car safety - Walton Law Firm

Reducing Teen Driving Accidents and Parent Anxieties in Escondido

North County Injury Lawyers — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 02:08:08 GMT

When teenagers begin driving in Escondido, the experience can be extremely stressful for parents—both as passengers in the front seat and as nervous figures waiting at home for a teenager to return safely with the car. According to an article in Forbes, parent anxiety might not be helping teenagers at all when it comes to reducing the rate of car accidents. Rather than feeling nervous about having your teen behind the wheel, it is better to take steps to combat your anxieties surrounding your child obtaining a driver’s license and to focus on rational tasks that can provide your teen driver with the safety training they need to stay safe on the road.

Teen Driving is Dangerous

Parents’ anxieties surrounding teen driving are not unfounded. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, on average, six teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 die every day in a motor vehicle collision, and as many as 300,000 teens require treatment in emergency departments every year for car accident injuries. Yet, as the CDC underscores and the Forbes article emphasizes, teen driving collisions are preventable.

Given that the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced the number of driving courses available to teens in California and throughout the country, many parents will be the ones to teach their kids to drive. Rather than panicking behind the wheel, or suggesting to your teen that their driving makes your nervous, it is better to be calm and collected, and to teach effective safety habits.

Teaching Teens to Drive Safely

The first part of teaching a teenager to be safe behind the wheel involves creating a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement in which you can set out your expectations for your teen’s driving, and your teenager can agree to consequences if they do not honor the terms of the agreement.

Next, be a good role model for your teen driver. Whenever you are driving, avoid your smartphone entirely until you have pulled over, always buckle up, and, as the article suggests, “drive like you’re on candid camera.” In other words, drive as though you are being monitored constantly, and strive to set a good example for your teen driver. Did you know that as many as 37% of parents with teen drivers admit to using apps on smartphones while they are driving? That data comes from a Liberty Mutual Insurance survey, which showed that teens tended to use their smartphones while driving at similar rates as parents.

In addition to being a role model, it is important to teach your teen how to use the various safety features on your automobile, and if you are able to do so, to purchase a car that has many new forms of safety technology to keep your teen driver safe. A variety of relatively new used cars from the last decade continue to have excellent safety ratings while offering a more affordable price point. For example, the Forbes article reports that used Subaru Legacy, Toyota Venza, Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback, GMC Terrain, and a variety of other vehicles are strong options for teen drivers and can be purchased in good condition for well under $10,000.

Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Escondido

If you need assistance with a car accident claim, an Escondido car accident attorney can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm today for more information.

Child Car Accident Safety in Point Loma in the New Year

North County Injury Lawyers — Fri, 27 Jan 2017 19:59:08 GMT

In and around San Diego, there are a number of initiatives underway to help prevent accidents and child injuries in 2017. According to a fact sheet from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 12,000 children between the ages of 0 to 19 sustain fatal injuries each year in accidents. In addition to child fatalities, more than 9.2 million kids in the same age group sustain nonfatal injuries each year that result in treatment in emergency departments. Many of these incidents are preventable if we take safety precautions.

What steps are being taken around San Diego to help lower the number of child accidents and injuries? One recent report from The CW 6 San Diego indicates that new crosswalks have been installed around Point Loma schools, while another report from The CW 6 San Diego notes that a new car seat law in California aims to provide better protections to children under the age of two. What else do you need to know about recent safety steps and car accident precautions in the area?

Point Loma Crosswalk Aims to Prevent Child Pedestrian Accidents and Injuries

Last year, according to the news report, the city of San Diego City Council adopted a “Vision Zero” plan aimed at eliminating “all traffic deaths by 2025.” This plan includes developing pedestrian safety mechanisms, such as new crosswalks and signage throughout the city. In addition, the plan calls for “pedestrian countdown timers, audible pedestrian signals, street lighting, and flashing beacons to help make pedestrians and drivers more aware.”

One of the first steps in implementing the plan in 2017 involves the unveiling of a new, visible crosswalk behind Silver Gate Elementary School in Point Loma. It is particularly important to have visible crosswalks around schools where young children regularly cross the street and place themselves at risk of injury in a car accident. The CDC fact sheet indicates that traffic collisions are a leading cause of death for children between the ages of 5 and 19, which includes elementary-aged kids.

New California Law Targets Car Accident Injury Prevention in Young Children

In addition to preventing motor vehicle deaths in pedestrian accidents by installing visible crosswalks around schools and throughout San Diego, the state of California has also instituted a new car seat law for kids under two years old. As the report reveals, the new law is one of three motor vehicle laws in California designed to prevent child injuries and deaths. This particular new law requires that kids who are under two years old must be strapped into a rear-facing car seat. There are exceptions for kids who weigh 40 pounds or are at least 40 inches tall. Safety experts, according to the report, indicate that “kids are four times safer when sitting rear-facing,” and “the longer they are in that position the better.”

It is important for parents in San Diego County to pay attention to this new law and to seek assistance if they do not know how to properly install a rear-facing car seat. According to safety advocates in the area, about 95% of rear-facing car seats are improperly installed, limiting the safety features of the seat and its position.

Discuss Your Case with a San Diego Car Accident Lawyer

If you have questions about filing a car accident lawsuit, or if your child was injured in a motor vehicle collision, you may be able to file a claim for compensation. A San Diego car accident attorney can help. Contact the Walton Law Firm today.

(image courtesy of Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia)

What Carlsbad Drivers Should Know About the IIHS Automobile Top Safety Picks

North County Injury Lawyers — Thu, 29 Dec 2016 20:36:48 GMT

For Carlsbad, California residents who are thinking about buying a new automobile in the coming months and are focused on auto accident prevention, it is important to pay attention to safety ratings. According to a recent article in USA Today, only 38 cars earned “top safety pick” ratings by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), indicating that safety features aimed at preventing car accidents and serious injuries may not be having the full effect that automakers had hoped.

Headlamps are Primary Focus of IIHS’s Safety Picks This Year

As the article explains, we are living in a time in which car manufacturers have “had to add high-tech features to get top ratings” in the IIHS annual “top safety picks” survey, yet a more low-tech item may be what is holding a number of vehicles back from earning that coveted “top pick” rating: headlights and headlight safety.

The IIHS indicated that it has made its criteria for headlight safety more rigorous in order for a vehicle to earn the Institute’s “highest safety honors, the Top Safety Pick Plus label.” As IIHS President Adrian Lund explained, the IIHS has “raised the bar,” encouraging automakers to do more to promote driver and passenger safety in automobiles. He explained further that “automakers have not focused enough attention on whether or not headlamps are aimed such that they light up the road for the driver ahead of them.”

Some automakers have gone to great lengths to develop elaborate headlight schemes, particularly in luxury vehicles. For instance, some 2017 models have “fancy headlights that shift with the curvature of the road in an effort to provide better illumination.” However, according to Lund, these intricate and high-tech headlamps are not necessarily making it any easier for drivers to see, and thus they are not improving safety in a noticeable way. Indeed, some of these headlights simply cause too much glare, while others do not provide enough nighttime visibility for a driver.

Fewer Cars Earn Top Safety Picks, Suggesting Need for More Safety Improvements

As a result of many high-technology headlights that simply do not work as well as their older-school predecessors, fewer cars received top IIHS ratings. As we mentioned above, only 38 models from 2017 received high scores from the Institute. Each year, the IIHS looks at approximately 200 different models. Last year, it awarded a “top safety pick” seal of approval to nearly 80 models from 2016. As you can see, the IIHS cut that number in half this year.

What are some of the vehicles with approved headlights that earned top scores? Toyota fared well, earning the “Top Safety Pick Plus” for a number of its 2017 models, including the Corolla, the Prius, the Camry, RAV4 crossover, Lexus NC, and Lexus RX SUVs. Honda models also received the IIHS designation, with five different models listed out of the 38. When looking at the major automakers, only Ford was left out, with none of its vehicle models making the list.

Contact a Carlsbad Car Accident Lawyer

If you or someone you recently got hurt in a traffic collision in San Diego County, it is important to discuss your case with a Carlsbad car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact the Walton Law Firm to speak with an advocate about filing a claim for compensation.

(image courtesy of Sai Kiran Anagani)