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When there are drunk driving accidents, no matter what happened, who was at fault, or what the consequences are, there are going to be a lot of things going through your mind. Whether you were the person who was driving and got into an accident while drunk, or you were the victim of someone else who was driving drunk, California drunk driving accidents can be stressful and also lead to a lot of problems for the driver and the other party. Therefore, if you have been involved in a California drunk driving accident, there are a few things that you can do to make sure that you are treated fairly and that all parties are held responsible.

The very first thing that needs to be done when it comes to California drunk driving accidents is medical attention. If you have been injured, or another party has been, no matter who was at fault, those injuries need to be taken care of promptly. There are a couple types of injuries, and each are important. First of all, there are emergency injuries, or injuries that are life threatening and need to be taken care of as soon as possible. It is going to be very important for you to make sure that you get to a hospital right away, and deal with any injuries that you might have. Next, you will want to visit your doctor again, whether or not you have been to the emergency room, to make sure that you get fully checked out and that any problems that have occurred because of the drunk driving accident are taken care of and documented. You might also want to visit a counselor, or deal with any other mental or physical problems that come up due to the accident.

After the medical problems have been taken care of, there are still going to be things that you need to deal with from your accident. These are all going to be things that you want to get taken care of as soon as possible. The legal ramifications of this type of accident are going to be very high, so you want to be sure that whether you were the driver or the victim, you have contacted legal representation that can help you.

There are many reasons that you need to contact a California Drunk Driving Accident attorney or lawyer when you have been the victim of a drunk driving accident causing a personal injury in California, or when you have been the person who has caused California drunk driving accidents. First of all, drunk driving is something that is illegal, so if you were the one driving, you are going to have your own legal ramifications. If you were not driving, it means that someone who was doing something illegal caused an accident that you were in. Either way, you are going to need to navigate the legal system, which means that you are going to need to have the aid of a trained lawyer or attorney who can help you through it.

California drunk driving accidents are difficult to deal with, and impossible to handle on your own, no matter what part you played in them. Therefore, after you have sought medical attention, the most important thing for you to do is to find a lawyer who can help you through the legal system, and one that understands what you’ll be up against.

Click these links if you need a Los Angeles California Car Accident Lawyer; Or possibly a San Diego California Car Accident Lawyers & Attorneys.

Originally published here.

Talking or texting on a cell phone while operating a vehicle distracts drivers, making everyone on the road vulnerable to suffering serious personal injuries from the resulting accidents.  Whether it’s a single car accident, a rear-end accident or whether it’s an accident involving a pedestrian or bicyclist on the side of the road, the lesson is the same:  texting and talking on the phone while driving can place drivers, their passengers, and others, in danger.  These activities are illegal in many states.

In California, drivers must use a hands-free device if they plan to use their mobile phones at all while driving.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that,

“In recent years, both NASS [National Automotive Sampling System] and FARS [Fatal Analysis Reporting System] have attempted to identify cellular telephone use as a pre-crash factor from police crash report narratives.  Although there is a serious under-reporting bias in the data, there are trends which show that cellular telephone use is a growing factor in crashes.  Driver inattention is the most frequently cited pre-crash condition for drivers who use cellular telephones.”

The NHTSA report reveals that drivers seem to be most distracted by the conversations themselves, not dialing the phone as originally thought.  Some drivers also become startled when the phone rings and may drive off the road while trying to answer it.

Report shows poor driving conditions contribute to danger

It can be difficult to track the incidence of accidents and injuries caused exclusively by cell phone usage.  Those people who cause accidents may hang up their phones at the scene to avoid looking reckless or negligent.  The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) found that drivers using cell phones are more likely to get into accidents under certain conditions, such as inclement weather, during rush-hour traffic, and on wet roads.  The PPIC study found, “If the weather is bad and the roads are wet, the effect is large.”

People who use their cell phones while driving make themselves and others sharing the roads and sidewalks vulnerable to serious injury by running off the road, hitting someone or something, or unintentionally crossing lanes of traffic.

California cell phone legislation may decrease injuries

A recent California law prohibits handheld cell phone use while driving.  Vehicle Code Division 11, Chapter 12, Article 1, Section 23123: Hand-Held Wireless Telephone: Prohibited Use, requires that drivers to use cell phones capable of hands-free use and to use them in that manner.  Violators may be subject to fines between $20 and $50 per offense.

The Public Policy Institute of California expects that this new California cell phone law may save up to 300 lives per year that would otherwise be lost to accidents caused by drivers distracted by cell phones.

But next time you’re on the road, look around you.  You will probably see multiple drivers completely ignoring the law, holding cell phones up to their heads and talking away—and probably drifting into your lane.  Our police are overburdened as it is, but until the law is vigorously enforced, the danger level will remain higher.

Originally published here.