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Every parent wants to raise safe drivers – teens who operate a vehicle courteously and safely. To reduce the risk of your child being injured in a Pompano Beach car accident:

1) Start with smaller responsibilities. Learning traffic rules and good road habits start well before the teen years. When your child is very small, he or she will learn some road rules by learning to cross roads by themselves. Later, you can help your child by teaching them to ride a bicycle safely, avoiding Pompano Beach bicycle accidents.

2) Teach your child car safety through games. Many video games involving cars include racing and stunts, so make sure to balance that with online games that focus on traffic safety. These games are great for small children, as they can teach your child about safety rules and traffic laws.

3) Be a good role model. When you drive carefully, refuse to drive distracted, and obey the laws, your children see that driving is important. Children mirror their parents more than many parents realize, so driving courteously and safely helps set your child up for safe driving habits.

4) Get your teen into driving classes early and offer additional training. Many parents start swimming lessons early to protect their children from Pompano Beach drowning accidents and pool accidents. Driving classes can be the same way; they can teach your teen the basics of car safety so that your teen can stay safer. Providing additional driver training and defensive driver training is also importance, since most basic driver education classes only offer limited in-car lessons and do not focus extensively on defensive driving, an important skill that can help your teen prevent a Pompano Beach traffic accident.

5) Let your new teen driver drive sometimes. Driving in the car with your teen helps you notice any bad habits that your teen driver is forming and lets you get additional driver training for your teen, if needed. Driving together also helps your teen develop driving skills and confidence.

6) Set rules. Having written rules about passengers, cell phone use, and drinking and driving helps ensure that your teen knows the rules and the consequences for breaking them.

7) Keep in mind that even if your teen is not yet driving, they may be picking up habits from peers. If your teen is under the age of 16 but has older friends or siblings, he or she may be noticing different driving habits and may be at risk if peers drink and drive. From an early age, make sure that your child knows the dangers of Pompano Beach drunk driving accidents and the dangers of reckless driving. Make sure that your child knows that they can call you (and possibly other family members) for a drive with no questions asked if they are in a dangerous situation.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

In many cases, Hollywood traffic accidents are preventable. In some cases, a driver who has caused a car collision has a medical issue or a series of fender benders and other accidents that friends and family know about. If there is someone in your life that you feel is a problem driver and is at risk of causing a Hollywood truck accident or car accident, there are several things you can do:

1) Talk to the driver in a non-accusatory fashion. In many cases, motorists are defensive about their ability to drive and fearful that their independence will disappear if they can no longer drive. In these cases, it is important to listen to the driver and to show concern.

2) Find out the specific reason for a driver’s problems with driving. If it is a health condition or simply poor driving habits, there may be some way to help. A driver may be able to avoid a Hollywood car accident by speaking with their doctor about treatment or difference medications, for example. If poor habits are to blame, remedial driving lessons can be a big help.

3) Learn about transportation options and share them with the driver. A driver may be more willing to use other transportation options if they are convenient and affordable. Learning about the options can help a driver make a safer decision about their driving.

4) Don’t assume that elderly drivers are automatically unsafe. Driving ability has more to do with skills, choices, and health than with age. While the elderly are more susceptible to certain conditions which can affect driving ability, drivers of any age can make poor choices or develop health concerns that can make them a hazard on the road.

5) Learn about resources that can help. Florida’s Silver Alert system can send out if a driver goes missing. The Safe Mobility for Life program at the Florida Department of Transportation offers tips and information.

6) Speak to a doctor or have the problem driver speak to their doctor about their driving ability. If a health concern is the cause, proper treatment can go a long way towards reducing the risk. A doctor can also help a patient understand how their health can affect driving ability.

7) Get re-testing or one-on-one refresher courses with an experienced driving instructor. Re-testing and one-on-one sessions with driving instructors can help pinpoint and address problems. In some cases, additional training or even accessibility features in a car can help a motorist who is at risk drive safer.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Cultures can be characterized as either “wet” or “dry”. “Wet” cultures- those of southern Europe, for example- have high per capita consumption of alcohol but few legal restrictions, and fewer drunken driving fatalities. In “wet” cultures, individuals drink frequently but rarely with the intention of becoming intoxicated. “Dry” cultures- those of northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the United States, for example- have low per capita consumption of alcohol. Drinking is infrequent but, when it does occur, it is very heavy. “Dry” cultures have more alcohol related violence and drunken driving fatalities.

Choose Responsibility Blog

Miami car accidents occur in the city every day, and unfortunately some of these collisions have a long-term or even life-long impact on victims. In some cases, Miami traffic accidents can cause permanent injuries or severe financial distress for those who sustain serious burn injuries, brain injuries, and other serious injuries in the crash. According to experts, there are several things you can do after a Miami accident to protect yourself:

1) Do the right thing immediately after the accident. Stay at the scene of the accident, call for emergency help for anyone who needs it, and get the contact information for every driver involved and for any witnesses at the scene. If you have a phone camera, take photos of the scene and the damage as well. Call authorities if the accident is significant or if anyone is hurt.

2) Know that you have a choice about towing and mechanics. If police arrive at the scene, they may recommend a tow service if your car is too damaged to drive. To reduce costs, however, you do have the right to choose your own service. As well, while your insurance company may recommend a mechanic, you also have the right to take your car in to any qualified mechanic you wish.

3) Get medical care – just in case. If you have whiplash or any injuries that do not manifest themselves right away, it is best to start documenting and to start getting medical treatment right away.

4) Call a qualified Miami personal injury attorney first. This should be one of the first calls you make. Many victims call their insurance carrier first, but calling an attorney ensures that your attorney can start gathering evidence in your case right away. Calling a good attorney first also ensures that you have someone to work on your behalf, negotiating with your insurance carrier and reading over documents before you sign them. As well, keep in mind that there is a statute of limitations if you do decide to pursue a legal claim following a Miami drunk driving accident or car accident. The sooner you speak with an attorney, the sooner you can file your claim and the more chance your attorney has of gathering important information to support your case.

5) Keep as many records as possible. The more information you have on paper, the better. Taking photos of your injuries, keeping a journal of your injuries, and costs and keeping careful records of anything is invaluable in case you decide to file a claim. Even if you decide not to pursue legal action, proof of your injuries and your case may be required by your insurance company, so keep records – and don’t toss them out when you get better. You may need them years after the fact.

6) Assemble a team you trust and follow their directions to the letter. If you have been injured, find a terrific Miami car accident attorney and an excellent doctor. Follow their instructions carefully and follow up with these professionals regularly. Both these professionals can help you heal from your injuries and can help you face a brighter future – but only if you cooperate.

7) Be very, very honest. Exaggerating injuries or being dishonest about existing conditions can be very harmful. Due to the risk of insurance fraud, insurance carriers frequently hire private detectives to investigate claims. Since Florida and Miami lead the nation in fraudulent car insurance claims, claims from the state may be met with special scrutiny.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Rear-end collisions usually occur when a vehicle is tailgating or when one driver brakes suddenly. Moderate speed Florida rear-end crashes can result in whiplash. Higher speeds can result in herniation, brain injuries, and other serious injuries. This type of car accident can be jarring and upsetting. It can also lead to serious Florida brain injuries, broken bones, and other serious injuries. In cases where there are items, such as groceries, in a vehicle, these objects can become airborne during a Florida car accident and can cause serious injuries, even at lower speeds. Even though some rear end Florida car accidents are nothing more than fender benders, serious injuries and even fatalities do occur with this type of car accident.

The trunk space of a car can help protect passengers from impact. Those most likely to be injured in this type of crash are the passengers in the rear of a van, as the rear crumple zone in a van tends to be small. In fact, any passenger vehicle with reduced trunk space can be more problematic with a rear end collision. In some cases, victims who have sustained injures in rear end collisions are injured because there is a flaw with the design of the car, which causes additional injuries despite there being a cushion of trunk space. If you believe that your Florida car accident injuries were caused by this type of defect, you will need to work with a qualified Florida product liability attorney to help investigate the true cause of your injuries.

Unfortunately, rear end car accidents are more likely to injure people sitting in the rear of the vehicle, as that is where most of the impact occurs. Tragically, it is often children who are sitting in the rear seat of the vehicle. For this reason, it is very important to ensure that any children in your car are always restrained with age-appropriate safety restraints. Without these restraints, children can be flung about the interior of the car, causing serious and permanent injury.

The driver of the car that rear-ends a vehicle is usually considered to be at fault. Usually, authorities believe that the driver did not pay due attention or did not leave adequate room to stop safely. However, is dangerous to assume that the hitting car is always at fault. Some Florida staged car accidents, for example, occur when a car brakes suddenly or drives recklessly, causing other cars to rear end it. If you have been in the rear end collision, it is important not to take blame or agree with an assessment of the situation until a thorough investigation of the accident can be completed. If you are accused of a rear end accident but believe that you were not at fault, you may need to work with a qualified Florida attorney to determine true liability in the accident.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Let me tell you about one of my law firm’s cases that ended up in a Los Angeles Times article entitled "DUI Case Botched by Blood Mixup".

One of our attorneys, Lane Scherer, had a young client who had been arrested for drunk driving by the Los Angeles Police Department and had a blood sample drawn from his arm. He swore to us that he was innocent, and we believed him. Problem: the blood alcohol content of the sample was .15% — almost twice the drunk driving limit.

Now what?

We obtained a portion of the sample from the LAPD crime lab and sent it to a private lab that we use for reanalyzing the blood samples of all our DUI clients. The lab reported the blood alcohol level to be .13% — lower, but a long way from being under .08%. As we requested, the lab also tested for preservative and anticoagulent (either fermentation or coagulation can raise the alcohol level in the sample), but everything appeared in order.

Our client still insisted he was not driving under the influence of alcohol. The only other possibility was a faulty chain of custody. In other words, the LAPD lab (the same one that botched the O.J. Simpson case) got the vial of our client’s blood mixed up and tested someone else’s blood.

So we had the sample blood-typed to see if it was that of another arrestee. Result: type O — the same as our client’s. But, then, that’s the most common type of blood.

We decided to try something different, something that, to our knowledge, had not been done before in any DUI case. We had blood taken from our client and, along with a portion of the remaining sample from the LAPD lab, shipped to a laboratory in Oklahoma that specialized in DNA testing.

A month or so later the report came back: the blood tested by LAPD was conclusively not that of our client.

The prosecutor in the case initially refused to accept these results. But after we proved that the comparison blood had come from our client and after LAPD checked the blood themselves, he reluctantly dismissed all criminal charges.

Predictably, in the L.A. Times article LAPD tried to point the finger at someone else:

Police officials said they are investigating how the mix-up occurred and who is responsible, But, they said, they are fairly confident that the lab did not make a mistake.

One possible explanation, they said, was that the blood was mistakenly labeled when it was initially drawn by nurses at LAPD’s jail intake facility in Van Nuys.

As always, the police claim infallibility: "We do not make mistakes.  It was the nurses".

So how could this have happened? The truth is that it probably happens far more commonly than you might think.

When a blood sample is drawn from the suspect in a DUI case rather than using a breath machine, the sample is supposed to be inserted into a vial containing preservative and anticoagulent, then shaken and sealed. Procedures require that a chain of custody be established: the location of the vial of blood must be identifiable at all times so that it does not become contaminated or mixed up with someone else’s vial. This is done by labelling the seal with identifying information, then usually placing the sealed vial in an evidence locker (which should be refrigerated but often is not) until it is transported to the crime laboratory for further storage and refrigeration. At any stage of this chain of custody, of course, things can go wrong with the vial or the records.

It may be a week or so before the vial is finally analyzed. This is commonly done using gas chromatograph instruments, and the vial is one of many analyzed in large batches. A batch is a group of vials, perhaps 40 or more which are analyzed in sequence; this is much faster and more economical than isolating, identifying and separately analyzing one vial after another.

Of course, it is critically important that the sequence of vials tested by the gas chromatograph coincide with the sequence of vials in the records. If the sequence of numbering of the vials is off by one, then the records will show a result from the analysis of another vial. And it won’t be just one person whose blood is falsely reported: every other vial may also be one off — and will all be wrong. And you have 40 people people facing criminal charges based upon false evidence.

"How do I know the blood they tested was mine?"  Simple — if you can get a portion of the sample from the crime lab and have an extra 00 for DNA testing laying around.

Otherwise, I guess you’ll never know…
 

DUI BLOG

For National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Apolo Ohno wanted to get a quick message out to the Ask, Listen, Learn Team:

Exercise and physical activity strengthen the mind and body while helping you to maintain good health and can even help prevent injury and disease. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) children need at least 60 minutes of exercise each day and adults need at least 30 minutes of exercise each day.

The most important step is to make physical activity fun! Not everyone has a speed skating rink in their town, but you can choose any activity you enjoy whether it is walking or running, biking, swimming, or playing on a soccer or basketball team with your friends. No matter what activity you pick, remember the most important thing is to make regular physical activity part of your healthy lifestyle.

As an athlete, I know firsthand how competition can accentuate the energy and excitement that physical activity adds to a person’s life. That is why I want to take this opportunity to challenge you to get active and fit not just this month but for life. No matter what your age, background, or ability, everyone can add some regular exercise or physical activity into their daily lives to improve their mental and well-being. To learn more about saying “yes” to a healthy lifestyle and “no” to underage drinking and how other top athletes stay fit, visit www.asklistenlearn.com and commit to making healthy choices that will help you live a happy and long life.

Century Council Blog