Sacramento Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Keep your eyes on the road. Well, that's what you are supposed to do to reduce your risk of getting into a car accident. But we all know there are many distractions as we drive from place to place: kids, music, mobile phones, aggressive drivers, etc. And let's not forget ... billboards. Yes, those flashy digital bilboards so common throughout the Sacramento region and California are now being scrutinized by our state legislature.

Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, has introduced a bill to prohibit new digital billboards in California until results are in from a federal study examining whether these flashy roadside advertisements are a dangerous distraction to drivers. Feuer said, "It is a simple, common sense matter to put public safety first. We ought to know the results before we allow more of them." For more information you are welcome to contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer, Moseley Collins.

In Sacramento, message-changing billboards that are the kind being evaluated in the study can be found at Cal Expo and Sacramento State. Are they a dangerous distraction to drivers? They could be if drivers are more focused on the flashy billboards than they are on the road and other drivers.

There is opposition to the prohibition and potential ban, particularly from the film industry which does not want to see their promotional creativity limited. A Clear Channel advertising company representative reminded legislators that the digital billborads can also be used to quickly show kids' photos during Amber Alerts.

Continue reading "California Considering Ban On Flashy Digital Billboards" »

A family is suing the company EvenFlo, maker of baby products, for the death of their seven month old child. The suit comes after the mother and her son, Issac, were in a car accident. Issac’s mother was changing lanes and had to overcorrect herself. The overcorrection made her lose control of her car, causing it to flip over. Issac was in his EvenFlo car seat at the time and was properly belted in and secure. Unfortunately, the car seat ejected from the car when the car flipped over, resulting in Issac’s death.

EvenFlo isn’t unaccustomed to lawsuits. Just two months before Issac’s family filed a suit against EvenFlo, a $10.4 million jury verdict was set against the company for a defective car seat that caused a four month old boy to die of head injuries. The NHTSA has since recalled this car seat, the “On My Way” model.

When a company puts out a defective product, they are liable for injuries or death that is caused by such defect. If you or a loved one has been injured because of a product’s defect, please call the Law Offices of Moseley Collins. I will be able to explain your options and give you the help and advice you seek.

Until next time…

For the full article, please click here.
To view recent product recalls, please visit www.recalls.gov.

At our Personal Injury Law Firm in Sacramento, CA, I see many accidents in which the person killed was not wearing his or her seatbelt. Out of curiosity, I decided to see if I could find seatbelt statistics for California. On the website for the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) I found just what I was looking for. A couple of statistics, listed below, reassured me of the necessity to buckle up:

* Seat belts reduce a person’s chances of dying in a crash by 50 percent.

* In 2004, NHTSA estimates that in California 481 unrestrained vehicle occupants would have survived their crash had they simply buckled up.

Reading further on, however, I was actually encouraged by many of the percentages the OTS provided. It seems that California is ahead of the game compared to many other states nationally in the outlook they have towards seatbelt use:

* California’s seat belt usage rate increased 2.1 percentage points from 90.4 percent in 2004 to 92.5 percent in 2005 – which is significantly better than the national average of 82 percent and represents the largest single year increase since 2000 to 2001.

* California’s 2005 teen seat belt use rate: 88.6 percent.

* California’s 2005 child safety seat usage rate is 86.9 percent.

Taking those statistics, however, and putting them into the actual number of people makes the amount of unrestrained passengers a little more daunting:

* Approximately 2.7 million vehicle occupants remain unbelted in California.

Please wear your seatbelt when driving, even when traveling short distances. You never know when an accident could occur, don't let it be too late.

Click it...

For more information on seatbelt statistics, please see the full article.

In Sacramento and California today, our desire to maximize our time is more prevalent than ever. One of the most common ways we have found to achieve this goal is through the ever-growing popularity of cell phone use and driving. It allows us to be at two places at one time, creating a type of mobile office, and so much more. This "ideal", however, has not come without its own problems.

Over the past several years, we have seen more and more links to cell phone use while driving and car crashes. Studies show that almost 80% of crashes and 64% of near-crashes involve some sort of driver distraction within the 3 seconds prior. Out of all the causes, cell phone use is the most common distraction.

Another study, conducted by the University of Utah in the summer of 2006, concludes that talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk. I know this may seem shocking at first, but if you think about the state of mind many people get into while talking on the phone, it makes more and more sense.

Cases have risen with large awards given to plaintiffs who were injured from someone who was distracted by their cell phone conversation. If you have been in an accident, find out what was the cause. Police reports will indicate whether the driver was talking on their cell phone at the time of the accident. If you would like further advice in this area and have been injured in an accident, please call us at the law office.

Over and out...

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