We have recently expanded our Personal Injury Help Center on our firms main web page. In the future we will have more information in reference to Personal Injury, Auto Accidents and other types of serious injuries. Why is this information important? A lot of this information is preventative, things that would be helpful to know BEFORE an accident takes place. Some of the information is for AFTER an accident takes place. Either way there is important information that can help you in a tight situation.

Some of the smallest details can cause huge problems later down the road. Sometimes million dollar payouts can be totally throw out of court due to a small detail. Keep yourself protected. As always if you have any questions please contact us.

If 90% of Americans used their seat belts 5,500 lives would be saved and 132,000 injuries would be prevented in the event of a car accident. In 2004, seat belts saved over 15,000 lives, and if all passengers were wearing one over 21,000 more lives could have been saved. 60% of children who died in car accidents were not wearing a seat belt. The cost of not using a seat belt is even higher if you're in an accident than if you were using one. On average medical attention costs 50% more for non-belted drivers than drivers and passengers using their seat belt. Young passengers and drivers up to age 25 are less likely to use their seat belts, despite their higher risk of a car accident.

Perhaps the most high profile incidence of non-seat belt use is New Jersey's Governor Jon Corzine's car accident last summer. Corzine was being driven speeds in excess of 90 mph when his driver swerved to avoid another vehicle. Corzine, who was not wearing his seat belt, was thrown around inside the Chevy Suburban resulting in a broken leg, several ribs, and fractured vertebrae.

Its important to use the seat belt correctly. This may seem a no-brainer but many people are not wearing their seat belt in the proper fashion, resulting in injury that could have been avoided in an accident. The shoulder belt should cross the shoulder between the arm and neck, and the lap belt should be worn low, touching the thighs. If the seat belt is indeed worn correctly injury will be prevented in a few different ways:

Preventing Ejection People who are thrown out of the vehicle are 4 times more likely to be fatally injured, and are 14 times more likely to suffer a cervical spine injury than passengers that remain inside the vehicle.

Force of Crash Force of crash is placed on the strongest parts of the body, primarily the hips and shoulders which puts less strain on a single part.

Protection Protection of the head, neck, and spinal column. The shoulder belt keeps the head and upper body from striking any hard parts inside the car.

Maryland law requires drivers and front seat passengers to wear their safety belts. This is considered a primary law meaning drivers can be pulled over and issued citations for this offense alone. Due to these laws, seat belt usage has risen 13%. Drivers and front seat passengers found to not be wearing a seat belt will each be fined $25. Drivers will be fined $48 for child passengers 15 and younger.

While driving a vehicle you are presented with many distractions. A study in April of 2006 found that 80% of car accidents are the result of some form of driver inattention 3 seconds prior to the crash. The most common cause of inattention was the use of a cell phone, causing 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries across the nation. It has even been suggested that drivers using cell phones drive worse than intoxicated drivers with blood alcohol levels of .08 or higher. Young drivers using cell phones were found to be even more dangerous, increasing their reaction times and reducing their ability to detect important traffic changes.

Text messaging, often an issue with young drivers, is proving to be deadly. Last June, a 17 year old girl swerved into oncoming traffic, hitting another vehicle head-on, killing herself and four other passengers instantly. Text messages and phone calls were found to be made moments before the accident. A 13 year old boy was killed after being involved in a accident with a man text messaging. While text messaging, you must take your eyes completely off the road, obviously a hazardous activity when traveling at any speed,

Its been recommended to use hand-free devices while driving, however that still proves to be dangerous. Its been found drivers using hands-free devices brake 18% slower and take 17% longer to regain speed.

If you or someone you care about has been a victim of an auto accident due to someone elses negligence please contact our law firm.