As we have seen over the last few days, the weather can change drastically from day to day.  Winter is right around the corner, and with the changing of the seasons come very different road conditions.  Winter weather can create a big challenge for drivers.  Before the season changes, take some time to prepare for the changing conditions and stay safe on the roadways.  Below are a few safe driving tips for the winter season:

- Always be alert to icy road conditions including snow, ice, slush, or black ice when the temperatures near freezing.  These conditions drastically impact braking distance and reaction time.
- Due to road conditions that come along with cold weather, you should decrease your speed and always leave plenty of room to brake

- When you brake, do so gently to avoid skidding or hydroplaning
- Avoid using cruise control on icy roads
- Remember that bridges freeze sooner than roads, and use extra caution

Using extra caution this winter can help you and your family avoid an auto accident.  As auto accident lawyers in Hampton Roads and Roanoke, VA we see the devastating effects of auto accidents every day.  Please be safe on the roads this winter.  As much as you can try to protect yourself, there is sometimes nothing that you can do to deter another reckless driver from hitting and injuring you and your family.  If you suffer injuries as a result of someone else's negligence, call the personal care attorneys of Rutter Mills today for a free, no obligation consultation of your legal rights. 

There have been a number of fatal accidents involving 15 passenger vans in the news this month, highlighting the need for owners and drivers of these vehicles to take specific steps to ensure safety for their passengers.  Due to their much larger size, passenger vans have much different handling and performance from smaller passenger vehicles.  The increased size and weight require the driver to take a number of additional steps to insure safety, and prevent serious accidents and rollovers.  Below are a few tips to think about when driving a passenger van.

1.  Inexperienced drivers are one of the leading causes of passenger van accidents.  

Make sure the driver fully understands the difficulties and implications of driving a much larger vehicle.
2. Put an even greater emphasis on vehicle maintenance, especially tire pressure and brakes.

3. Don't Overload, these vehicles are already extremely heavy, and overloading the van can change the center of gravity and increase the risk of a rollover.

4. Increase Braking Distance - Give yourself much more room to react, and remember you aren't driving a sports car!
5. Slow Down!  These vehicles are not meant to keep up with everyday interstate traffic.  Drive at a safe speed and don't be in a rush. 

The number of teen drivers who have died in traffic accidents has dropped as Virginia lawmakers have tightened restrictions on teen drivers over the last few years.  Traffic fatalities among VA teen drivers fell 50 percent in 2009, and again by 43 percent in 2010.  In 2010, Virginia lost 35 teen drivers to traffic accidents, as opposed to 110 in 2008.  In the same period, traffic deaths fell only 10 percent statewide, indicating that strides to protect our youngest drivers from serious accidents have been paying serious dividends.  Virginia officials are attributing the decline to changes in state laws such as a ban on teen driver cell phone use, and requiring parents of teen drivers to attend mandatory meetings.  

We are thrilled to hear of this decrease in fatalities and injuries among our youngest drivers, but understand there is still plenty of room for improvement.  Distracted driving affects everyone on the roadways, and we see serious injuries routing from the negligence of distracted drivers almost every day.  Be safe on the roadways, stay alert and aware of your surroundings, and continue to educate your children of the importance of these principles.  Together we can make VA a safer place to drive for everyone.

Almost immediately after a motor vehicle collision, an insurance company will contact an injured person and ask them to provide what is commonly known as a recorded statement. The adjuster will sometimes take the statement in the initial conversation, but it is usually soon after the first phone conversation. The adjuster will usually ask the caller’s permission to begin recording the statement. Then the adjuster will ask a number of questions about how the accident occurred, conversations, and a person’s injuries.

If you have your statement recorded by an insurance carrier, you have the right to a transcribed copy. Virginia Code Section 8.01-417 requires the insurance carrier to send you a copy of any written statement relating to your injury "forthwith" or a verified typed transcription of the audio recording within 30 days after the statement or recording when the statement is transcribed or in all cases when requested by the injured person. But you have to request it to get it.The insurance carriers often base their decision of whether to accept or deny a claim based on the recorded statements. They begin investigating a claim almost immediately after it is reported and gather information, including statements, on which to base their decision. So remember when you make the claim you are going on the record, their record!

Distracted driving killed nearly 5,500 people last year and injured 500,000 more.  While these disturbing statistics alone should help people think twice about picking up a cell phone on the road, the stories behind the statistics are much more moving.  Distraction.gov, the official U.S. Government website for distracted driving has an ongoing video series called "Faces of Distracted Driving", that is quite moving.  Below are a few of the latest stories.  These stories may seem far off, but they are very real.  They, just like the rest of us, didn't think they were going to be involved in an auto accident.  Please think twice before using a cell phone on the road, and try to be as aware as possible of the drivers around you.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued complete new guidelines on car seats for children from birth to 12 Months.  Below is a summary of the study's findings.

Birth - 12 Months - Children under the age of 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.

1-3 Years - Keep your 1 to 3 year old children in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible, as it is the best way to keep them safe.  They should remain in a rear-facing car seat until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer.

4-7 Years - Keep your 4 to 7 year old children in their forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by your car seat's manufacturer.

8 - 12 Years - Keep your 8 to 12 year old children in a booster seat until they are big enough to fit in a seat belt properly.  For a seat belt to fit properly the lap belt must tie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach.  The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and not cross the neck of face.

For complete details on this study, including instructional videos - click here to check out the NHTSA web site.

The US Department of Transportation releases it's 2010 crash statistics this week,  showing the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1949.  The number of traffic fatalities dropped 3% from 33,808 in 2009 to 32,788 last year despite the fact that Americans drove over 20 billion miles more.  The number works out to 1.09 traffic accident deaths for every 100 million miles traveled.  This number is significantly lower than when the number of traffic deaths peaked at 54,589 in 1972 - which had 4.33 deaths for the same number of miles traveled.

Safety experts attribute the drop to public awareness campaigns, safer road design, and improved vehicle safety.  Improvements like rumble strips median barriers and pavement markings have helped create safer roads, while airbags and stability control have created safer automobiles.  Roy Luck, director of research at Northwestern University's Center for Public Safety adds that "The philosophy of safe driving is beginning to become more and more ingrained in society"

As lawyers in the Personal Injury field, we see the devastating effects of serious auto accidents almost every single day.  While statistics like this are very encouraging, there is still a long road ahead.  With distracted driving on the rise, we need to continue to work towards keeping our roadways safe for our drivers.

An accident by definition is something that happens when something occurs unexpectedly or unintentionally. Because we as drivers have to make conscious decisions on the road, auto accidents do not always fall under this definition. We choose whether or not to drive the speed limit or to obey traffic rules and regulations. Choosing not to obey these laws is an intentional act with expected outcomes.

The selfish act of driving carelessly causes lives to be changed through death or injury on a daily basis. According to the National Car Accident Statistics, excessive speed is the second most common cause of deadly auto accidents, which accounts for about 30% of all fatal accidents in the U.S.

Accidents caused by speeding aren’t really accidents at all. They are potentially devastating events that could have been prevented if the driver stayed within the limits of the law. Watch your speed out there folks, it really isn’t worth it.

One of the most dangerous problems on America's roads today is the act of distracted driving.  In 2009 5,474 people were killed and 450,000 were injured because of a distracted driver on the road.  That's 16% of all fatal crashes and 20% of all injury crashes for the year.  One in five of those deaths involved reports of the driver using a cell phone.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has developed an official government website to serve as a campaign against distracted driving, http://www.distraction.gov There is a great deal of information and statistics on the subject, hopefully they can make a real difference.

At Rutter Mills, we see the devastating effects of distracted driving on an almost daily basis.  We have seen countless numbers of our clients injured in an auto accident by another driver who was using a cell phone when they are supposed to be focused on the road.  If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto accident at the fault of someone else, call the personal care attorneys of Rutter Mills.