The future is now. And while we don’t have flying cars, vehicles of today are advancing at breakneck speeds. Case in point: technology being developed to monitor the health and well-being of drivers in an effort to reduce traffic accidents. [Read more…]
De Blasio Delivers Safety Proposals to Eliminate Traffic Accidents
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio isn’t wasting any time in following through on his traffic safety campaign promises. Recently, he offered details into how he expects to reduce traffic fatalities to nil in the “Vision Zero” plan. But only two days later, he came under fire for breezing through stop signs and speeding about the city in a police-chauffeured SUV. [Read more…]
NYC Cabbies Keep Licenses Despite Killing Pedestrians
How would you feel riding in a cab with a taxi-driver who had struck and killed a pedestrian? How would you feel crossing the street knowing cab drivers on NYC streets can hold onto their licenses after fatal accidents? It’s true. And it’s time for the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to hold cabbies responsible for their dangerous ways. [Read more…]
5 Tips for Safer Driving in 2014
The first month of 2014 has passed and we’ve seen numerous accidents on New Jersey and New York roadways. We’re still in the throes of a bitterly cold and snowy winter—weather that puts us all at risk of being involved in an auto accident. But the year is just starting. So, how can you be a safer driver in 2014? [Read more…]
Are There Any Limitations on Your Right to Sue When Involved in an Automobile Accident?
You unfortunately get involved in a motor vehicle accident as a passenger or a driver. You initially seek treatment at a local hospital. You receive treatment and then are released. In the next few days, you start treatment with your doctor. At some point, you decide to seek advice from a lawyer. An appointment is made. The lawyer is advised how the accident happened and what injuries you sustained. The lawyer requests a copy of the insurance declaration page for your insurance policy, the car that you were driving or the car that you were a passenger in. (Depending on your own insurance policy; if you have one or required to have, will decide which policy you need to review). You may wonder why the lawyer needs to review this document if the other driver is at fault for the accident. The insurance declaration page is just as important as the police report at this point. The insurance declaration page contains quite a bit of information that needs to be reviewed by the lawyer. One piece of information that it contains concerns any limitation on your right to sue. [Read more…]
New Jersey Automobile Insurance, Bodily Injury Coverage; How Much Coverage is Enough?
We purchase insurance to protect ourselves against a particular risk. When it deals with automobile coverage, one of the reasons is to protect ourselves from our own negligence and/or the negligence of others with respect to the operation of a motor vehicle. When we purchase Bodily Injury coverage from an insurance company, this is the amount that your insurance policy will pay when you or an insured person becomes liable for a bodily injury or death caused by your automobile. How do we decide how much coverage to purchase? [Read more…]
Protecting Older Drivers
Balancing safety with dignity is difficult, as many elderly people are fiercely protective of their ability to drive.
Telling someone they are an unsafe driver is difficult and may end in defensiveness and hurt feelings. But the truth is, some drivers are more at risk of being involved in a car crash than others. And while the statistics might not apply to each crash, they do speak volumes. [Read more…]
What happens when you are injured by an unidentified Hit and Run Driver?
One out of every 5 pedestrians killed in an auto accident was a hit and run victim according to a receipt study by the Department of Transportation.
Even though you may not be able to identify the driver or owner of the vehicle that injured you in a hit-and-run accident, you may still be able to recover compensation for your injuries. Although it is not mandatory, many automobile insurance policies provide Uninsured Motorist Benefits (“UM”). If you have UM coverage, then you are entitled to make a claim against your own insurance company to compensate you for your loss. Your insurance company essentially steps in the shoes of the “unidentified” driver. [Read more…]
Liabilities of Hosting a New Year’s Party
When you host a holiday party, you may expect the only aftermath to be a messy house. But if you allow guests to drink and then drive home intoxicated, you could be facing a far bigger mess. Under social host liability laws in some states, you could be held responsible for injuries if a guest is involved in a drunk driving accident. Fortunately, you can prevent such tragedies. [Read more…]
Earlier Sunsets Raise Driving Risks
It can take awhile to adjust to the end of daylight saving time. Less daylight means you are more likely to be driving in the dark, when visibility is lower, and facing a greater risk of auto accidents.
In the height of summer, it may not get dark until around 8 p.m. But in winter, the sun is on its way down well before 5 p.m., and the sky can be completely dark while you are heading home from the office. [Read more…]