Many years ago, I was teaching my teenage son to drive. Like many parents, I was constantly reminding him to be very cautious when behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Frequently during the lesson, we would come up to an intersection where we had the right-of-way. He naturally began to enter the roadway and I would always remind him to watch out for the other car. He would explain that since he had the right-of-way, the other car had to let him through. I told him that it doesn't always work this way...

I was reminded of this fact earlier this week. While I was driving to our Ridgefield office, I noticed a woman looking in the rearview mirror while applying makeup to her face as I passed her on Main Street. On another astounding occasion, I saw a man shaving with an electric razor while driving. As recently as this morning, while I was driving around a blind corner on a back road, I witnessed a woman walking her dog on the wrong side of the street. She had her dog on an especially long leash. If someone was driving the other way and was operating above the speed limit, there could've been a serious accident. It is difficult to understand why this potentially life-threatening situation was not apparent to the dog walker.

How many times have we seen people on cell phones or read about people that were arrested for drunk driving? How many times have we come to an intersection and see somebody blow through the stop sign? How many times do we read about a driver crossing the double yellow line and hitting someone in the opposing lane of traffic head-on?

Unfortunately, these careless and reckless incidents happen on a daily basis. The difference between being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident and escaping injury could very well deal with how defensive a driver you are or how aware you are of your surroundings. When we drive we should assume that the other driver is not going to do what is expected of them. We should always be on the lookout for things that could become potential causes of an accident.

We have represented far too many clients who been injured in accidents that are somewhat difficult to comprehend or understand how they happened. Obviously, there are certain situations where you cannot avoid being involved in an accident but there are many others where you might be able to take evasive action at the last minute to avoid being seriously injured. During the summer months, more people are out on the roadways, many are drinking, more motorcycles and bicycles are being ridden and the opportunity for being involved in an accident is greatly increased.

Please be very careful while out on the road. Drive very defensively. When crossing crosswalks be on the lookout for any car that might not see you or might not stop in time. If you're riding a motorcycle or bicycle be extra careful and watch out for other motor vehicle operators who might not see you. If you exercise extreme caution, even when you think you do not have to, you could avoid being involved in a serious motor vehicle accident.

Please be careful out there and watch out for each other! If you have any questions or have been injured in any type of accident, click here to contact us or call us at 888-244-5480.