For every winter season, take this AAA recommendation list and check it twice or as many times as needed–and stay safe out there! Winter driving tips: Avoid driving while you’re fatigued. Getting the proper amount of rest before taking on winter weather tasks reduces driving risks. Never run a vehicle in an enclosed area, such as a garage. Make certain your tires are properly inflated. Keep your gas tank at least half full. If possible, avoid using your parking brake in cold, rainy and snowy weather. Do not use cruise control when driving on any slippery surface (wet, ice, sand). Always look and steer where you want to go. Use your seat belt every time you get into your vehicle. Tips…

“In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are in the top 10 causes of death for people aged 1-54, and more than 30,000 people are killed in crashes each year. In 2013, crash deaths resulted in $44 billion in medical and work loss costs. However, motor vehicle crashes, and their related injuries and deaths, are preventable. Stay safe on the roads this holiday season, and take action to protect yourself and your loved ones” CDC Follow this Red Cross highway safety tips for a safe Thanksgiving: 1. If driving, check the weather along your route and plan for travel around any storms that may be coming. Watch weather predictions for your entire route so you know what to expect along the…

What should people do if their cars are stuck on railroad tracks with a train rushing toward them?. It’s a terrifying question, but on Wednesday, the day after a Metro-North Railroad train barreled into a sport-utility vehicle in Valhalla, N.Y., killing six people, safety experts emphasized some best practices. Rule number one, of course, is get as far away from the tracks as possible. But some experts say there is a particular direction you should try to run: Away from the tracks at a 45 degree angle, in the direction from which the train is coming. “That actually means run toward the train,” said Joyce Rose, president of Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit rail safety education group. “I know it seems counterintuitive,…

Although my friends and family know that I am a personal injury lawyer, even those closest to me do not really understand what I do for my clients. I got to thinking that’s probably, at least in part, my fault because I’ve never explained it to them, really.  So that’s what I’d like to do in today’s blog: Explain what a personal injury lawyer does. It is no secret that as a personal injury attorney I am fighting an uphill battle, as far the perception of the occupation is concerned. We have all heard the ambulance-chaser jokes.  However, this is an image that the majority of personal injury attorneys, including myself,  work hard to separate themselves from. Personal injury law firms represent clients…

Statistically, driving in the rain is more dangerous than driving in the snow. One of the more common–and terrifying– hazards of driving in the rain is Hydroplaning which happens when the tires are riding on the top of a layer of water and have completely lost contact with the pavement. It can happen when your speed is as little as 35 mph. You will know when it happens. “Steering will get light in your hands,” explains Bill Van Tassel, Ph.D., manager of driver training programs for the AAA. If you hydroplane, “Gently ease your foot off the gas,” Van Tassel advises. “This may transfer enough weight forward so that your front tires regain contact with the road.” If not, he says, gently squeeze your brakes…