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How to Avoid Road Rage Accidents in Southern California

Road rage is among the leading causes of motor vehicle accidents in southern California and throughout the nation. One study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) even indicates that aggressive driving plays a role in more than half of fatal collisions. There are various steps you can take to prevent your own anger behind the wheel from putting yourself or others in harm’s way. They include:

• Making sure you have enough time to reach your destination when traveling
• Not driving when experiencing intense emotions
• Practicing calming breathing exercises that allow you to relax while still paying attention to the road

Those are just a few examples. However, while you may be able to exercise a certain degree of control over your own road rage, you might understandably wonder what you can do to minimize your chances of being harmed in an accident resulting from the anger of another driver. Keep reading if so. Ways to avoid being hurt in road rage accidents others cause include:

Don’t Engage With Angry Drivers

You can’t reason with anyone on the road. If you notice someone is driving aggressively, you may call the police to alert them, but you should virtually never engage such a motorist. Doing so is only likely to escalate an already dangerous situation.

Avoid Angry Drivers

If an aggressive driver is creating an unsafe situation, adding a little more time to your trip in the name of safety may be a wise decision. For example, if you know your way around the backroads, you could get off the highway to put distance between yourself and an angry driver. Other options include pulling over to the side of the road or finding a place to park your vehicle for a few minutes until you believe an aggressive driver is no longer nearby.

Avoid Rush Hour

This may not be an option for everyone reading this. Depending on such factors as where you live and where you work, driving on busy highways during rush hour may be a necessity for you. However, if you can, try to stay away from the busiest roads during the busiest times of day. It is in these conditions that road rage accidents may be more common.

Yield

It can be very tempting to attempt to enforce the law when an aggressive driver is speeding behind you or trying to merge in a less-than-safe manner. You might not want to let them merge or pass you, justifying your decision to block them by telling yourself you’re merely preventing an accident. Your intentions in this scenario might be good. However, the outcome could be devastating. Generally, if you fail to yield to an aggressive driver, you can expect them to become even more aggressive. You’re therefore better off yielding and then stopping to call the police and alert them to the situation. That said, even if you heed the advice here, it’s still possible you’ll one day be involved in a southern California road rage accident through no fault of your own. If this ever occurs, a southern California car accident attorney at Randolph & Associates is prepared to discuss your legal options. Get started today by contacting us online to schedule a free consultation.

Why Consuming Food While Driving Can Result in an Accident

Eating while driving can be a tempting way to multitask and save time, but it can also be a major cause of accidents on the road. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that eating and drinking can increase one’s chances of being involved in a motor vehicle accident by as much as 80%. It's thus important for drivers to understand the risks of eating while driving and take steps to avoid it in order to keep themselves and others safe on the road.

Eating While Driving: More Dangerous Than Many Realize

One of the main ways that eating while driving can cause an accident is by distracting the driver. When we eat, our attention is naturally focused on the food, rather than the road. This can lead to a phenomenon known as "inattention blindness," in which the driver fails to see important visual cues, such as stop signs or pedestrians, because their attention is focused elsewhere. Inattention blindness can be especially dangerous when it occurs at high speeds or in busy areas, as it can lead to serious accidents.

In addition to distracting the driver, eating while driving can also cause an accident by obstructing the driver's view. When we eat, we tend to bring our food up close to our face, which can block our view of the road. This can be particularly dangerous when the driver is trying to merge onto the highway or make a turn, as they may not be able to see other vehicles or pedestrians in their path.

Eating while driving can also cause an accident by causing the driver to lose control of their vehicle. This can happen if the driver tries to eat while steering with one hand, or if they become so focused on their food that they lose control of the vehicle. For example, if a driver is trying to unwrap a messy sandwich while driving, they may take their eyes off the road or let go of the steering wheel to do so, increasing the risk of an accident occurring.

Finally, eating while driving can also lead to accidents by causing the driver to spill or drop their food. If a driver spills a hot drink or drops a piece of food onto their lap while driving, they may be distracted or startled, leading to an accident. Even if the driver is able to quickly clean up the spill or retrieve the dropped food, the distraction may have already caused an accident to occur.

Overall, eating while driving can cause an accident by distracting the driver, obstructing their view, causing them to lose control of their vehicle, or causing them to spill or drop their food. It's important for drivers to be aware of these risks and avoid eating while driving in order to keep themselves and others safe on the road. Instead, drivers should make sure to pull over to a safe location if they need to eat or drink while on the road.

Contact a Santa Monica Car Accident Lawyer

Even if you avoid unsafe habits like eating while driving, you can’t prevent others from being careless. If you’ve been involved in an accident resulting from the negligence of another driver, our team at Randolph & Associates can help you pursue the compensation you may deserve. Learn more by contacting us online today.

Safe Nighttime Driving Tips for Californians

The days are shorter this time of year in California. Thus, it’s important for motorists to brush up on tips they can apply to minimize their chances of being involved in accidents while driving at night. You already know the basics. No one needs to be told to turn their headlights on when it’s dark out. However, there are other safe nighttime driving habits it’s easy to forget about or overlook. Examples include:

Try to Avoid Two-Lane Highways

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, two-lane highways can be particularly dangerous at night due to a combination of several factors, including:

• Glare from oncoming vehicles’ headlights
• Low light from other sources
• Frequent sharp curves and steep hills

If possible, when planning your nighttime driving routes, avoid two-lane highways. Naturally, this won’t always be a practical option, and there may even be instances when choosing a two-lane highway is the safer option than choosing any other roads in a given area. However, if you can safely and conveniently stay off two-lane highways when driving at night, attempt to do so.

Clean Your Vehicle

A clean vehicle is a point of pride for many. It can also play a critical role in your safety. A clean windshield and clean headlights boost visibility when driving at night. Brighter headlights can also help other motorists spot your vehicle.

Carry Reflective Triangles

There may be times when you need to pull over to the side of the road at night. When this happens, you need to be prepared to ensure other motorists can spot your vehicle. Turning on your hazard lights will help. That said, you may want to add to your visibility by carefully placing reflective triangles near your vehicle as well. Keep them with you when driving at night in case you ever find yourself in a situation when you need to use them.

Don’t Look Into Headlights

When another vehicle with its headlights on is approaching yours, prevent its headlights from blinding you by looking down and to the right, gazing towards the white line. Your goal is to strike a balance between keeping an eye on the road and making sure another driver’s headlights don’t prevent you from seeing what’s in front of you.

Check Your Vision

For health reasons, you should already be having your vision checked every year. Doing so can also allow for early diagnosis of vision issues that could potentially stop you from seeing clearly while driving in low-light conditions.That said, although you may make an effort to avoid putting yourself and others in danger on the road when driving at night in California, you can’t stop others from being reckless. Their carelessness could result in an accident that leaves you seriously injured. Discuss your case with a lawyer if this happens. At Randolph and Associates, a Southern California car accident attorney will review your case and determine if you have grounds to file a claim seeking compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and more. Contact us online to get started.

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Recognizing the dangers of cellphone use while driving

Cellphones have introduced a new degree of convenience and flexibility. People can communicate with family and friends that live thousands of miles away with just the touch of a button. Because of the convenience, many people feel capable of operating their phones while they do other tasks, such as driving.

Using a cellphone while driving a vehicle immediately endangers the operator, any passengers in the vehicle and other nearby motorists. People who understand the grave danger of using their phones while driving their cars may see why this single decision could potentially produce fatal results.

Deadly results

Even answering a quick text message requires people to take their eyes off of the road. When traveling forward, this momentary distraction can have detrimental results. During the time a driver looks away, he or she may encounter road hazards and have no time to respond with control.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, it is a direct violation of the law to use a cellphone while driving in the state of California. Even if people do not get into an accident while using their phone, they risk fines and other legal repercussions if authorities catch them multitasking behind the wheel.

Responsible actions

The most effective way for people to avoid distracted driving is for them to make a conscious decision to avoid it in the first place. According to the Federal Communications Commission, people can act responsibly when they share the dangers of distracted driving with others. They can encourage people they love to avoid distractions.

In situations where people feel the need to answer or respond to an urgent communication, they should pull over in a safe place. A simple decision to not use a phone while driving has the potential to save people from a lifelong disability or an early death.

What steps should you take after a rideshare accident?

The user base of ridesharing apps like Uber or Lyft is ever-increasing. People are using the on-demand car services to get to or make it back from a night of drinking, to rescue them when a disabled vehicle leaves them stranded or simply to run errands when they don’t have access to their own car.

Rideshare companies perform background checks on their drivers to ensure that they don’t have drunk or reckless driving violations, speeding tickets or more than three other incidents on their records during the past few years. While someone’s past driving history can potentially shed light on how safe a driver is to ride with, the motorists around you may pose a significant risk. What should you do if you are injured while riding in an Uber or Lyft?

Proving liability in rideshare accidents

Like most motorists, your rideshare driver will likely have personal auto insurance. Your Uber or Lyft driver may also have rideshare insurance. The two rideshare companies also have a corporate insurance plan in place. You may be able to file a third-party claim with one or all three insurers, depending on liability, policy limits and the extent of your injuries.

It can be shocking and scary any time a driver is involved in a crash. However, fleeing from the scene of any crash that involves property damage or injuries is unlawful. It’s particularly critical to your injury case that you try to convince your rideshare driver to stick around until police come.

Reporting the accident that left you injured is key to recovering compensation. The report contains important information, such as the names and insurance companies of the motorists involved and details about how the accident occurred. The latter piece of information can aid insurers in determining liability.

Liability is a burden that is sometimes difficult for individuals injured in automobile accidents to prove. You’ll want to learn more about how the added complications that arise in proving liability in a rideshare accident case before deciding how to proceed.