Car Accident Blog

Have you had a car accident? Are you unsure of all the things you have to do to protect yourself and your family? Are you looking for concise information from an objective expert who’s just trying to help and not trying to sell you anything? If so, this blog is for you.

This blog is especially for you if you’re thinking about handling legal claims yourself. Using the information here, you can save hundreds or thousands of dollars of legal fees.

Even if you think you want a lawyer to represent you, this blog will teach you the ins and outs of hiring and working with a lawyer, perhaps saving you money there too. (I’ll also give you tips on if and when you should hire a lawyer.)

If you haven’t had a car accident but think you could have one in the future and want to be ready to do the right things when it happens, this blog is for you, too. (That last one covers all of us, folks. The odds are that, sooner or later, we all will have a car accident.)

Too many lawsuits brought by greedy trial lawyers!

That’s what insurance industry advocates have been saying for years, and what much of the public has come to think too. Of course, the insurance industry is not known for letting the facts get in the way of a good argument that will swell their already-record profits. The fact is that the number of lawsuits arising out of car accidents dropped by 29% from 1996 through 2005. Hmmm. I guess that means that insurance companies and business interests won’t be pressing for more “tort reform” and that we will see corresponding decreases in car insurance premiums, right? To see the actual figures and trends on lawsuit filings, review this report by the National Center for State Courts.

Distracted driving – it’s not just cell phones!

On July 1, 2008, a California law takes effect banning the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. But, as the Los Angeles Times shows us in this hilarious video, there are still a gazillion legal ways to distract yourself while driving in California.

Get off the phone and drive!

What are the laws of your state on distracted driving, such as driving while talking on your cell phone? Click here to find out.

What to do at the Scene of Your Car Accident

The 8 Things You Should do at the Scene of Your Car Accident

Perhaps Driving Ability is “In the Stars.”

According to a study by moneysupermarket.com, those born under the sign of Sagittarius (November 23 to December 21) caused the fewest car accidents in Britain last year while those born under the sign of Aries (March 21 to April 20) caused the most. The study also showed that drivers born under the signs of Leo, Libra, Capricorn and Scorpio are also among the safest drivers. Follow this link to learn more about this interesting but useless survey.

Shared Car Accident Cases

Learn from the experiences of others through these shared car accident cases

5 Sure Ways To Increase Your Car Accident Settlement

A top-rated car accident lawyer explains how to maximize your car accident settlement.

Car Accident Settlement Negotiations

Expert tips on handling settlement negotiations in your car accident case.

Car Accident Settlements

Learn the ins and outs of making injury claims and reaching car accident settlements.

Car Accident Settlement Value

An insider's explanation of how to determine your car accident settlement value.

Allstate’s reduced injury payouts to claimants have produced record profits

There is an excellent article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune which recounts in detail how, beginning in the 1990's, Allstate has implemented a get tough policy designed to reduce claim payouts by 20%. By using a computer program called Colossus to evaluate claims and standardize payments, by discouraging claimants from hiring lawyers, by using a “boxing gloves” approach with claimants who wouldn’t accept their lowball settlement offers, and by forcing more cases to trial, Allstate has achieved the largest profits in its 77 year history. In 2007, for example, they reported profits of $4.6 billion. Follow this link to learn more.

Mediation of Car Accident Claims

Learn all about mediation of car accident claims.

Can You Lawfully Talk on Your Cell Phone While Driving?

The laws vary from state to state. In some states, drivers cannot use cell phones while driving . . . at all. In some other states, drivers must use hands free devices to talk on their cell phones. In still other states, there are no restrictions on cell phone use. And, in states where there are limitations on cell phone use while driving, the laws differ on whether you can be stopped for that violation alone or whether you must be committing another offense before you can be stopped. Confused? To learn your state’s laws on cell phone use while driving, check out this list. But be aware that these laws are changing all the time. The law next month may be different from the law this month.

Riding unbuckled with new teen drivers on high-speed roads.

These were the three biggest risk factors contributing to car crash deaths for passengers aged 8 to 17, according to a study that. appears in the March edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The message for parents is simple and sobering: Don't let your teen ride with a teen driver who has less than a year's experience driving. Insist on seat belts. And practice ways teens can resist peer pressure to ride with other teens, said Dr. Flaura Koplin Winston of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the study's lead author. To learn more about the study, go to this USA Today article.

Sometimes you can get more hurt AFTER an accident!

This is hilarious! It’s a passerby's account of what happened after an accident. Turn up your speakers and enjoy.

Car Accident Lawsuits

Learn all about car accident lawsuits

At the Scene of your car accident, use these accident information forms

To protect your rights, use these accident information forms to make sure that you collect all of the information that you need.

Drowsy Driving Causes Thousands of Car Crashes Each Year

A report on Drowsy Driving and Automobile Crashes, sponsored by the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), concludes that drowsy driving is a serious problem that leads to thousands of automobile crashes each year. According to the report, no driver is immune, but the following three population groups are at highest risk . . . young people (ages 16 to 29), especially males . . . . . shift workers whose sleep is disrupted by working at night or working long or irregular hours . . . people with untreated sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) and narcolepsy. Here’s where you can see the report, which has an Executive Summary to quickly give you the meat of the findings.

Texting while driving is a dangerous distraction.

Do ya think? Now we have empirical data to prove that common sense observation. Research done by Clemson University shows that driving while sending text messages is the single most dangerous distraction behind the wheel, often causing texters to leave their lane. To learn the details of Clemson’s study, check out this article.

It’s like a cop sitting in the back seat!

That’s what some are saying about Honda’s new in-car camera that reacts to sudden directional changes or heavy braking, saving the footage from just before and just after the event. Yes, there’s now a way . . . so far only in Japan . . . to have indisputable evidence of how a traffic accident happened. Who wouldn’t want this tool? Well, worried that it will end up providing evidence against them if they have an accident, only about 10 percent of the purchasers of the Japanese Hondas that offer it have opted for the new option. Very interesting! Honda says it plans to offer the unit as an option on 13 of its new models, including the Jazz and the Accord. To learn more about this new safety development, check out this article.

Car Accident Small Claims Suits

Learn all about car accident small claims suits.

Car Industry Developing New Technology to Avoid Car Accidents

There’s a limit to how crashworthy a car can be made. Seatbelts, airbags, anti-lock brakes and the like can only do so much. Recognizing that fact, the car industry is wisely shifting its focus to developing technologies that prevent accidents entirely. New technologies include rear-end crash warning systems, adaptive cruise control and automatic braking systems. The industry is also working on lane departure avoidance systems and curve-speed warning systems to help prevent run-off-the-road accidents, which are the most fatal types of accidents, and other even more futuristic technologies that would be integrated into the roadway. Check out this article to learn more.

What are my qualifications

These are my qualifications as a car accident expert.

The Safest Cars

Thirty-four vehicles received the highest safety rating in the latest crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, up from 13 a year ago. To learn more, check out this Wall Street Journal article.

At the scene of your car accident, assess the situation.

Before You Act at the Scene of Your Car Accident, Assess the Situation

In car accidents, small cars are not as safe as big cars. Duh!

For environmental and economic reasons, many of us are switching, or thinking of switching, to smaller cars. I think that’s a good trend, but there's a trade-off. The most recent government crash data shows that the number of people injured or killed in small cars has risen while, overall, highway injuries and deaths have gone down. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, small cars accounted for 14 percent of all vehicles on the road in 2005, but they also accounted for nearly 24 percent of occupants killed in one and two car crashes. To learn more, see this CBS 5 report from San Francisco.

Can you name the # 1 risk factor for teen drivers?

It’s nighttime driving. A study just released by the Texas Transportation Institute concludes that the primary causes of accidents by teen drivers are inexperience coupled with – in this order – nighttime driving, distractions (such as cell phones and testing), limited use of seat belts, speeding and alcohol. In fact, nearly 2/3 of teen crashes happen between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Although it’s the top risk factor, nighttime driving is not recognized as a risk by most teens. According to the study less than 1% of the teens who were surveyed understood that driving at night is risky and almost half said that they routinely drive after 10 p.m. Nighttime driving will become a bigger problem this weekend when daylight saving time ends and it gets dark an hour earlier.

Car Damage from a Car Accident

Learn who pays for your car damage and how much they have to pay

How Much is Paid for Car Damage after a Car Accident

Learn how much is paid for car damage after a car accident.

Diminished Value Claim

If your car is significantly damaged in your car accident, you may have a diminished value claim.