripheral vision, but also seriously impairing their reaction time, whether they are using a hands free device or not.

GHSA Study

Governor Christine Gregoir has made Washington State one of the most active members of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) in the country, an organization that has shown a lot of dedication to curbing distracted driving and texting. Just this month they came out with a study involving researchers pouring through the data compiled in 350 scientific papers on the subject of distracted driving.

Researchers concluded that drivers are distracted from the primary task of piloting their vehicle by one thing or another up to half the time and that using a cell phone at all raises the chances that a driver will cause an accident. Sending text messages, or texting while driving is even riskier than using a phone to make calls while driving. The GHSA estimates that distractions account for between 15% and 25% of all crashes, which range from minor fender-benders to accidents involving fatalities.

“Despite all that has been written about driver distraction, there is still a lot that we do not know,” said GHSA Executive Director Barbara Harsha, who oversaw the report’s development. “Much of the research is incomplete or contradictory. Clearly, more studies need to be done addressing both the scope of the problem and how to effectively address it.”

The report outlines the following certainties:

• Distractions affect driving performance.
• Drivers frequently are distracted, perhaps as much as half the time.
• Drivers adapt to some extent: they pay more attention to driving and reduce their distracting activities in more risky driving situations.
• Distractions are estimated to be associated with 15 to 25 percent of crashes at all levels from minor property damage to fatal injury.
• Texting likely increases crash risk more than cell phone use.
• Cell phone use increases crash risk.

Distracted Driving Laws

The study has prompted the GHSA and the NHTSA to urge states to adopt more strict “no cell phone use laws.” None, including legislators in Washington State, have seriously considered the notion. One of the main reasons for this is that the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) came out with a study last year that found no reductions in crashes after hand-held phone bans take effect.

As part of the privately run Insurance Institute of Highways Safety (IIHS) they compared insurance claims for crash damage in 4 US jurisdictions before and after such bans. Overall, the researchers found steady claim rates compared with nearby jurisdictions without such bans.

They also calculated monthly collision claims per 100 insured vehicle years (a vehicle year is 1 car insured for 1 year, 2 insured for 6 months each, etc.) for vehicles up to 3 years old during the months immediately before and after hand-held phone use was banned while driving in New York (Nov. 2001), the District of Columbia (July 2004), Connecticut (Oct. 2005), and California (July 2008). Comparable data were collected for nearby jurisdictions without such bans.

Month-to-month fluctuations in rates of collision claims in jurisdictions with bans didn’t change from before to after the laws were enacted. Nor did the patterns change in comparison with trends in jurisdictions that didn’t have such laws.

“The laws aren’t reducing crashes, even though we know that such laws have reduced hand-held phone use, and several studies have established that phoning while driving increases crash risk,” says Adrian Lund, president of both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and HLDI.

The HLDI database doesn’t identify drivers using cell phones when their crashes occur. However, reductions in observed phone use following bans are so substantial and estimated effects of phone use on crash risk are so large that reductions in aggregate crashes would be expected.

“So the new findings don’t match what we already know about the risk of phoning and texting while driving,” Lund points out. “If crash risk increases with phone use and fewer drivers use phones where it’s illegal to do so, we would expect to see a decrease in crashes. But we aren’t seeing it. Nor do we see collision claim increases before the phone bans took effect.”

Lund points to factors that might be eroding the effects of hand-held phone bans on crashes. One is that drivers in jurisdictions with such bans may be switching to hands-free phones because no US state currently bans all drivers from using such phones. In this case crashes wouldn’t go down because the risk is about the same, regardless of whether the phones are hand-held or hands-free.

“Whatever the reason, the key finding is that crashes aren’t going down where hand-held phone use has been banned,” Lund points out. “This finding doesn’t auger well for any safety payoff from all the new laws that ban phone use and texting while driving.”

Puget Sound Auto Accident Lawyer

Though there is a lapse in data showing a causal connection between the distracted driving laws and fewer crashes, that does not mean that driving distracted has no effect on the way you drive. Also, this does not cover the wide array of experience levels that have also been linked to the cause of serious accidents making a stop to cell phone use amongst teenage drivers especially important.

If you or someone you know has suffered a serious personal injury after getting into a car accident with a distracted driver, then you need skilled legal council to represent you to assure that you get the compensation you deserve. Call the Seattle car accident lawyers at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car Accidents and Insurance Coverage
• Legal Questions about Car Accidents

One thing you should know is that people enjoy helping other people. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help. Especially when it comes to rearranging the house, which is something that you may very well need to do. Also, don’t be bashful, you may need some help out of the tub since you can’t shower with a cast on. Another thing is shopping. Ask for a friend or loved one to go with you or go for you and choose simple foods that take little preparation so that you are not on your feet.

There are a lot of little nuances (or nuisances if you’d like to look at them that way) to having temporary mobility issues such as a broken pelvis or broken leg in a car accident. The first step (no pun intended) is to know the fundamentals of mobility and some of the safety issues that come with using an apparatus such as a cane, crutches, or a walker.

Making Your Home Safe to Move Around In

Your world of moving around freely is over for a little while and that means rearranging things away from aesthetic concerns and focusing on more a more practical setup. You never know, you may choose to keep it even after your leg(s) has healed as a matter of convenience. Either way, here are some tips:

• Designate a room on the ground floor near the bathroom as your healing room and put all the things you need in it for your convenience.
• Remove throw rugs, do not allow toys, hide electrical cords, and anything else that cause a fall.
• Create an open space to move and do exercises.
• The bathroom needs nonslip bath mats. If the injury is going to last more than a couple of months, consider installing grab bars, a raised toilet seat, and a shower tub seat.
• Think about what you REALLY need in the kitchen and keep those things handy. Everything else, especially knives and heavy implements that are only used once or twice a year, need to be put away. You need open counter space to hold onto if you fall.
• When outside of the house use a backpack for crutches, a sling bag for a cane (on the opposite legs side) and either a backpack or fanny pack for a walker.

Using a Cane

If you’re using a cane at the beginning of the injury, consider yourself lucky. Most likely you’ll need to use a cane at some point. There are many different types of cane and different styles. There are some proper height and weight issues you need to be concerned about, so we recommend you ask for help in getting fitted for a cane. Also, it’s better to go for functionality before aesthetics.

Cane Basics

• Stand up straight. The top of the cane should come to just above the wrist.
• Your elbow should bend a little when you hold your cane. This helps with leverage and should give you a little more pushing power. People who use a cane with a straight elbow are going to be might sore eventually.
• Hold the cane in the hand opposite the side that needs support.
• Choose a walking rhythm and stick with it. The cane should hit the ground at the same time as your injured leg.
• The cane should be one small stride ahead, then step off on your injured leg. Finish the step with your normal leg.
• If you have to take the stairs, use a handrail, and use your good leg to push up one step at a time.

Using Crutches

Once you get used to these they are actually surprisingly easy to use, but can also cause you to fall if you let your guard down. You should be properly fitted because the height and padding are very important to keeping you safe.

Crutch Basics

• Crutches should reach between 1 and 1.5 inches below your armpits standing straight up (if you can).
• The handgrips of the crutches should be even with the top of your hip line. Your elbows should bend a bit when you use the handgrips.
• Your arms should take all of the weight, Don’t let the tops of the crutches press into your armpits.
• Crutches work in a swinging motion, so your feet will be off of the ground at times. Put the crutches forward and let your arms take the weight on the crutches as your good leg swings forward, put the crutches in front and repeat.
• Focus on where your next step will be, not where you’re stepping.
• Use a similar method to a cane when ascending stairs.

Using a Walker

It is very common for victims of car accidents to seriously injure or break their pelvis or hip. This is when a walker comes in handy. It allows all of the weight of the person to go onto the apparatus. A walker has two wheels in front and two pads in the back. If you’re sporty, you might want to throw some tennis balls over those, since those slide a little better and are easily replaced.

Walker Basics

• Put the walker about one step ahead of you and is solid on the ground, not tilted.
• With both hands, grip the top of the walker for support and walk into it, stepping off on your injured leg.
• Touch the heel of this foot to the ground first, then flatten the foot and finally lift the toes off the ground as you complete your step with your good leg.
• Don’t step all the way to the front bar of your walker.
• Take small steps when you turn.
• Never try to climb stairs. Use an escalator or elevator with your walker.

Puget Sound Personal Injury Attorney

Using a walking aid can make you feel mighty old very quickly, but it is important that you use this equipment correctly and regularly. The reason is that they can help you heal by keeping weight off of the injury. They can also cause you to fall if you aren’t paying attention so please be very careful.

You didn’t ask to be laid up for an extended amount of time with a leg injury in a car wreck. You deserve compensation for your trouble and medical expenses. If you or someone you know gets injured in a car accident you need an experienced representative to deal with the insurance companies to assure you the best settlement. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car Accidents and Insurance Coverage
• Legal Questions about Car Accidents

This is all part of the “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” campaign. Though past campaigns such as “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk” and “Drive Drunk and You Will Be Arrested.” Both of these campaigns were highly effective in lowering drunk driving deaths, especially when accompanied by strong enforcement, but the new Buzzed campaign has run into some scrutiny.

The basis of the scrutiny is the amount of alcohol one can drink before they are considered impaired. A couple of glasses of wine with dinner or a couple of beers with friends should be alright, right? But a short study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that young men between the ages of 18 and 34 were responsible for the vast majority of drunk-driving accidents. When these men were asked to make a distinction between being drunk and being buzzed, they defined “buzzed” as having a couple of beers, but when pressed, “a couple of beers” was more like 8 to 10 beers.

“Everyone understands dancing-with-a-lampshade drunk and says they would never drive like that. But they do drive with a buzz on because they don’t believe they are impaired,” said Robin Mayer of the NHTSA.

Sure, almost every impaired driver is going to say “I only had a couple of drinks.” Law enforcement officers can almost mouth the words with them as they say it. But exaggeration aside, a new study has found that blood-alcohol content (BAC) well below the U.S. legal limit of 0.08% are associated with car accidents leading to personal injury and wrongful death.

Buzzed Driving Study

The 0.08% BAC is a national standard, but according to a University of California, San Diego sociologist David Phillips, no amount of alcohol seems to be safe for driving. His study was published in the journal Addiction.

Phillips, with coauthor Kimberly M. Brewer, also of UC San Diego, examined official data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). FARS is a national database that has multiple datasets, but includes information on all persons in the U.S. who were involved in fatal car accidents (1,495,667 people in the years 1994 to 2008). It is great for this type of research because it covers all U.S. counties, all days of the week and all times of day. Perhaps most important, it reports on blood-alcohol content in increments of 0.01% BAC.

The researchers found that accidents are still 36.6% more severe even when alcohol was barely detectable in a driver’s blood. Data showed that even with a BAC of 0.01%, there are 4.33 serious personal injuries for every one non-serious personal injury as opposed to 3.17 for sober drivers.

“Compared with sober drivers, buzzed drivers are more likely to speed, more likely to be improperly seat-belted and more likely to drive the striking vehicle, all of which are associated with greater severity,” Phillips said.

In general, accident severity is significantly higher on weekends, between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. and in the summer months, June through August. But when the researchers standardized for day of the week, for time of day and for month, the relationship between BAC and more dangerous car accidents also persisted.

“We hope that our study might influence not only U.S. legislators, but also foreign legislators, in providing empirical evidence for lowering the legal BAC even more,” Phillips said. “Doing so is very likely to reduce incapacitating injuries and to save lives.”

Some countries have already lowered their BAC limits and are far less tolerant. Canada won’t allow people DUI violation into their country. In Germany, the BAC limit is 0.05%; in Japan, 0.03%; and in Sweden, 0.02%. These countries have far superior transportation systems that allow for alternatives to driving in most cases, but that does not make driving drunk okay in the US.

Drunk Driving Penalties

Washington State is at the forefront with a handful of other states in the United States when it comes to curbing DUI and accident related deaths. Governor Chris Gregoire announced the Target Zero program that is aimed to stop ALL traffic related deaths by 2030. That’s right, she wants no deaths that year. Washington state is already lower than the number of deaths in the state in 1955, even with almost 10 times the cars on the road.

The basis for the Target Zero program and the “Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving” campaign is law enforcement and education. People need to understand that drunk driving is not an option and that they could be ruining their lives by doing it. For example, offenders possessing a BAC at or above .15 or those who refused to take a breath test face harsher penalties than those with a BAC of .08 to .149. But, people found in violation will have harsh consequences.

Washington State Criminal Penalties

Education – In WA, a judge may require an alcohol abuse assessment or substance abuse treatment. These are classes, rehab, groups, or individual treatment.

Electronic Monitoring – In lieu of mandatory incarceration, a judge may choose to employ a form of community control, known as electronic home monitoring for a period of 15 days or 30 days, depending on BAC of driver. The ankle bracelet limits the offender to their home or specified locations and routes.

Fines – The minimum fine for a DUI is $865.50, with the maximum of $5,000 for offenders with BAC below .15. Offenders with BAC above .15 face fines of at least $1,120.50, not exceeding $5,000. These fines don’t include court costs, administrative costs, cost of reinstatement of license, impound costs, etc.

Incarceration - First offense convictions carry mandatory incarceration of one day; two days for offenders with BAC in excess of .15. Maximum incarceration in either case cannot exceed one year.

Ignition Interlock Device – The defendant, if they suffer severe economic hardship due to license suspension, can petition the court to install an ignition interlock device.

Insurance – Drivers who attempt to reinstate their licenses either following suspension or during a probationary period are required to obtain SR-22 insurance coverage in Washington. The state requires:

• Liability limits of at least $25,000 bodily injury per person.
• $50,000 bodily injury per accident.
• $10,000 property damage.
• Minimum of 36 months coverage.

Seattle DUI Victims Lawyers

So the take away from this article should be “yes;” buzzed driving is drunk driving and above that, you will get in huge trouble if you do it. Patrols are out looking for offenders right now. It is not worth the cost, hassle, or seriously deadly consequences. It is best to have a designated driver or be prepared to have the extra expense of a cab.

If you or someone you know have sustained serious personal injuries as a victim of a negligent driving accident then you need experienced counsel to protect your interests with the insurance companies and health care providers. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car accidents and insurance coverage
• What to do in a car accident

Well, not everything gets four or five stars, but that seems to be the standard that car manufacturers are striving for. But how do they get there? Do they just start crashing cars with dummies in them and see what happens? The simple answer to that is, yes…yes they do. But this year things have changed and now the standards are, if not more stringent, more defined.

This year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revised its New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), also known as the “Five-Star Safety Rating System.” The revision marks one of the biggest changes since standard safety testing was first introduced in 1978. The NHTSA says that the 2011 scores will be so fundamentally different that they cannot be compared to prior years. Additionally, you may not see the ratings on vehicle window stickers in dealerships for a few months or longer.

There are all kinds of things introduced, like additional crash tests, a new test dummy to represent smaller passengers and new injury criteria for the existing side-impact test. The government agency and inspectors have also added an overall summary rating intended to make it easier for consumers to understand and assess a vehicle’s safety at a glance.

Change Keeps the Game Honest

So the answer to the question as to why the four star and five stars ratings are so readily achieved is that automakers know the elements that create a good rating. Some in the auto safety community to question whether this has stifled innovation that could make some cars safer than others and could widen the gap between a low four star and a high five star.

Auto makers essentially have figured out how to ace the government’s test. This has been made glaringly apparent by the fact that, among the 2010 models the NHTSA tested, nearly every vehicle earned a five-star rating for the frontal-impact test. The ones that didn’t still earned four stars, or perhaps lower ratings on specific tests such as front end or side impact crash tests. Regardless, when everyone in the class is acing the test, it’s up to the teacher to raise the bar, because not everyone can get an A, right?

“We want to make manufacturers stretch to make the cars as safe as we believe is technologically feasible,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “The tests need to keep up with the state-of-the-art technology.”

Changes in NHTSA Crash Standards

Standard NCAP tests are largely unchanged such as frontal crash, side impact and rollover, but the addition of the different-sized dummies and the data they collect will yield different results. All of the crash and safety tests carry a certain weighting that will factor into the new overall score, which is intended to make it easier to compare a vehicle to others that consumers might consider buying. In the past there would only be star ratings for each category of test, without anything to tie together the results for buyers.

“We wanted to make it easier for consumers to evaluate the overall safety of the vehicle,” Strickland said.

Smaller Dummies – You’ve probably seen smaller dummies to represent children, grandma, or smaller females. These tests are usually connected to airbag tests or child car seat tests, not standard safety crash ratings, thus the addition of this smaller dummy is one of the more significant changes to the NCAP. In the past, a medium-sized male dummy was used to represent all drivers.

“We recognize that this didn’t properly capture a significant portion of the American populace,” Strickland said. “We added the small female dummy to capture how a crash would impact them in terms of injuries.”

Side Impact Pole Test – Though this test is not new to the industry, since speeding drivers have been wrapping themselves around poles since the car has been able to exceed 50 mph, the new side pole test has been added to the testing process for the first time. It is intended to simulate a crash involving a narrow stationary object like a tree or telephone pole.

In the side impact pole test, the dummy is placed in the driver seat and secured with a seatbelt. The test vehicle is angled at 75 degrees and pulled sideways at 20 mph into a 25-centimeter-wide pole aimed at the driver’s seating position. Once the crash is simulated the assessment team made up of engineers carry out a full injury examine the elements to measure the force of impact on the dummy’s head, chest, lower spine, abdomen and pelvis. The data is then used to measure the severity of injuries sustained in the crash.

Consumer Awareness – One part of the changes the NHTSA are making is the way consumers actually read and understand the ratings. The revised testing program will tell consumers whether the vehicle comes equipped with any crash-avoidance technology, such as electronic stability control, a lane-departure warning system or forward-collision warning system. The technologies are not required by the NHTSA and aren’t really a factor in the scoring for the star rating, but government officials say the information is still important for consumers to know. That’s why they are requiring manufacturers to put the information in a more prominent location on the window sticker. That way the consumer will already be looking for safety information and realize what the vehicle has or is missing.

“There are consumers who don’t read a lot of info, don’t look at Web sites or comparative charts,” he said. “A large percentage of the population, even on a big-ticket item like a car, wants a simple thing,” which is a snapshot assessment of the vehicle’s safety.

New Window Sticker - The revised safety ratings will appear on what’s called the “Monroney” label. This is the window sticker that carries the vehicle’s essential pricing, fuel and features information, but what many consumers don’t know is that the Monroney sticker is considered a federal document. That makes tampering or changing it a federal offence. Though the new crash ratings have already launched, the design for the window sticker has not yet been finalized because they are also expanding it with help from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in order to show fuel economy and other environmental factors as related to the vehicle. Very cool.

Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer

Vehicle safety standards are improving with technology and design. Though it seems the NHTSA is reluctant at times to raise or impose standards, by making consumers more aware of safety features, standards, and potential options in a easy to understand format, the NHTSA has in a way forced the hand of the manufacturers to become safer. Also, by adding dummies of various sizes and adding other real world factors to the tests, consumers and safety advocates alike will be able to tell what truly is a safe vehicle. Though there is further both manufacturers and the NHTSA can go, any step is better than none at all, which is essentially the case for the last few decades.

Phillips Webster has gotten compensation for thousands of clients for their personal injury and car accidents. We have been operating in Puget Sound for decades representing victims and their families in the face of giant insurance companies and their teams legal advisors. It’s your turn to have your own team protecting your interests.

If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident in the state of Washington, you need an experienced representative to assure you receive the best settlement. Call the Seattle car accident attorneys at Phillips Webster for a free consultation.

Learn More About:

• Washington Law and Car Accidents
• Car Accidents and Insurance Coverage
• Legal Questions about Car Accidents