Don’t Be Distracted

Don’t Be Distracted

         "Distracted Driver Awareness Week" was held this month in an effort to educate motorists on safe driving. According to a report by the National Highway Safety Administration, about 80% of accidents are caused by driver inattention. The report also said that about 65% of all near-crashes involved some sort of driver inattention.

         Did You Know?

• 98% of Americans claim to be safe drivers
• 72% of all drivers admit to partaking in some form of distracting behavior while driving
• The most common "distracting behaviors" include: cell phone use, eating, drinking, changing the music in the car

         We spent time researching the topic of driver inattention and cell phone use while driving. We did find a number of organizations, politicians and educational institutions that are working hard to develop laws and new technology that will help combat driver inattention related to cell phone use while driving.

         At Daggett Shuler, we try to help create awareness for our clients and friends regarding important safety issues. We see the tragic results that can occur because of driver inattention and we don't want it to happen to you or someone you love. That's why we encourage each of you to talk with your family members, and especially your teenagers about the use of cell phones while driving.

         Cell phones are wonderful for family safety and security, but talking while driving quadruples the risk of car accidents. Ideally, use cell phones when stopped and off the road. The best advice is to not use a cell phone while driving. If you use a cell phone while driving, try to concentrate on driving safely by:

• Avoiding stressful or emotional conversations
• Hanging up in heavy traffic or bad weather
• Using message recording, memory dialing, redial, speakers, and other utilities
• Never writing or taking notes while driving
• Use speed dial functions if you MUST dial

       Please share this information with your young people and talk with them about the need to be fully attentive when driving and to refuse to ride with any driver that does not operate their vehicle in that manner.

       If you have questions about this topic or if you or someone you know has been in a car accident, please feel free to call us for a free legal consultation. We would be happy to help.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Safe, Happy Holidays!

Safe, Happy Holidays!

        Holidays can be the happiest of times with family and friends. Please join with us in using our best efforts to keep your holidays safe and happy.

        Over the years we have seen holidays turned into instant tragedy by causes that should have been prevented. Perhaps one of the worst and most frequent tragedies are those caused by drunk drivers. We know – for years we’ve been helping the victims of drunk drivers.

       Other areas of safety concerns fall into categories of fire safety, food safety, child safety, and driving safety. Each of these areas can produce increased risks over the holidays.

      Fire safety includes taking appropriate precautions with Christmas trees and Christmas lights. Christmas decorations can also present hazards we usually don’t have around the house. Lastly, don’t forget fireplace safety as your family gathers around the living room fireplace.

     Certainly the holidays are a time for good food and fellowship. Be sure to be particularly careful with fully cooking meats and poultry. There are also lots of leftovers around the holidays that need to be properly and promptly wrapped and refrigerated.

     We all enjoy children around the holidays, and perhaps the holidays are the most special time of the year for our little ones. Use care in buying and selecting toys for small children, including watching for small parts and choking hazards. Also, children tend to be very curious of all of the additional decorations and holiday items in our houses. So, we need to keep a watchful eye and help them to have a safe, happy holiday too.

      Lastly, as mentioned above, safety on the roads and while driving is perhaps the most frequent danger we face. Above all, please don’t drink and drive. Call a cab or use a designated driver if you need to make your trip home a safe one for you, and for everyone on the road.

     Please join us in preventing accidents at this special time of year. From our Daggett Shuler family to yours, happy holidays!

Winter Driving Safety

Winter Driving Safety

       We got our first taste of bad weather affecting road conditions today. Winter driving can be dangerous, inconvenient, even infuriating. But you can offset those aggravations and minimize the special risks of winter driving by practicing safe habits for winter driving.

      First, the best rule is to don’t drive if you don’t have to when the weather is bad. Certainly, you should minimize your driving and only do what is necessary. Please wait until after the snow plows have been through and allow yourself extra time so you are not in a hurry.

       Make sure you keep your car safely maintained. Clear the snow and frost from your windshield, side and rear windows to make sure you have full visibility. Check your vehicle’s tires, wiper blades, fluids, and lights to keep your car as safe as possible.

       Please be courteous and helpful to other drivers by leaving them plenty of room. Look ahead and be aware of the conditions well in front of you. Watching out for others drivers will help keep you safer too.

      When the roads are slick, drive more slowly and allow extra time and space to stop. When you brake, brake gently to prevent skidding so you keep your car under control and stop safely. Be particularly careful on bridges and overpasses since they freeze faster than the roadway. When it is snowing, drive with your lights on so that you are more visible to other drivers.

       Front wheel drive and four wheel drive vehicles help in snow, but please remember that on ice all vehicles lose handling and are at extreme risk. Black ice can catch us off guard and by surprise, especially right after sunset. Whenever temperatures are below freezing we must be extremely vigilant for the presence of ice.

       Stay safe on the roads when bad weather comes. Winter weather can be beautiful and it is much more enjoyable if you stay safe!

Texting While Driving

Texting While Driving

          Text messaging is a relatively new and very fast-growing method of communication. While it certainly has its advantages, texting while driving can be extremely dangerous.

          Recently while traveling around the triad working in our Daggett Shuler offices it was surprising to observe the number of drivers who appeared to be texting while driving. As I visited our Greensboro office, went to High Point, and returning to Winston-Salem there appeared to be many drivers whose attention was obviously diverted.

       Recently anti-texting legislation has introduced in Washington. Partially in response to recent studies, the new legislation would require states to outlaw texting and emailing by motorists or risk losing 25　percent of their federal highway funds each year.

      The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute published results from recent studies showing that texting while driving is more dangerous than talking on a cell phone or even than driving drunk! The studies indicated that texting while driving can increase the odds of a wreck by 23 times. That is compared with the risk of a wreck being six times higher while using a cell phone or an MP3 player.

       A University of Utah study showed that texting drivers are eight times more likely to crash than cell phone users. To put the dangers of using electronic devices while driving in perspective, cell phone users are as likely as drunk drivers to cause an accident.

      As texting and the use of portable electronic devices become more and more widely used in our society, we also need to continue to increase community awareness of the dangers. The risks of texting while driving apply to all drivers, but teens are particularly susceptible since texting is a large part of their culture.

      Please join our Daggett Shuler team in helping to prevent injuries by encouraging your family and friends to avoid or limit texting while driving.