Travel Safety Tips for the Holiday Season

November and December are some of the busiest months on highways and interstates throughout the country. The vast majority of people are travelling to visit with family and friends during the holidays. Due to more cars being on the road and adverse weather conditions, there are more opportunities for car accidents to occur. Safety should be a major concern for all motorists this time of year. The following travel safety tips may reduce your chances of being involved in an auto accident during the holidays.

Get Enough Sleep: Drunk and Drowsy Driving Are Similar

Lack of sleep is one of the greatest dangers for motorists taking long road trips. Drowsiness can significantly raise your chances of being involved in an accident.The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety released a report earlier this month linking drunk and drowsy driving. According to the study, motorists driving on four to five hours of sleep show impairment similar to a blood alcohol content of .08, the legal limit. AAA also claims that missing one or two hours of sleep per night can quadruple the risk of being involved in an accident. People with less than four hours of sleep are 12 times more likely to crash.The National Sleep Foundation recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep before setting out on a trip, and avoiding sleep medications or alcohol the night before departing. If you notice symptoms of drowsiness, such as heavy eyelids, yawning or difficulty focusing, pull over and rest or let someone else drive.

Make Sure Your Vehicle is Safe to Drive

Your vehicle cannot protect you if certain parts are not in working condition. Before setting out on a trip, it is wise to receive a tune-up. A qualified mechanic can check your brakes and pads, head and tail lights, car battery, tires and fluids.If you have young children, the week before a road trip is a good time to check the effectiveness of booster seats. An estimated eight in ten parents do not know if their booster seats are installed correctly. Some police and fire departments can perform checks. Local Texas Department of Transportation offices may also help parents with car seat issues.

Always Remember to Drive Safely During Your Trip

Long-distance driving requires extra attentiveness to road etiquette and safety. Use extra caution while traveling through work zones. Pay careful attention to speed limits during your travels. Always avoid distractions, such as mobile phones, eating or applying makeup.There are also driving etiquette rules that can improve your safety. Never tailgate other drivers, and do not drive in the left-hand passing lane.National Safety Council statistics show more than 700 people die in car accidents every year between Christmas and New Year’s. The best way to avoid an accident is to take preventative action and plan ahead.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, wish everyone a happy holiday season. Please stay safe!

Is Your Vehicle Ready for Cold Weather?

With temperatures still in the 70’s and 80’s, winter weather may not seem like a pressing concern. The bad news is that winter is coming, and with it, a higher probability of being involved in an auto accident. Officials at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) are using the next few weeks to prepare for winter weather hazards. TxDOT has started servicing dump trucks, sanders and other de-icing vehicles in preparation for possible ice storms. Now that TxDOT is preparing, we should do the same. There is a lot you can do to prepare your vehicle for cold weather.

4 Ways to Prepare Your Vehicle for Cold Weather

1. Check your brakes: Failing to check one of the most important pieces of equipment on your vehicle can prove fatal this time of year! Now is the time to check if your brake pads and fluid need to be replaced. Depending on your level of skill servicing vehicles, you may need to seek out an auto mechanic. It is possible to make simple mistakes while replacing and discarding brake fluid.
2. Replace windshield wiper fluid: There are varying windshield wiper fluids for different seasons. Winter windshield wiper fluid uses alcohol or other deicing chemicals, making it less likely to freeze.
3. Check your tires: Cold weather requires healthy tires. You can check your tread depth by using the quarter trick. Take a quarter, and stick it in the tread of your tires. If part of Washington’s head is covered, your tires may have enough tread depth. Check your tires for uneven wear and tear. Be sure to check your tire alignment and pressure. It is imperative to inspect several different aspects of your tires for winter weather, so this may be best left to a professional mechanic.
4. Carry emergency supplies: You should prepare for the worst-case-scenario; your car breaking down on the side of the road. Carry a first aid kit, jackets, blankets and gloves in your trunk.

When Are Weather Conditions Unsafe for Driving?

Avoid driving during and after an ice storm. Do not risk it. Iced roads are too dangerous to drive on. Many businesses shut down during these conditions because it is unsafe for their employees to drive.If for any reason you are forced to drive during freezing weather conditions, TxDOT has suggestions for improving your safety. TxDOT recommends driving at slower speeds. Keep in mind, speed limits are for normal road conditions. This means that driving at 70 miles per hour becomes dangerous as the weather gets colder. Sleet and ice can accumulate on bridges, elevated surfaces and shady areas. TxDOT also recommends to give other drivers three times the normal following distance in case you need to stop. If you receive a warning that roadways ahead are iced, pull over and wait for conditions to improve.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC encourage you to adopt safe driving practices as winter weather approaches. Holiday weekends are notorious for auto accidents. Please be safe.

Do You Know How to Avoid Accidents with Wildlife?

Accident data collected by insurance companies show that Texas drivers are more likely to hit deer in November than any other time of the year. Accidents with wildlife involving other types of animals are even more daunting to motorists. Imagine accidently hitting a large bear or hog! In that case, it’s a good idea to stay in the vehicle and alert the authorities.When these animals cross the road in front of us, they cause an average of $4,000 in property damage.  Collisions with wildlife also cause catastrophic injuries and death. Texas Department of Transportation statistics show there were 24 fatal car accidents involving animals in our state in 2015.You don’t even have to hit wildlife to be involved in a car accident! A recent crash here in Angelina County involved the driver of a passenger car hitting the brakes to avoid a deer and being struck from behind by a semi-truck. The driver was forced off the road and transported to a nearby hospital.For Angelina County residents, seeing deer and other wildlife on the roadways is a normal occurrence. It is important that we know how to avoid accidents with these critters. The Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife (TDWD) has some ideas.

5 Tips for Avoiding Accidents with Wildlife

• Pay closer attention from sunset to midnight: Deer and many other animals are more active from sunset to midnight. You may have to pay closer attention during these times and make good use of your high beams when there is no oncoming traffic.

• Avoid swerving: TDWD suggests braking gently and staying in your lane. Slamming on the brakes or swerving can cause other nearby drivers to lose control.

• If there is one, there are more: If you see a deer, there are probably more than one. Deer travel in groups. Other wild animals, such as bears, may follow similar behaviors.
• Don’t touch the animal: If you hit a deer or other type of animal with your vehicle, it may not be dead. Any animal you hit is going to be frightened, wounded, mad or all of the above. There is a video going around of a woman who was attacked by a deer she hit with her car. After opening the door to check on the wounded animal, the deer forced itself into her car and started hitting her with its hooves. Don’t make this mistake.

• Roadkill is a road hazard: Some people hit-and-run animals and leave their bodies on the road. Large animals do not have to be alive to pose a significant risk to other motorists.

Living near forested areas has its perks, but it also has certain risks for motorists. We need to be extra attentive to the fact that we share the road with deer and other animals. When you are driving next month, please stay safe and keep an extra eye out for this common hazard.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC encourage you to drive safely.

How Can an Attorney Prove Fault After a Car Accident?

An experienced attorney has many tools at his or her disposal to prove fault after a car accident. They may secure phone records to show a motorist was texting at the time of an accident, or they can use witness statements or camera footage. Perhaps high-definition photos of damage to a vehicle or medical records can be used. An attorney uses more than one source of evidence to strengthen a case. A lesser-known tool for proving fault is using an event data recorder (EDR) found in almost all passenger vehicles.EDRs are similar to the black boxes found inside commercial and noncommercial aircraft. They are also similar to electronic control modules found in commercial trucks. Depending on what year the vehicle was made, EDRs are capable of recording various types of data, such as vehicle speed at the time of a collision. EDRs made after 2013 include data on crash event duration, engine rpm, steering wheel angle, vehicle speed and brake application – just to name a handful of examples. In fact, EDRs made after 2013 are required to collect this data.EDRs are not mandatory, but that may change in the near future. Several legislative and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rulemaking attempts have sought to make these devices mandatory in all passenger vehicles. Despite the lack of a mandatory rule, the vast majority of vehicles in the US have EDRs.EDRs are extremely useful for proving fault in car accidents, especially when combined with other types of evidence. We will explain further.

How an EDR May Be Used to Help Prove Fault After a Car Accident

Let’s say for example a motorist was driving from Houston to Lufkin, and he gets hit by a distracted driver. The injured motorist hires an attorney, who works on his behalf to make sure he is fairly compensated by insurance. In addition, the injured motorist files a lawsuit.To prove fault, the injured motorist’s attorney gets a court order to secure data from the at-fault driver’s EDR, which shows the brakes were not applied at the time of the accident despite travelling at 30 miles per hour.In addition, the injured motorist’s attorney gathers social media data from the at-fault driver. Social media data shows the at-fault driver had just typed a Facebook post complaining about the drive from Houston to Lufkin at the exact time of the accident.See how EDRs can be extremely useful for proving fault? It is not just that they are useful by themselves, but that they can be essential when combined with evidence from other sources. Remember, commercial trucks use comparable technology, and similar rules apply to truck accident cases.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, can help victims of car accidents and their families hold negligent drivers accountable.

Why Does Angelina County’s Most Dangerous Intersection Continue Causing Accidents?

Angelina County’s most dangerous intersection recently caused another serious car accident, this time involving a 22-year-old woman and a 2-year-old child. The intersection at U.S. Highway 69 and FM 326 is well known in our county for causing accidents. Nearby residents interviewed by KTRE claim they frequently see serious wrecks occur. One of the residents claimed they had seen four car accidents occur at the intersection in the last month-and-a-half.Why is the intersection a major cause of accidents? Motorists turning onto Highway 69 from FM 326 cannot see oncoming traffic coming from over a hill to the left. Some vehicles travelling on Highway 69 may be speeding, which makes this intersection even more dangerous.Fortunately, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is taking complaints about the intersection seriously. TxDOT will be conducting a signal analysis study at the intersection this week. Data collected from the study will determine whether further action should be taken. If necessary, TxDOT could make Highway 69 and FM 326 a signalized intersection by installing traffic lights.

How Can You Avoid Accidents at Angelina County’s Most Dangerous Intersection?

The best way to avoid an accident at Highway 69 and FM 326 is to not use the intersection by finding alternative routes. People turning right or left can take Pee Wee Smith Rd to Highway 69, as there is no hill obstructing oncoming traffic. Visibility is much better for traffic coming from either direction.Alternative routes may not be an option for everyone. Until TxDOT makes its decision, there are other ways you can reduce the chances of being involved in an accident at Lufkin’s most dangerous intersection.

• Turn off music: Highway 69 and FM 326 is a blind intersection, so it is important to rely on your other senses to detect approaching traffic. You may have an easier time hearing other vehicles approaching if you turn off the radio or stereo.

• Inspect the intersection carefully: Look both ways, but do so quickly. It does not take long for traffic coming up over the hill to reach the intersection.

• Avoid this intersection at night: It is already very difficult to see traffic approaching from the left. This is even more the case at night on a poorly lit highway. If you are going to turn onto Highway 69 at night, it may be best to use one of those alternative routes.

• Avoid any distractions: Distractions like eating, texting or grooming can be fatal at this intersection. Highway 69 and FM 326 requires your full attention.

It could take a while for TxDOT to fix this dangerous intersection. In the meantime, we need stay vigilant or find alternate routes.The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, encourage you to drive safely.