Pennsylvania drivers are all familiar with how dangerous the roads can get in the winter. Between snow, ice, sleet, and freezing rain, the road conditions all increase the chances of an accident happening. According to a recent news article, Pennsylvania was ranked as the second most dangerous state for winter driving, falling right behind Michigan. While other states that were in the top 10 included New York and Colorado, you may be wondering how Pennsylvania made second.

Typically, the more severe the car accident, the worse the injuries. In a high-speed collision on the interstate, a crash victim may have broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, or spinal cord injuries. It’s important to remember, however, that any accident has the potential to result in injury. For example, whiplash can occur in nearly any accident situation. Speed may play a role in the severity of the injury, but the force from even a low-speed accident can result in neck strain. In order to understand why this is, let’s take a look at why whiplash happens.

PennDOT is using 20 state vehicles, including dump trucks, crew cabs, passenger vehicles, and a van to test out digital license plates before lawmakers in our commonwealth decide whether or not to approve legislation for the plates. These tester vehicles are predominantly in central and northwest Pennsylvania in Adams, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Erie, Forest, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mercer, Perry, Venango, Warren, and York counties.

After a traumatic event like a car accident, it’s likely that those involved will have some form of injury. The doctor will give them a medical evaluation and assess their injuries. Then, they’ll move on to treating the injury and recovering. But what happens if they have persistent pain that’s not getting better? It’s possible that they have complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).

If you believe that you or a loved one is suffering from CRPS after a car accident, you may want to look into seeking compensation through a car accident claim. The attorneys at Shrager & Sachs have dedicated, skilled lawyers who work tirelessly to get justice for their clients. We may be able to help you get fair compensation.

It may benefit you to have more information on complex regional pain syndrome. Let’s look into what it is, how it can arise, and what signs indicate that you may have it.

Intersections come in many different sizes, designs, and configurations. Some intersections contain as many as six converging streets. For any driver, but especially those with little experience driving or knowledge of the area, intersections can be confusing. When that confusion is combined with impatience or general negligence, the chances of an accident happening increases significantly.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 40 percent of all traffic accidents take place at intersections. The most common cause of these accidents is aggressive driving. Behaviors that are considered aggressive include tailgating, improper lane changes, dangerous passing, erratic speed changes, failing to yield right of way, speeding, making improper turns, and ignoring traffic control devices or signs.

In order to prevent accidents that occur at intersections, it’s important to understand what the best driving behaviors are for approaching an intersection and dealing with different types of traffic.

The first few minutes after a car accident can be overwhelming. When you discover the other driver has fled the scene, the situation can become that much more stressful. As a hit-run-victim, it’s important to understand what to do immediately following an accident. Taking the proper steps to ensure you take care of your health, make the proper reports, and document important information will help you down the line when you’re trying to seek compensation for your losses related to the accident.

Stay Where You Are

After a hit-and-run, you might have the urge to go after the driver that hit you. This is never a good idea. For one, there’s no way to know the extent of your injuries or how damaged your vehicle is. Chasing the other driver down could also put you in a dangerous situation and compromise your chances for receiving the compensation you need to recover.

Auto accidents can be burdensome in more than one way. It’s likely you’ll need to figure out how to repair your vehicle or get a new one. You’ll also have to deal with insurance companies and complex policies. When you’ve been injured, no matter how severe, those burdens are amplified. It’s important to remember, however, that property damage and insurance policies can wait if you have physical injuries that need to be taken care of.

You’ll likely want to deal with everything at once after your crash in an attempt to move past the incident as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, physical injuries often take time to heal, and focusing on your recovery is paramount. Before returning to your normal schedule and work hours, you’ll want to ensure you are healed or at least at a place where you can work without injury yourself further. Let’s take a look at five of the ways you can maximize your recovery time after a vehicular collision.

Drivers are often familiar with road safety, but may neglect to provide that same care and awareness to their tires. When a vehicle doesn’t have the correct tires or aren’t properly cared for, there’s an increased chance that the tires could cause an accident on the road. A tire failure while driving often causes severe injuries because it’s difficult to maintain control of the vehicle.

There are a number of factors that play into why an automobile crash happens. While we most often think of driver negligence, there are instances where road conditions or ambiguous traffic signs can contribute to an accident. Whether you mostly drive around town or have a long, daily highway commute to work, it’s important to be aware of where the most dangerous spots are for travel. This awareness may help you avoid situations that could result in a wreck.

Distracted driving has become one of America’s leading causes of preventable car accidents, injuries, and deaths. While this can include any form of risky multi-tasking – from personal grooming and eating or drinking to conversing with passengers or reading maps – it most notably includes text messaging and the use of handheld smart phones. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has cited distracted driving as a national epidemic that killed nearly 4,000 victims in 2016 alone, and which is a leading factor behind recent surges in fatal traffic accidents nationwide.

With such alarming data on distracted driving collected in recent years, many states across the country have taken steps to regulate the use of cell phones behind the wheel. This includes Pennsylvania, which enforces the following laws:

• State law prohibits all drivers from texting while driving.
• Motorists are prohibited from wearing headphones and earbuds while driving.
• Talking on a handheld cell phone is illegal only for commercial drivers.

While there is a texting ban in place in Pennsylvania, it has not been very effective, nor has it been successfully enforced, according to newly released data from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. Additionally, unlike other states, Pennsylvania does not have a law regulating handheld cell phone use for non-commercial drivers, meaning cell phone use that isn’t considered texting, such as using apps, e-mail, or placing calls.