Distracted driving is a significant contributor to car accidents. In the age of mobile technology, multi-tasking while behind the wheel has become a way of life for some. Sadly, for individuals who engage in regular distracted driving behaviors, it is not a question of “if” the driver will be involved in a serious accident, but “when.”
Traumatic brain injury and mild traumatic brain injury are notoriously difficult to diagnose, especially immediately following an accident. It can sometimes be weeks or even months before victims are aware that their symptoms—which can range from dizziness to insomnia—are connected to a car accident. Statute of limitation laws place limits on the amount of time personal injury victims have to pursue a case. Unfortunately, some victims learn too late that their symptoms are connected to their car accident. This can leave victims shouldering rehabilitative expenses that rightfully should have been paid by a negligent party.
On a rainy morning in September 2013, a man was struck and killed by a car while riding his bike. The man had been riding in a construction zone under low-light conditions. Today, the scene where the accident took place has become a memorial and a somber reminder to drivers about the presence of bicyclists on Boise roads.
Imagine this scenario. You’re driving along, following all the rules of the road, when suddenly, out of nowhere, a car crashes into you. You regain consciousness realizing that you’ve been in an accident. Your head hurts and you feel a little sick. How did this happen? You were at an intersection you happen to know like the back of your hand. After all, it’s only blocks from home. There’s a stop sign on the street and a right-of-way for the road you were driving on. The car that hit you must have run the stop sign.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is currently in the process of researching new technology that could potentially prevent drunk drivers from driving in the first place. Currently, the only technology on the market that prevents drivers from driving after consuming excessive amounts of alcohol is an ignition interlock device. These devices are placed inside drivers’ cars when drivers have been found guilty of a DUI and prevent the car from starting if the driver is found to have a high BAC. Yet, in the future, similar technology may be placed in all vehicles. The technology would be able to detect when a driver has consumed an amount of alcohol that would put the person’s BAC above 0.08—the legal limit. The device would prevent the car from being driven if it detects excessive amounts of alcohol in a driver’s system. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hopes, pending favorable results in testing, that these devices will be voluntarily placed in cars—thus making roads safer for everyone.
Idaho’s electronic message boards will be offering new messages to drivers who take to the road. While the signs are often left blank, the Idaho Transportation Department has decided to place messages that encourage safer driving practices on the boards. According to Local 8 News, the boards have been used to alert drivers to changes in traffic conditions and potential road hazards as well as to post Amber Alerts. Now, when the signs are not in use, the Idaho Transportation Department will use them to promote safe driving practices.
Witness testimony can be one of the most important pieces of evidence for your personal injury case should the case go to court. Even if your case doesn’t go to court, a written witness statement could be used to help facilitate an out-of-court settlement. Given the importance of witness testimony, many personal injury victims may wonder how best to contact witnesses and ensure that witness testimony offers the best possible support for their case.
Following a car accident, the first person victims seek compensation from is the other negligent driver. However, a skilled personal injury lawyer understands that the other negligent driver may not be the only means by which victims can recover money following a personal injury accident. Read more
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2000, there were over 1,700 crashes where a driver or pedestrian was found to have a BAC of 0.01 or more. While the legal drunk driving limit in Idaho is currently 0.08, alcohol in any quantity is known to have a serious effect on a person’s ability to react quickly, make good judgment calls, and drive safely. In Idaho 114 people were killed and an estimated 4,000 people were injured as a result of drunk driving.
[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ next_background_color=”#ffffff” _builder_version=”3.3.1″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(0,0,0,0.76)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(0,0,0,0.88)” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_image=”https://johnsonandlundgreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/wall-2902506_1920.jpg” custom_padding=”100px|0px|125px|0px|false|false” bottom_divider_style=”slant2″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.3.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.3.1″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_post_title categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.3.1″ title_font=”ABeeZee||||||||” title_text_align=”center” title_text_color=”#ffffff” title_font_size=”30px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” meta_font=”||||||||” meta_text_align=”center” meta_text_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.67)”][/et_pb_post_title][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.3.1″ custom_padding=”50px|0px|28px|0px|false|false”][et_pb_row use_custom_width=”on” width_unit=”off” custom_width_percent=”55%” custom_padding=”27px|0px|0|0px|false|false” _builder_version=”3.3.1″][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.3.1″ parallax=”off” parallax_method=”on”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”3.3.1″ text_font=”||||||||” text_font_size=”15px”]We all know that the law requires us to stop at red lights and that green means “go,” but yellow lights inhabit a no man’s land when it comes to traffic law. We’ve all found ourselves in a situation where we’ve reached an intersection at full speed and a light has just turned yellow. In cases where it would be dangerous to stop, the law generally allows drivers the right to continue through a yellow light. But what happens if the yellow light turns red just as a person crosses the intersection at full speed? Is it okay to run the red?
According to the Idaho Statesman, Idaho is among 37 states that have a permissive yellow light law. The law allows drivers the right to run a red light if their vehicle is located anywhere in the intersection when the light changes. States that do not have a permissive yellow light law require that drivers completely clear the intersection by the time the light turns red.
Yet, does the law encourage drivers to speed through yellow lights? Idaho residents speaking to the Idaho Statesman claim that they frequently see drivers trying to beat the yellow, resulting in several cars being in an intersection by the time the light turns red. In 2013, 424 individuals were cited for running a red light.
Because Idaho law prohibits the use of red light cameras, short of positioning officers at every stop, enforcement of the permissive yellow law is difficult. Officers who positioned themselves at one intersection found five red light violations an hour. This means that drivers kept going despite the presence of a red light, even when the light changed prior to their reaching the intersection.
This can create a dangerous situations for drivers who see a green light and who decide to go immediately. A driver running a red light at high speed poses a serious car accident danger to drivers who are following the law.
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The time a yellow light lasts in Idaho depends largely on the speed limit of the area. For areas with speed limits between 25 and 35 miles per hour, the light remains yellow for 3 seconds, while the light will remain yellow for more than 4 seconds in areas where the speed limit is over 40 miles per hour.
According to the Columbian, thousands of car accidents occur each year as a result of hesitation or speeding at yellow lights. Because laws vary state to state, interstate drivers may not always know when to stop or go.
In Meridian and Boise, Idaho drivers should take caution when choosing to go through yellow lights, and drivers stopped at reds should always look both ways before proceeding when the light changes to green. Even so, every day drivers rely on everyone following the law. The Law Office of Johnson & Lundgreen is a firm of personal injury lawyers in Meridian and Boise, Idaho committed to helping car accident victims seek justice when drivers run red lights.
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Johnson and Lundgreen
2541 E Gala St, Ste. 210
Meridian, ID 83642
Phone:(208) 376-5256
7610 Southside Blvd
Nampa, ID 83686
Phone:(208) 466-4292
250 S. 5th St., Suite 300
Boise, ID 83702
Phone:(208) 376-5256
We work with people throughout the Treasure Valley on cases of personal injury: Automobile accidents, slips and falls, dog bites, etc. We take cases on a contingent fee basis meaning you pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.