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How to Deal with Roadside Emergencies

February 28, 2016 By

Roadside emergencies happen to everyone whether a car is new or old.

The most important thing if you experience a roadside emergency, be it mechanical failure or a tire failure or even running out of gas, is to stay safe and deal with the emergency so that you can get back on the road as soon as possible.

There are several items you should have in your car which will help you to deal with any emergency and also to stay safe.

One of the most important things to do, is to warn other vehicles if yours is stopped on the side of the road. For this purpose you should carry a battery powered warning light and also a reflective hazard triangle. If you are used to driving in remote areas, flares can also be effective.

Make sure that you have a jack and a lug wrench in the vehicle along with a spare tire which is in good condition and fully inflated. Also ensure that you know how to use them. You can also buy a can of tire sealant which will save you having to change the tire and allow you to drive to the nearest garage. Do be aware that several tire shops will not repair a tire which has been sealed as they leave a sticky residue. Also remember this is not a permanent fix so the tire should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible. You can also buy a portable air compressor which can be used to inflate a tire which has a slow leak.

If you have suffered serious injuries as a result of an auto accident, please call our Connecticut I-95 accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP, at (888) 244-5480 or contact us online today.

Filed Under: I-95 Safety

Widening of Interstate 95 Proposed

January 30, 2015 By

The largest highway project in Connecticut, including a widening of Interstate 95 has been proposed.

There are often mile long jams along the I 95, which between Stamford and Bridgeport start in the morning rush at 6:30 a.m., and can last for more than four hours and stretch for 20 miles. In addition, there is no question that some of the roads in the state are deteriorating.

However while some business groups support the proposal to widen the road, others say that the state should improve public transportation instead.

Those in favor say that the traffic congestion is choking economic growth in the state and the big problem is out of state drivers. In 2014, in Greenwich, vehicles with Connecticut license plates only accounted for 36.2% of the vehicles on the road. New York license plates accounted for 39.3% and 24.5% were from other states.

It cannot be denied that there could be environmental challenges to widening the highway including affecting wetlands in the eastern section from Branford to Rhode Island and around 200 properties which would need to be acquired. In addition, the congestion would become worse during the construction period.

If you have suffered serious injuries as a result of an auto accident, please call our Connecticut I-95 accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP, at (888) 244-5480 or contact us online today.

Filed Under: I-95 Safety

The Facts About Texting and Driving

October 27, 2014 By

There are several forms of distracted driving but perhaps the most dangerous and prevalent form in the United States is texting and driving. The reason in because there are three different kinds of distractions – visual, manual, and cognitive – and texting is one of the very few, possibly the only distraction, that involves all three kinds. Texting and driving is a danger not only to the driver who is texting but to everyone else on the road with that driver.

There are some important and sobering facts about texting and driving that people should know in order to develop better and safer driving habits.

  • According to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2013, drivers who engage in visual-manual tasks like reaching for the radio or typing on a cell phone keypad are three times more likely to cause a car crash than those who don’t.
  • In a separate study conducted over a 30-day period, nearly 70 percent of drivers in the United States between the ages of 18 and 64 admitted that they had talked on their cell phone while driving during that period and 31 percent admitted to reading or sending either a text or email message while driving.
  • At any given moment during daylight hours in the US, there are approximately 650,000 drivers on the road either using a cell phone or some other electronic device while driving.

If you have suffered serious injuries as a result of an auto accident with a distracted driver, please call our Connecticut I-95 accident attorneys at Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP, at (888) 244-5480 or contact us online today.

Filed Under: I-95 Accidents, I-95 Safety

Seat Belts Reduce Deaths and Serious Injuries from Car Crashes

October 2, 2014 By

Since the 1970s, safety standards for passenger vehicles in the United States have improved substantially. Improvements to injury prevention systems in vehicles and the technology used therein have also increased over the last forty years. But of all the technological and design advancements implemented into America’s automobiles, none has been able to replace the seat belt as the most effective means of preventing deaths and injuries caused by automobiles accidents. More people between the ages of 5 and 34 are killed in car crashes than by any other cause and children under the age of 14 bear the brunt of this sobering statistic.

Five children were killed on average every day in car crashes in 2005 with more than 600 additional kids sustaining serious injuries. It was determined that the primary reason for these unfortunate numbers was the improper use of seat belts, child restraints, and booster seats. Surprisingly, nearly 100 percent of all infants and more than 90 percent of small children are actually buckled up in some form or fashion but they injuries and fatalities occur because their seat belts and other restraint systems are not properly fastened. The importance of seat belts and safety restraints for children and adults, therefore, cannot be overstated.

Filed Under: I-95 Safety