One of the most distracting things you can do is use your cell phone while driving. Whether you are talking or texting your attention is not on the road, but on the conversation you are having. Think about it, is what you’re saying on the phone or through a text message so important that it is worth the risk of getting into a car accident? No? Then you shouldn’t be doing it. If you answered yes, the best thing to do is to pull over and then make the call or send the text. Taking a few minutes off the road to use your phone may save your life or someone else’s.

Other distractions include traveling with children or animals. Driving with an animal in your lap can be very risky, because if there is an accident the animal may be in the way for you to get control of your vehicle or the animal could go flying around the car or through the windshield. Other common distractions are daydreaming, eating on the go, and your car stereo. You should try to have a mixed CD or play list on your iPod ready to go before you start driving; this will greatly reduce your risk of getting into or causing an accident.

Drivers need to take the time to realize that most of these distractions are not worth getting into an accident for. As a driver you should try to minimize your distractions before you hit the road. If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident in Iowa our team of injury attorneys at Walker, Billingsley & Bair are here to help you. If you would like to learn more we offer a No Cost car accident book to injured Iowans. Our no risk or obligation book helps Iowans who have been injured to understand their rights and responsibilities. To request your copy please visit us at www.IowaCarAccident.com or Call Now 1-800-707-2552 ext. 810

There are things you can do to make night time driving a little safer such as:

• Having a mechanic check your headlight aim a couple times a year- if the aim of your headlights is off, it may cause glare to other drivers on the road plus properly aligned headlights will help you see better.

• Turning your headlights on at dusk will make it easier for others to see you.

• Don’t drink and drive- drinking already affects your reactions, mixing it with night time driving could have a deadly result.

• Always remember to not overdrive your headlights, meaning you should be able to stop inside the illuminated area.

• Increase your following distance, this will make it easier for you to spot potential problems on the road and give you more time to react.

• Drive slower, going too fast is more dangerous at night than during the day, because you can’t see as well which means if you happen to spot something dangerous in the road you won’t have enough time to react to it.

• Help other cars see you better by making sure all the exterior lights on your car are working properly.

• If you happen to have car problems at night, be sure to pull off the road completely and turn on your dome light as well as flashers. Be sure to stay off the road way, because chances are people won’t see you until it’s too late.

• Keep your eyes moving from side to side instead of focusing on what’s directly in front of you, this will help your eyes to stay adjusted to the dark.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Iowa, our personal injury team at Walker, Billingsley & Bair are here to help answer any questions you may be having regarding your claim. If you would like to learn more about your rights as an injured Iowan we offer a No Cost book to Iowans who have been injured in a car accident. To request your copy of our no risk or obligation book you can visit us at www.IowaCarAccident.com or Call Now 1-800-707-2552 ext. 810 (24 hour recorded message) Your Journey for Justice Starts Here!

There are many things that can be done to help teens become better drivers and be safe on the road. Most importantly, parents need to supervise their teen’s driving. Parents should set rules and guidelines for their teen driver, such as:
• When they are allowed to drive
• Where they can go
• Who is allowed to be in the car with them

Studies show that teen drivers rarely crash when mom or dad are in the car with them, but once there are no parents in the car the teen crash rates goes up by 700% and the use of seat belts drop down to about 40%. Can you guess which days the worst are for crash related deaths among teenagers? That’s right, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. In fact, 54% of crash related deaths occur on the weekend.

So what is causing teenagers to be unsafe drivers? One of the most important causes is distractions. Technology keeps teens from paying attention while driving. Having a cell phone, Ipod, or GPS in the car is very distracting to teens, because they are inexperienced drivers who can’t spare any attention for these things, but try to do so anyway. Another cause is the part of the brain that controls judgment, risk-taking, impulse, and distance estimation isn’t fully developed in teenagers which can cause them to make bad decisions while behind the wheel. In Iowa there have been a couple laws passed recently that may help teenagers to become safer while driving. First, a bill was passed at the end of April requiring all passengers through the age of 17 who are in the back seat to wear their seat belt. Also, starting July 1st teens are prohibited from using their cell phones while driving. Hopefully these changes will help teens make better choices while driving.

Did you know that driving too fast during snowy and freezing weather is the most common cause of winter accidents? Drivers on I-80, I-35, and I-235 often think its okay to go the normal speed limit, because sometimes the road looks clear. However, there could still be patchy spots of ice here and there that might cause you to slide around if you are traveling at a high speed. You need to remember that you need to go the speed that is best for your vehicle, if you start to slip or slide then you should slow down. Your vehicle might have four-wheel drive, but that doesn’t mean you can drive as if the roads were under normal conditions. Having four wheel drive can help improve your traction when starting, but does not help on ice or when you are trying to stop which means you still need to use caution.

When traveling down the interstate or highway you should keep a look out for what is going on in front and around you. If you always look ahead to identify any problems on the road than you most likely will be able to avoid them. You should constantly scan the road for hazards such as an icy patch, a car wreck, and debris on the road or curves that might be tricky during icy road conditions. You should also remember to increase your following distance, because it can take a vehicle nine times longer to come to a stop in snowy or icy conditions. If you have to brake quickly because you were following the person in front of you too closely you might slip and slide making the situation worse. You should never slam on your brakes on icy roads, because your tires can lock up and you can lose all traction and control of your vehicle. If something unexpected happens on a slick road you should try not to overreact and pound on the brake, instead brake slowly and also let your car slow down on its own by lifting off the gas.

On the other hand, if you try to accelerate too hard you might run into trouble as well. Sometimes it is hard to get going once you stop, however, you should try to be as careful as possible. Once your tires start spinning it starts to create an ice patch and your chances of getting anywhere are slim. If you get really stuck and can’t get your car to go, you can try placing your car’s floor mats with the bottom side up in front of your wheels to give them something to grip onto. Driving on wintry road seems like a big pain, but if you simply take extra caution and time you should be just fine. Safety is very important; you shouldn’t try to drive as if the roads are normal.

We already made it through Thanksgiving so far; however, did you know that Thanksgiving is rated as the number one most dangerous holiday of the year for Iowa car accidents? The reason for this is eating and drinking mixed with heavy traffic, a long day and being sleepy- these factors all mixed together make travel very dangerous. Car accidents can’t be fully prevented, but using extra caution, wearing your seat belt, and staying sober are all things you can do to prevent a car accident in Iowa. Another thing you can do is, if you know you will be drinking you should make plans for someone sober to give you a ride home or you should plan to stay at the place you are drinking for the night.

Even if you plan to only drink a few you are still putting yourself and others in danger. You can become impaired enough to affect the simplest driving tasks even if you have only had one or two drinks. The Iowa Department of Transportation found in one study they did that drivers with lower blood alcohol levels cause just as many or more accidents in Iowa than those with higher blood alcohol levels.

Getting together with family and friends generally requires people to travel from here to there. Airfare has increased which means more people will be driving to their holiday destination this year in Iowa and throughout the Midwest. I-80 and I-35 will have more traffic than ever, so take your time and drive safe to avoid an Iowa car crash.  If there is a truck in the left lane, give the driver some time to pull into the right lane instead of doing what many Iowa drivers do which is pass on the right hand side.  Not only is passing on the right dangerous, but you could receive a traffic ticket also.  Iowa Code § 321.299 require that:

The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle going in the same direction shall pass to the left at a safe distance, and shall not drive to the right side of the road until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.

I bet you did not know it was illegal to pass in the right hand lane on the interstate. Please take your time while driving to your destination this holiday season.  It is not worth taking a chance of causing a serious car crash by driving aggressively in an attempt to save 5 minutes. Walker, Billingsley & Bair promotes safe driving and hopes that you and your family play it safe this holiday season.