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When you take your car out for a spin, you always leave plenty of room between you and the car in front of you.  You brake slowly and deliberately. You rarely speed, and you never use your phone.  But the driver behind you may not be so safe.  He may have a lead foot.  She may be trying to send a quick text. He may be weaving in and out of traffic recklessly.  Next thing you know… SLAM!  You’re rear-ended causing you both to lose control and spin off the highway into a field of trees.  You’ve just had your first crash, and it wasn’t even your fault!  Do you know what to do after a car accident?

It’s something we’ve all thought about at one time or another before getting behind the wheel.  How would I react, and what would I do if I were involved in an auto accident? What if there are injuries? What should I say to the police or people at the scene?  When it comes to car accident law, am I at fault? What’s the deal with car accident insurance claims? The questions are endless and so is the number of motor vehicle accidents that happen every single day. Will you be prepared if it happens to you? 

What to Do After a Car Accident

The 5 Critical “Must Do’s” When in An Auto Accident:

1. Remain calm. Be sure no one is injured and needs care. If so, call 911.
2. Always call the police and have them fill out a report.  Do not give your personal information, including your insurance info, to anyone other than the police officer.  Do not leave the accident scene.
3. Get witnesses and leave the cars where they are.  Photos may be helpful, but they’re easily doctored so opinions differ on how useful they might be.
   Limit discussion of the accident. Speak only to the police officer or your insurance agent. Do not discuss fault or liability at scene of accident.
4. Report even minor accidents to your insurance agent.   You’ll want to review coverages, next steps, whether it’s in your best interest to file a claim and  if so, with whom.

Are You Prepared?

Even if you’ve never been in a car accident, you’ll save yourself worlds of hassle with just a little preparation.  Knowing what actions to take and not take is a crucial part of protecting yourself in case that unlucky day ever comes.  And equipping yourself with up-to-date insurance papers, a pen, paper and even a handy Auto Accident Report Folder for your vehicle can put you miles ahead when it comes to accident awareness.  Contact our agency for your Auto Accident Report Folder.

Jeff and Ling Murray were the proud parents of Calli, who at age two already spoke English and Chinese.

Kaitlyn Dunaway's parents also had reason to be proud. Dunaway, 18, was a freshman at Sonoma State University and a star volleyball player.

But on Dec. 1, 2010, according to the Sonoma County District Attorney, Dunaway did something stupid, reckless and illegal that countless people do every year. The teen attempted to text while she was driving.

According to authorities, Dunaway was so distracted by her cell phone, she didn’t see Calli walking hand in hand with her mother in a crosswalk. Dunaway's Honda plowed into the toddler and her mother. Two-year-old Calli was killed. Ling Murray suffered major bone fractures and was unconscious for five days. She continues to undergo rehabilitation. 1

. . .

David and Linda Kubert remember everything about that beautiful September day. They’d been out together on their Harley motorcycle, riding along a winding road in Morris County, NJ.

They can still envision the curve of the road ahead and the pickup truck heading toward them. They can still see the young driver heading toward them from the opposite direction.  His elbows on the steering wheel, his face angled down toward what police would later determine was his cell phone. And they will never forget what happened next. In the blink of an eye, both of them were on the ground.

The Kuberts, of Dover, NJ, each lost a leg when their motorcycle was struck by that pickup truck driven by a teen driver they say was texting. 2.  

DON’T BE A STATISTIC

Sadly, Kaitlyn Dunaway and the young driver who injured the Kuberts are among a large of group of people who text and drive despite the consequences.  In fact, a Fairleigh Dickinson-PublicMind poll on New Jersey driving habits found the number of motorists who admit to texting while driving jumped 40 percent from 2008 to 2009. The poll, co-sponsored by the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety, also found one out of five drivers has sent a text while operating a vehicle.

A recent scientific study based on NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) data showed that about 16,000 people died in the U.S. between 2001 and 2007 as a result of distractions from mobile phone use whether through driving or texting. Released in September 2010, the study was one of the first attempts to quantify the number of road fatalities that can be directly linked to mobile phone use. More recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that nearly 5,500 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2009. And the National Safety Council estimates that each year, 100,000 car crashes have been tied to texting and driving while an additional 1.2 million annual accidents involve cell phone use.

OMG!  UR TXTS R Not That Important!

Some drivers steer with their pinkies while their thumbs do the typing. Others use their knees to guide them on the road, freeing their hands to tap out a quick message. What kind of texting driver are you?  You should be the non-existent one! No text is worth risking your life or the lives of others.  And if the message is that important, pull over, park and text your heart out. 

Just think about this. Imagine closing your eyes for five seconds while driving.  Pretty scary, huh?  Well, guess what? Reading or sending a text takes your eyes off the road for an average of five seconds.  And when you’re driving 50-60mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field with your eyes shut!

And surprisingly, driving while drinking is not much worse than driving while texting.  Yep, it’s true.  Texting is like driving after having four bottles of beer. A recent study, A Comparison of the Cell Phone Driver and the Drunk Driver, shows that the risk of crash for driving while using a cell phone is four times that of a non-impaired driver. This turns out to be the same risk of crash for driving with a Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of .08%. For a driver who is texting, the risk of crash is eight times that of a non-impaired driver.

SOME PRECAUTIONS

New Jersey is amongst 34 states in which text messaging while driving is banned. And New Jersey also is one of 10 states in which talking on a hand-held cell phone while driving is banned._­­ But here are a few things to keep in mind before you put your phone in hand while in the driving seat:

• Avoid all non-driving related tasks while operating your vehicle. Driving is a visual task and non-driving activities that draw the driver’s eyes away from the roadway, such as texting and dialing, should always be avoided.
• Using a headset with your cell phone isn’t really safer than operating a hand-held –you’re still answering and dialing, causing your eyes to be off the road. Try to limit use.
• Even if you’re running late, avoid anything that takes your eyes off the road.  If you must text or call into work, pull over at a rest stop.

1.  http://www.sonomastatestar.com/news/child-killed-mother-hospitalized-after-ssu-student-crashes-1.1822977

2.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/focusdriven/4322401895/

CAR INSURANCE FOR TEENS
Top 10 Ways to Get the Best Rates on Auto Insurance for Teenagers

You don’t have to be one of those parents doling out more than $2,500 each year just so your teen driver can be on the road. Sure, the National Safety Council found that teen car insurance for a girl will cause the family car insurance to double and for a boy it will likely to triple, but there are ways to keep your rates low in spite of those statistics. How? Here are the top 10 tactics to lower insurance for teens:

1. Drive a Used Car. Used cars are cheaper to insure than new ones, so hit up the used car lot.
2. Safe Over Sporty. If purchasing a car for your teenage driver, choose a safe sedan over a flashy convertible.     Luxury and sports cars are more expensive to insure. 
3. Assign a Specific Car. If your teen is going to be driving one of your cars, ask the insurance company if they’ll let you assign them to a specific one. Again, the luxury car would be the more expensive choice because it costs more to insure.
4. Don’t be a Statistic. According to the National Safety Council, 16 year olds are three times as likely to wind up in a crash than 19 year olds – and almost six times higher than 20-24 year olds. Stay off your cell phone, wear your seatbelt and drive safely.
5. 6-Month Rule. Every six months, check in with your insurance company and update your policy information to make sure you are getting the best teen car insurance rates.
6. Shop Around. Comparing teen auto insurance prices will save you a ton of dough.
7. Take a defensive driving course. Many insurance companies offer discounts to teens who take (and pass!) an approved defensive driving course.
8. Save by Paying. Sometimes, the method of payment you use can save you money. A simple change to monthly auto pay can create savings when dealing with auto insurance for teens.
9. Be a good student. Getting a B average (3.0 GPA) or higher will score students under the age of 25 cheaper teen car insurance rates.
10. Keep it in the family. You can save up to 25% on premiums with multi-car, multi-policy and financial responsibility discounts reducing the costs greatly with car insurance for teenager drivers.