Injury Blog: Driving Information Articles

Being involved in a car accident can be an overwhelming experience, and the aftermath can often be just as challenging. In California, one of the key documents involved…

Car accidents, for the most part, ARE avoidable. However, without fully understanding the cause of car accidents, it can be difficult for individuals to know what they can…

Carpool lanes are an essential part of the Bay Area’s transportation infrastructure, designed to encourage carpooling, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality. As the population continues to…

Each year, the holiday season brings excitement about seeing family, eating delicious meals, and even opening a few presents. For some, the season marks a series of events complete with dinner parties and elaborate decorations. In addition to this seasonal mirth, families must consider safety issues related to driving long distances in rough conditions, the potential for shopping mall mishaps, and dangers associated with holiday decorations and lights. To help navigate those additional considerations, we’ve developed a list of some of the most common holiday-related injuries and some precautions families can take to avoid trips to the emergency room this winter.

Rear end collisions are one of the most common – but luckily one of the least serious – accident types. What is often most complex about these accidents, however, is not the extent of the injuries that they cause, but is determining who is to be held liable for damages. Because California is an at-fault, or tort liability state for car accidents, determining fault in all crashes that result in damages, even if those damages are minor, is important. It should also be noted, of course, that while most rear-end collisions are not serious, those that occur at high speeds have the potential to be very severe, and could even be fatal.

If you live in California and you are involved in a car accident, the driver who caused the accident is responsible for paying for it. However, drivers rarely pay for accidents that they cause out of pocket – instead, they turn to their auto insurance liability policies to pay for damages.

There are so many safety factors to consider when your teenager begins driving. When it comes to teen brain development, distracted driving, and graduated license laws, parents have a strong role in assuring that their children stay safe behind the wheel. Great safety strategies include educating your teen about the dangers of distracted driving, and creating a teen-parent safe driving contract that rewards safe driving behavior. But there’s one aspect for new teen drivers that parents have complete control over: what car (if any) they will drive.

These 15 Driving Distractions Could Ruin Your Day. Wouldn’t it be nice to settle in to your morning commute in total relaxation, catching up with a friend in the passenger seat next to you, or with hundreds of friends all at once on social media?

Anytime that you are involved in a car accident, or any other serious accident type that necessitates emergency medical care, you should make sure that an accident report is filed with the police (in fact, in the event of a car accident, California law requires that you report the accident if anyone is injured or killed, or damages total more than $750).

What comes to mind when you think of traffic laws? There are right-of-way rules that say who yields and who proceeds at traffic intersections and crosswalks. And speed…

When an accident occurs in California, whether an automobile accident or an accident such as a slip and fall on someone else’s property, the way that injuries are almost always paid for is through liability insurance. Because California is an at-fault state, the insurance company of the person whose negligence caused the accident and related injuries is responsible for paying for the injured party’s damages.

It is clear that the object of romantic interest in the Beatles’ song never anticipated a self-driving (“autonomous”) car; but as that technology gets closer to becoming a…

In 2015, Oakland enacted a Pedestrian Signal Policy intended to fix its frustrating and nonsensical crosswalk signals, a hindrance to the City’s walkability. The City previously installed hundreds…

It is hard to think of any public safety issue that has received more attention over the last few years than the use of smartphones while driving…

Oakland and Berkeley residents have an exciting new mobility option after the launch of GIG, a one-way car share service by AAA and Ridecell.

When you are involved in a crash in California, you will either turn to your own insurance company, or the insurance company of the other driver, in order to seek compensation for the damage to your vehicle. If the other driver was at fault – their insurance is responsible for paying; if you were at fault – you can file a claim through your own insurance company’s collision coverage policy (assuming you carry this coverage type). In some cases, you may have to file an uninsured motorist claim to recover compensation.

Despite the requirement that all drivers in the state of California have liability insurance or show proof of financial responsibility, many people in the state do not carry insurance for various reason. In fact, a lack of insurance is so common that one source suggests that 4.1 million California drivers are uninsured. The fact that there are some many people driving around without proper insurance coverage is one of the primary reasons that carrying uninsured motorist coverage is a very wise idea.

Were you injured recently in a car crash or another accident in Northern California? You might be asking yourself: who will pay for my medical bills, and will using my health insurance cause my coverage to go up? Nobody who gets hurt in an accident resulting from another party’s negligence should have to pay for the costs of care.

The latest annual report on motor vehicle collisions from the California Highway Patrol has a ton of information about what’s happening on California roads and highways, with extensive datasets on alcohol- and truck-involved collisions and more tightly focused summaries of collisions involving pedestrians, motorcycles, and bicycles.

Last week, we looked at the number of motor vehicle injuries occurring in the San Jose area and concluded that traffic safety around GJEL’s San Jose office is getting worse. According to California’s latest traffic records, the number of collisions leading to injury increased each year from 2013 to 2015 and was trending up again through the first half of 2016. Full-year results for 2016 should be available in August.

Whether driving or riding in a passenger seat, there’s no way to guarantee your safety in a car, on any day of the year. But you can educate yourself about local traffic safety risks. If everybody knew when and where collisions occur, we would all have a better chance to stay out of harm’s way.

Through nearly 40 years of representing accident victims and families, GJEL has shown that many injuries suffered on the roads are preventable. Our efforts to improve traffic safety extend far beyond the legal process. We sponsor organizations such as the California Bicycle Coalition to advocate for safe and viable transportation alternatives. When we learn about traffic safety risks, we encourage friends and neighbors to stay out of harm’s way.

Santa Cruz County is in the midst of a debate over how to relieve gridlock along Highway 1. Traffic congestion has continued to worsen in recent years along the four lane freeway, to the point that an 18 mile one-way commute to or from Watsonville can take in excess of an hour each way.

Earlier this week, GM CEO Mary Barra said she believes self-driving vehicles should continue to include steering wheels, brake pedals and accelerators as the technology develops. The state of California has already taken this position, requiring a licensed driver at the helm of all self-driving cars.

In motor vehicle personal injury or wrongful death cases where the responsible driver was allegedly intoxicated, the injured plaintiff may want to consider seeking an award of punitive…

On Tuesday morning, Jeffrey Donnelly of Palo Alto was tragically killed while riding a bicycle on Page Mill Road near I-280. Riding along a popular recreational cycling route,…

If you’ve recently traveled along I-80 in the East Bay, you may have noticed new electronic signage and metering lights. Caltrans is currently putting the finishing touches on…

As protected bike lanes become more common across the U.S., the way in which we design intersections is also evolving. American cities are on the cusp of implementing…

For the vast majority of people, signal timing is not an exciting subject. Apart from traffic engineers and a select group of superwonks, few people pay attention to…

When it comes to making poor decisions behind the wheel, drunk driving and distracted driving get the bulk of the attention, but numbers show drivers impaired by fatigue…

California is now the third state to legalize driverless cars, joining the ranks of Nevada and Florida in paving the way for what might be the new technology’s…

In the six states where texting and driving is still legal, employers are being placed in the unenviable position of having to discourage those driving on their behalf…

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, states that have adopted Graduated Drivers Licensing programs (GDL) have seen accident rates drop anywhere from 10 to 30 percent…

Halloween is one of the most exciting holidays of the year, a night full of frights and fun. But the sheer number of people in the streets, often…

Now that summer is here to stay, along with warmer weather and safer road conditions, you can expect to see more motorcyclists taking to the streets for long rides throughout California and across the country. Though a relatively small proportion of motorcyclists are under the age of 18, teens are often the most susceptible to motorcycle injuries and fatalities. If you’re a parent or a teen thinking of getting a motorcycle, it’s important to review the safety statistics related to teens on motorcycles. In addition to taking the safety courses required to get a motorcycle permit, all teens should obey all laws and wear the appropriate safety equipment. Most states, for example, have passed motorcycle helmet laws for all teen riders.