Summer Road Trip Safety Tips
Ahhh… Summer!
Summer is the favorite season for many. Summer brings relaxation and travel.
Not packing correctly or checking for safety increases the chances of breakdowns and car accidents on long road trips. As a result, motor vehicle crashes increase during the summer. If you have an accident, contact Bell & Pollock P.C. to discuss your options.
How to Prepare
Prepare with proper planning, packing, and safety inspections.
Have your vehicle serviced and safety checked for the following:
- Air conditioning
- Battery
- Brakes
- Child seats and seat belts
- Fluid levels such as wiper fluid, coolant, etc.
- Lights including brake lights, taillights, and turn signals
- Oil
- Tires including a functioning spare
You should change anything that does not meet safety standards. Replace equipment showing signs of aging. A long road trip can increase wear and tear, and you do not want an unexpected breakdown.
Follow all traffic laws and speed limits. Reckless driving and excessive speeding increase breakdowns and car accidents.
Breakdowns or road crashes can be costly. Odds are you will need roadside assistance or services from a repair shop whose work quality you do not know or trust.
Expect the Unexpected
Think ahead to anything that could go wrong. Plan for any possibility. Planning won’t prevent car accidents but can lessen the stress of dealing with them.
Charge your phones and make sure they can stay charged. There is nothing worse than experiencing a problem and being unable to call for assistance.
For minor breakdowns or accidents, have essential automotive tools, jumper cables, road safety signs, flares, etc.
If you have insurance and roadside assistance, carry the phone numbers and account numbers. Ensure you have medical and dental information for a car accident or injury.
Give family and friends a copy of your itinerary. If you do not arrive on time or are out of communication, they will know how to find you.
What to Pack
Pack early. When travelers pack quickly, they leave essential items behind. There are certain things you should pack for every road trip, regardless of the season.
Pack the following:
- Basic automotive tools
- Blankets and towels
- Emergency roadside equipment
- Extra phone chargers and batteries for accessories
- First aid kit
- Insurance information
- Paper roadmap in case GPS is nonfunctional
- Snacks
- Spare tire
- Travel documents, including itinerary and reservation paperwork
- Water
Planning Makes for a Safer Trip
The right equipment makes managing accidents and injuries easier. Plan for ample driving time, sleep, and expenditures. Take your time and enjoy the journey.
If you experience an injury due to a car accident, document the incident and contact your insurance company or an accident lawyer immediately. You may not be in the area long and never return. You must document everything necessary to file an insurance claim or lawsuit.
Bell and Pollock P.C. is a personal injury law firm experienced in handling negligent accidents and injuries. We provide reliable and sound legal guidance to alleviate unexpected stress from injuries sustained in car accidents.
If you undergo a car accident, call for a free consultation at (800) 559-5920.
Now a Word from Gary Bell
Auto Legal Talk
By Gary Bell of Bell & Pollock Injury Attorneys
COLORADO SEATBELT LAW
Most people have probably heard of “click it or ticket” and other campaigns to wear seatbelts. But what does the law actually say on the issue? How does wearing or not wearing a seatbelt affect your claim in an auto accident?
The Colorado law on seatbelt use can be found at Colorado Revised Statutes §42-4-237. This law states that every driver and front seat passengers must wear a seatbelt while the vehicle is being operated. Any driver or front seat passenger commits a class B traffic infraction by not wearing a seatbelt. However, a vehicle may not be pulled over for only a seatbelt infraction. The police officer must have pulled the vehicle over for another traffic violation in order to cite a driver for a seatbelt violation.
Colorado law also requires all passengers under the age of 16 to be restrained while the vehicle is being operated, either by a seatbelt (if over 8 years old) or by a child restraint system (if under 8 years old). This statute can be found at C.R.S. §42-4-236.
Seatbelts and Auto Accident Cases
If you’re in an auto accident and you weren’t wearing a seatbelt, your case could be affected. The Colorado statute that requires seatbelts to be worn also states that evidence of the failure to comply with that rule can be used in court to mitigate pain and suffering damages. This means that a jury could determine that your pain and suffering is less valuable because you were not wearing a seatbelt. There are no rules limiting by how much a jury may reduce pain and suffering damages.
Evidence of your failure to wear a seatbelt cannot be used to reduce your economic damages, meaning your medical bills and lost wages, nor can it be used to reduce recovery for damages such as disfigurement and disability.
The Takeaway
Not only are seatbelts important to wear because they can save lives, but they’re important for your auto accident case as well. So every time you get behind the wheel or are a passenger in a vehicle, fasten your seatbelt. You never know what might happen if you don’t.
Insurance adjustors play this game every day for a living. They know all the rules and how to use them to the insurance company’s advantage. If you suspect an adjustor is trying to take advantage of you, give us a call. If you don’t suspect it, you may need us even worse!
To Learn Even More . . .
Visit our website to listen to the show on this subject and all of our other radio shows on various legal topics.
If you have any questions about the topics discussed in today’s newsletter, or questions on other legal issues, give our office a call and one of our attorneys would be happy to talk with you.
More Information
Get more information about your rights and options following an accident by checking out one of our helpful BOOKS: THEY ARE FREE.
- Don’t Get Hurt Twice in the Same Accident – This enlightening guide dispels some of the most common (and harmful) myths about car crashes, insurance companies, attorneys, and financial recoveries.
- The Essential Guide to Car Insurance in Colorado – This guide helps all drivers better understand car insurance. If you’ve ever had a question about a claim, dispute or car insurance in general, this is a must-read.
- Cowards of the Street: Hit & Run – This book uncovers the facts about hit and runs and how to financially recover from these crashes. It also shares about what you can do to protect yourself before and after a hit and run accident occurs.
- Colorado’s Workers’ Compensation: The Ultimate Guide – This insightful book reveals everything you need to know in order to protect your rights as a worker – and to position a Colorado workers’ compensation claim for success.
- Legal Game Plan – This educational book helps you better understand insurance company’s hidden game plan…and come up with one on your own!
- Motorcycle Accidents (or How to Go Full Throttle Against the Insurance Companies) – This informative read will help motorcyclists come up with a plan of action to combat the insurance agencies. If you ride a motorcycle, you need this book.
- 18 Mistakes You Could Make to Destroy Your Injury Claim – Found within is a precise guide regarding a trove of detailed mistakes one should avoid when pursuing a successful resolution to ones case. This work helps answer questions and details advice to protect oneself from common pitfalls and perils associated with a compensation claim.
- Distracted Driving and Your Injury Claim – This comprehensive work assists all drivers in understanding the dangers of distracted driving and its relationship to your injury claim.
- Premises Liability (Landowner Responsibility and Injury Recovery) – This definitive piece renders the details behind the history of the Premises Liability Law in Colorado and highlights examples of responsibility which further offers a practical guide for injured victims.
Call our office to request copies of our books. THEY ARE FREE. You can also request a copy of any (or all) of these books on our website. You can download a free electronic copy anytime. And be sure to tune in to our weekly radio show to learn more about a variety of legal topics.