Aside from making you uncomfortable with its low temperatures and tired with its short, dark days, winter can also be pretty inconvenient. How are you supposed to rush from place to place and fulfill all your responsibilities on time, when the roads are covered with ice and jammed with slow-moving cars — or worse, completely clogged by a crash site?
The answer, of course, is that you’re not.
Safe winter driving often means modifying your habits and changing the pace with which you go about your daily business. Failure to do so can result in serious property damage, severe injury, or even death for you, your passengers, other motorists, transportation workers, and pedestrians.
The Federal Highway Administration reports that more than 1,300 people are killed and 116,800 injured in vehicle crashes on snowy, icy, or slushy pavement every year. As leading car accident lawyers in South Jersey and the Philadelphia area, we’ve seen the consequences of careless winter driving firsthand. In many cases, disaster could have been prevented if drivers took a little extra time, planned ahead, and practiced better vigilance behind the wheel.
We expand upon that point in this slideshow video filled with some winter driving safety tips.
As we mentioned above, many winter car accidents are caused by simple driver negligence. They don’t take the time to completely clear their windshield before zooming off to work. They don’t adjust their speed to account for recent snowfall. They’re too busy staring at their phone to maintain a safe following distance on a cold, icy night. Whatever the oversight, careless drivers put others at risk when they don’t exercise proper caution.
If you’re involved in a car accident due to another driver’s negligence, there are few steps you must take in the immediate aftermath.
- Move off the road to a safe place
- Check for injuries in your car and the other vehicle(s)
- Call police or emergency responders for help
- Observe the scene and make a note of any details/evidence you deem pertinent
- File an accident report
- Seek medical help, if necessary
- Contact an attorney for advice on how to proceed
Winter conditions can delay your schedule, dampen your mood, and even ruin your day, but being involved in an accident can completely change your life — and not for the better. The South Jersey personal injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Vincent J. Ciecka, P.C. are here to help accident victims pursue the compensation they need to pay their medical expenses and other bills while coping with the effects of a crash. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a free consultation, and please, stay safe out there!
