Articles Posted in Driving Tips

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National-Bike-MonthRiding a bike is an activity enjoyed by many people for a number of reasons. Some people like to ride their bikes for fun or to exercise, and a growing number of people are cycling to commute to and from work, among other places.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there was a 64% increase in people riding their bikes to work from 2000 to 2014.

While a diverse range of people enjoy riding their bikes, there are serious safety concerns for cyclists. The NHTSA reported that in 2015 there were 818 deaths due to bicycle accidents and an additional 45,000 cyclists were injured in pedalcyclist crashes involving motor vehicles.

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Let’s start with the facts.

In the United States, over 1.2 million crashes are weather-related. On average, that leads to nearly 6,000 fatalities and over 445,000 injuries per year, all due to adverse weather conditions. When breaking it down even further, 73% of these crashes occur on wet pavement and 46% occur during rainfall.

What statistics are pointing to is that rain is the deadliest weather driving hazard.

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With a staggering 6 million car accidents in the U.S. annually, it can feel quite risky driving on today’s roads. While eliminating every hazard or risk when driving is impossible, you can still do your part to keep Louisiana roads safer by following these defensive driving tips.

However, if you or a loved one has succumbed to injury or death due to an accident with a commercial vehicle accident, the dependable New Orleans truck accident lawyers at Cardone Law Firm are ready to protect your rights.

But the best way to avoid injury and pain is to practice safe driving techniques. Here are a few tried and true methods that can keep you safe on your next trip.

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sleep-cardone-law-firm-300x200Driving while you’re feeling tired may seem innocuous, but in reality, it’s about as dangerous as driving drunk. Drowsy drivers have many of the same impairments drunk drivers do, including:

  • Inability to focus or pay attention to the road
  • Slower reaction time in case you need to brake or steer suddenly
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According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 3,986 people perished in large truck crashes in 2016. Out of that total, 66 percent were occupants of cars and other passenger-type vehicles.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), along with individual states, sets clear safety regulations for all commercial vehicles that must be followed in order for 18-wheelers to operate within each state. However, when commercial trucking companies choose to forgo proper protocols by ignoring or barely enforcing these safety regulations, the risk of serious motor vehicle accidents increases – meaning you may have to pay for it.

It is a serious concern that, unfortunately, we here at Cardone Law Firm deal with frequently. Our truck accident lawyers in New Orleans know the ins-and-outs of these safety procedures and have seen firsthand what happens when they are ignored. The good news is you don’t have to fight these negligent companies alone.

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Spring break is just around the corner, and that means plenty of college students will be rushing to get to the nearest beach, families will be heading out on road trips, and everyday drivers will be trying to get to-and-back from work safely. During this time of year, highways can become more congested as drivers from all walks of life will be out on the roads.

Unfortunately, Spring Break is also one of the most dangerous times for “Spring Break” counties that draw in more crowds. A 2015 study published in the Economic Inquiry found that fatal traffic accidents jumped by nearly 10% in certain regions, with a significant proportion of these accidents involving out-of-state drivers. These are troubling statistics for students and families who are planning to travel outside of the state in the next few weeks.

Your dedicated team of New Orleans lawyers at Cardone Law Firm want to make sure you are able to enjoy this spring break safely. While you can’t control the actions of other drivers on the road, you can take proper precautions to be a safe driver yourself by following these top seven driving tips.

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This particular stretch of the highway always takes forever, you think to yourself, creeping slowly behind one of many other vehicles stuck in rush hour traffic. To your relief, you see your exit up ahead, about a mile away.

The constant pumping of your brakes and the accelerator pedal seems rhythmic, and you begin to space out from your surroundings. Before you know it, you missed your exit completely, and have no real idea why.

Highway hypnosis is a common phenomenon that occurs to drivers traveling on long trips. This is especially true of commercial vehicle drivers who spend a lot of their day in transit. A few seconds of negligence by a commercial truck driver can spell doom for others on the road.

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Winter storm Inga was devastating to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast area, spreading its arctic touch from deep South Texas all the way to Florida. The weather blanketed the South in snow and ice, closing down highways, causing hundreds of crashes – and tragically – several deaths.

Louisiana alone saw four confirmed deaths including a fire official who was fatally injured on Wednesday, January 17th, when a pickup truck pulling a trailer lost control and struck the chief. The individual was investigating a previous crash. In Metairie, an 8-month-old infant was tragically killed when the vehicle plunged into a canal. The crash was attributed to icy roads.

With a few months left of winter, Louisiana is likely to experience another cold snap that could potentially lead to even more tragedies. Our Louisiana car accident attorneys at Cardone Law Firm would like to remind readers about the dangers of driving in these hazardous conditions and tips to prevent a car accident.

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Tragedy befell commuters in DeSoto Parish that ultimately changed many lives in Bunkie, LA.

Shortly before 7 p.m. on December 22, 2017, 24-year-old Bunkie native Hudson Lyles Bain, traveling in his 2011 GMC pickup, rear-ended the back of an 18-wheeler on I-49 for reasons yet to be determined.

To make a dire situation much worse, another 18-wheeler, operated by Irving native Jacob Ruben Tennell, impacted Bain’s pickup from behind, causing both vehicles to catch fire.

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While many families all throughout Louisiana were enjoying the festivities of this past holiday season, one community was having to suffer through a horrible loss. Just a few days prior to Christmas, 15-year old Kristyn Hoffpauir of Winn Parish and her mother, Kandance B. Hoffpauir, were involved in a single-vehicle fatal accident.

The teenage driver and her mother were traveling northbound on US Highway 71 when the younger Hoffpauir lost control of the vehicle, exited the roadway, then collided with a road sign and concrete retaining wall located on a creek bank. The young girl was pronounced dead at the scene while her mother was seriously injured and transported to Rapides Regional Trauma Center.

We here at the Cardone Law Firm would like to not only offer our condolences to those affected by this tragedy but also take the time to discuss the importance of driver safety – especially when it comes to teen drivers. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens; in 2015 alone, 2,333 teens ages 16-19 were victims of a fatal accident. That equates to six young men and women dying every day from a motor vehicle injury.

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