Car Death or Injury: What to Do When Your Modified Car Gets in an Accident

�Ferris, my father loves this car more than life itself.�

�Ferris, he never drives it! He just rubs it with a diaper!�

As car enthusiasts we often spend years restoring and modifying cars. We invest our money, sweat, and time into the car. Like Cameron�s father from Ferris Bueller�s Day Off, we can become a tad obsessed�although we prefer to think of it as passionate. We may not love the car more than life itself, but it might be one of our most prized possessions. We may not spend our free time admiring the sleek paint job and polishing it with a diaper because that would be crazy�

Ok, I admit, I do spend hours each month polishing my car with a cloth. 

Unlike Cameron�s father though, I do drive my car occasionally. It is a nerve wracking process, but what is the point of owning a car if we cannot go on adventures together? We have two choices, hide it away to protect it, or drive while proactively looking out for the negligent or incompetent drivers.  There is only so much you can do to protect your car from the outside world. Eventually an accident might happen.

What to Do Immediately After the Accident?

At this point there is nothing you can do to prevent the accident. What you need to do is follow the law to the �T�. State automobile law is on your side, as long as you are not at fault. As soon as the accident happens you need to complete these steps:

Stop your car. Pull over to the side of the road if no one has been injured.

When you talk to the other driver stay calm. You may feel like blowing a gasket, but you and your car are better served by being calm and meticulous. In no circumstances should you say anything that might be construed as admitting guilt. Don�t even say a polite �I�m sorry.� The time for niceties has passed.
Call the police about the accident. The police will catalog any injuries and damage to the vehicles.

Collect the other driver�s information and ask the police officer for a copy of the accident report.
Survey the scene and take pictures. Spend a few moments after the accidents taking notes. This is important because monetary compensation hinges on who was at-fault for the accident, and it is important to record critical details while your memory is fresh.

What To Do After

Ensure Your Insurance Company is Fair

At some point, you will need to inform your insurance company that you have been in an accident. Do so immediately after, but do not sign anything, provide a recorded statement, or allow a claims adjuster to look at the vehicle before consulting a car accident lawyer. Insurance agencies may protect you, but they are also a business who can lose money if they pay the full value for every claim that comes across their desk.  Lawyers can ensure that your insurance or the other driver�s insurance company will not cheat you out of the money necessary to return your car to working order.

Look Into Seeking Monetary Compensation from the Other Driver

You may also want to consult a lawyer to talk about filing an accident claim against the other driver. Whether or not the other driver has insurance, they can still be held responsible for the injuries and damages acquired during the accident. If the other driver is uninsured or under insured in an at-fault state, you will be able to file a lawsuit to receive compensation for injuries, monetary loses, and damages. If you live in a no-fault state, who caused the accident is not considered. You will not be able to file a claim against the other driver. You will need to collect your claims from your insurance company.

Car accidents can be hard. They can be made harder when a car is damaged or destroyed that you spent years building and modifying. With the proper preparation and after-the accident strategy, you can receive enough compensation to rebuild the car or begin to modify a new car. It�s not fair, but it�s something.

The Top Three Reasons for Car Accidents

Cars are an essential part of American life. They get you where you need to go, but they can be dangerous when drivers don't operate them properly. Around 10 million car accidents occur every year in the United States, and accidents can cause serious or fatal injuries to the driver and passengers. Most wrecks could be prevented by avoiding some of the major causes of car accidents.

Distractions

Nowadays, people have more electronic gadgets than ever before. Mp3 players, cell phones, and GPS systems are a part of everyday life, but they can also be a major distraction while you're behind the wheel. Many states have outlawed the use of electronic devices while driving, but the problem persists.

Teenage drivers are especially prone to text messaging while driving, and this makes them four times as likely to get into a crash. Drivers need to keep both hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. Cell phones should be turned off before you get in the car. Although it may seem convenient, eating in the car is also a major distraction, and you should avoid it.

Drunk Driving 

Drinking impairs a person�s judgment and senses. Driving Under Influence or DUI is responsible for a large percentage of car crash fatalities.

In addition, driving under the influence can result in arrest and serious legal problems, including prison sentences. If you've consumed any amount of alcohol, it's not a good idea to drive, even if you don't feel drunk. Find a designated driver before heading out for a night of partying, and take the keys away from someone who's attempting to drive drunk. They might be angry with you at the time, but they'll thank you for it later.

Speeding

People often speed because they're in a hurry, but causing a fatal accident is far worse than being a few minutes late. When you're traveling over the speed limit, it's harder to stop or control your car should something unexpected happen.

Speed limits are posted to make driving safer, so you should follow them. Limits are generally lower in school zones or neighborhoods to avoid hitting pedestrians. Following the speed limit will drastically decrease your chances of causing an accident, and according to Engine Repair in Houston, totaling your car.

Five Things You Need To Know Before An Accident Happens

Car accidents are scary. The worst part is that they often occur when you least expect it. Being involved in a crash could mean living with permanent physical injury, psychological instability, or worse. Even when it is impossible to prevent a car accident from happening, there are ways to prepare yourself for the worst before it happens. Here are five things that you should be aware of, the next time you enter your vehicle.

1) Keep a notepad and pen in your glove box

It's always a great idea to have pencil and paper in the car because you never know what you might need to jot down. If you find yourself in a mess of metal and glass, record important bits of information so that the whole thing can be sorted out more quickly later. Document the time of the accident, the date, the location, and nearby businesses or landmarks. If you are involved in a crash with another vehicle, write down the license plate number, driver's license number, driver's name, and anything else you find to be important. All of this information can be very useful for rescue workers, law enforcement, legal workers, or anyone else who is called to the scene.

2) Ask witnesses what they saw

When two vehicles collide, it is usually the fault of one of those drivers and not both. Being blamed for an accident can have some unsavory consequences, like getting an increase in car insurance rates and not having the cost of the car damage covered by your insurance provider. To help get the story straight on your end, talk to bystanders to get their accounts of what happened. If you can have someone confirm your story in court, you should be in the clear.

3) Purchase car and health insurance if you don't already have it

If you don't have this "cushion" in place before the blow, you might find yourself in deep financial trouble. Having to pay for car damages out of your own pocket, and medical bills can become overwhelming. Be sure to look in depth at any insurance agency and what policies they can get for you.

4) Store a first aid kit in the car

Car crashes can cause minor to major physical trauma. You could suffer anything from a small scratch or bruise, to severe puncture wounds and lacerations. A first aid kit can be used to sanitize a wound, control the bleeding and more, keeping one on hand could mean the difference between life and death.

5) Have a car accident attorney on call

Car accident attorneys can be extremely helpful during your time of greatest need. These lawyers specialize in helping you get compensation for injuries and vehicle damage. You will find them to be of major assistance if you are involved in a major car accident. Find one easily by doing a local search like, �Car Accident Lawyer Pensacola�.
+Brooke Chaplan 

UK Government plans to introduce special traffic courts

The Government has announced that cases involving traffic-light jumpers and speeding motorists are to be dealt with by special traffic courts in an attempt bid to free up time for more serious cases.

About half a million motoring are heard in magistrates courts every year and on average take nearly 6 months from offence to completion even though 90% of such offences are guilty pleas or proved in absence. These delays are completely unacceptable and in a move to cut these delays the Ministry of Justice wants to set up traffic courts.

The justice minister Damian Green said: "Enforcing traffic laws is hugely important for road safety and saving lives��The justice system must respond more quickly and effectively to the needs of victims, witnesses and local communities, and these dedicated courts will enable magistrates to better organise their work and drive greater efficiency."

The government is in consultation with the judiciary as to how the traffic courts can be delivered across the country.

The nine police areas have trialled the new traffic courts - Essex, Hampshire, Kent, Lincolnshire, Metropolitan police, Nottinghamshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and West Yorkshire. According to Chief Constable Chris Eyre, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) these courts have radically simplified and speeded up the process, reduced the amount of adjournments and a single court can deal with up to 160 cases a day. He said "This is only implemented when there is a guilty plea or where the case against a defendant is not contested�.

As a personal injury lawyer representing injured vulnerable road users, cyclists and pedestrians one of the most frustrating aspects of my job is failure on the part of the police and CPS to taking motoring offences seriously. All to often a decision is taken not to prosecute a motorist on the basis that it is felt that that is insufficient evidence to secure a conviction. I welcome the news that special courts are to be set up but I hope that this will mean that serious motoring cases are dealt with effectively and are properly resourced. It is important that dangerous drivers are dealt with appropriately by the courts and this should include driving bans.

If the special traffic courts will result in reducing court backlogs this must be welcome development. The special courts must not however be seen as undermining the importance of compliance of traffic laws.

What do you think about these proposals? Let us know�

The dangers of driving In Brazil

Driving�s a great way to see Brazil and get to its stunning beaches and most scenic parts, but be aware of some of the dangers� 

Driving hazards
Almost 40,000 people die on Brazil�s roads every year. Most of the deaths are causes by drunk or reckless drivers and the less than safe roads.

Drink driving has always been one of the biggest causes of accidents, but new Brazilian laws don�t allow you to drive even if you�ve only had the smallest amount of alcohol � you�re only allowed to drive with a maximum blood alcohol limit of 0.2g/l which takes into account trace amounts of the spirit found in mouthwashes.



That means that if you�ve only had a glass of wine or a single beer, you could be over the limit. And the more alcohol you�ve been drinking before driving, the bigger your fine will be if you�re caught by the police. This new law has helped bring down the number of alcohol-related deaths, but they are still tragically common. Try to avoid driving on public or national holidays when the locals will be out partying before getting into a car.

It�s not that Brazil�s road laws aren�t on par with those in Western Europe, it�s just that so many people ignore them. Drivers tend to respect speeding limits where they know there will be cameras. Brazilian motorists have been known to change lanes without warning, fail to stop at pedestrian crossings and swerve suddenly to overtake other cars. Notoriously, they don�t always keep a big enough space between cars either which often leads to collisions.
Later on at night, the motorways can become a playground for racers who blatantly flout speed rules and drive dangerously fast. The motorbike drivers are not much better than the car users, and often attempt daring manoeuvres to beat the traffic.

The situation is particularly bad in the more rural areas where the roads are less safe (often containing huge potholes), the nearest medical help may be far away and driving conditions become even more difficult as not all roads are well lit after dark. What�s more, drivers could encounter wild livestock roaming the roads or pedestrians who have learned to ignore traffic signs just like the drivers. Question marks have also been raised about the safety of cars manufactured in Brazil, with high mechanical failure rates posing even more risks. All this makes for a dangerous cocktail.

Car theft
Because the weather is so hot in Brazil and not all cars come with air conditioning, it�s easy for thieves to target vehicles which have stopped at a traffic light or for the driver to pop into a shop.
It�s always advisable to keep your doors locked and your windows closed at all times (especially when stopping at a red light) and remain vigilant. When you�re parked, keep your valuables hidden if you must leave them in your car.
Avoid getting lost and becoming an easy target by planning your route before you set off and having a detailed road map of Brazil in front of you. This is especially important if you�re exploring the more remote parts of the country where road signs can suddenly tail off, leaving you to fend for yourself.

If you�re in an accident
Brazilian road tax payments cover drivers for limited third party insurance, but take out your own private insurance policy as well so you�ll be covered for anything from auto glass replacement to more serious damage to the car.
If you get hit by another vehicle, try to get these details before they drive off:

• The car�s registration number, make, model and  colour
• The driver�s name, address, identity card number (if they�re a local) and telephone number
• The driver�s insurance details in case you want to make a claim

If the accident is serious and you need to call for help urgently, have the federal highway police�s emergency number (191) and the ambulances and fire brigade�s number (193) handy in case your mind draws a blank.

What�s been your experience of driving in Brazil?