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Mississippi Construction Zones Have Many Auto Collisions Hazards

Construction zones constitute one of the most dangerous segments of roadway in Mississippi.  Construction zones are full of hazards that can cause serious accidents including heavy machinery, open trenches, confusing signage and stop and go traffic.  A fatal construction zone accident in Auburn on the I-85 this week left a Mississippi man dead and serves as a grim reminder of the danger posed by hazards in Mississippi construction zones.  The Mississippi man was in the center median working on a construction project installing cable barriers when a vehicle veered into the center median and killed the man on impact.  After running down the man, the vehicle collided with a traffic barrel before slamming into a bobcat loader.

Mississippi work zone accidents are caused by a variety of factors including driver inattention, excessive speed, debris, heavy equipment in the roadway and a plethora of other causes.  Work zones are one of the most dangerous stretches of roadway for drivers, passengers, pedestrians and workers.  Some of the most common factors in causing construction zone accidents in Mississippi include:

  • Heavy machinery obstructing the roadway
  • Inadequate or poorly located warning and signage
  • Missing guardrails or barriers
  • Inattentive motorists
  • Drivers who fail to reduce their speed
  • Gravel which can cause vehicles to skid
  • Missing stop signs
  • Misplaced concrete barriers
  • Narrow roadways
  • Debris in the roadway

These are only a few of the hazards that make Mississippi construction zones extremely dangerous.  Work zones can hide hazards that you could otherwise avoid or place hazards in your path.  When the typical hazards present in chaotic construction zones in Mississippi are combined with inclement weather and drunk or distracted drivers the results can be catastrophic life-altering injuries.

Litigation of a Mississippi work zone accident can be complicated because it may involve multiple vehicles, several entities contracted to do work or a public entity that initiated the construction project.  There are special procedures involved when pursuing a car accident claim against a public entity and much shorter deadlines for initiating a claim.  The chaos and many potential parties that contribute to the typical construction accident can make the investigation and litigation strategy complex.  An experienced Mississippi construction zone accident law firm may pursue a claim against general contractors, sub-contractors or outside venders as well as other drivers or the public entity overseeing the project.  The experienced Mississippi construction zone accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi auto accident victims for over 75 years. We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Habitual Drunk Drivers Still Constitute a Serious Cause of Auto Accidents

When drivers that have been drinking climb behind the wheel of their vehicle, the result can be devastating permanent injuries to innocent motorists in Mississippi drunk driving accidents.  While there have been many legal measures taken to reduce the number of drunk driving collisions, including zero tolerance policies for inexperienced teen drivers, mandatory minimum sentences for repeat DUI offenders, ignition interlock programs and other similar DUI prevention policies.  These measures have had limited impact on habitual DUI offenders.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has published some enlightening information about habitual drunk drivers who cause drunk driving accidents.  The federal agency reports that drivers with a BAC over .15 percent or drivers with a DUI conviction within the last ten years were involved in more than 70 percent of all alcohol related driving fatalities.  Data from law enforcement sources is consistent with this finding because 33 percent of all drivers arrested for DUI are repeat offenders.

This data suggests that drunk driving is a problem largely tied to habitual drinkers who are less responsive to alcohol education programs.  A Center for Disease Control study found that the average driver arrested for DUI has driven while under the influence of alcohol 88 times before they are arrested.  This suggests that most drunk drivers who are actually arrested may be habitual drunk drivers who have been drinking and driving on a regular basis before their first DUI arrest.

When habitual drunk drivers operate a motor vehicle, they can cause serious motor vehicles collisions by failing to negotiate curves, running red lights or stop signs, failing to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, falling asleep at the wheel and many other types of driver errors.  The NTSB has proposed a variety of guidelines that may reduce the number of drunk driving fatalities in Mississippi including the following:

  • Increasing the frequency of sobriety checkpoints on a statewide basis
  • Implementing programs designed to target drivers who continue driving after having their license suspended for DUI/DWI
  • Define a repeat offender as anyone that has been arrested for DUI within the last ten years
  • Impose harsher sentences and treatment options aimed at habitual drunk drivers

When you or someone you love is injured or a loved one dies in a collision caused by a habitual drunk driver, the experienced Mississippi drunk driving attorneys at Barrett Law are committed to holding those whose irresponsible conduct causes injury to others accountable for their conduct.  The experienced Mississippi tractor-trailer accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi tractor-trailer victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Vast Majority of Accidents Caused by Some Form of Driving Distraction

Most people that regularly travel the streets and highways of Mississippi recognize that using a cell phone to talk or text is dangerous but may not realize that this is only one of many causes of driver inattention that result in serious car accidents.  A study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute revealed that a shocking eighty percent of all motor vehicle accidents are caused in part by lack of driver attention.  While there have been attempts to address the problem of driver inattention in recent years, the laws have tended to focus exclusively on cell phone use for calls and texting.  The reality is that there are many other forms of driver distraction that continue to go unnoticed.

It goes without saying that the prevalence of mobile phones and other portable electronic devices have substantially increased the scope of distracted driving, but there are many other causes of driving inattention:

  • Reaching for objects in a vehicle
  • Eating and drinking
  • Brushing or combing one’s hair
  • Putting on makeup
  • Reading a newspaper or book
  • Carrying on a conversation with someone in the vehicle

While this is hardly an exhaustive list, it demonstrates that there are many forms of driver distraction that have nothing to do with cell phones.  The most dangerous driver distraction according to the Virginia Tech study involves reaching for objects in one’s vehicle including swatting a fly, picking up a cell phone that has fallen or grabbing a coffee cup.  A driver who reaches for an object in the passenger compartment while driving is nine times more likely to cause an auto accident or a near miss.  The study revealed that looking at an object in one’s vehicle increased the risk of being involved in motor vehicle accident 3.7 times.  The act of dialing a number on a cell phone increased the risk of being involved in an accident three times, which is the same increase associated with putting on makeup.

While restrictions on the use of cell phones and portable electronic devices while driving are a step in the right direction, there are many types of driver distraction that continue to contribute to severe injuries in motor vehicle collisions.  When a driver does not focus their entire physical, mental and visual attention on the roadway and potential hazards, the risk of a serious Mississippi auto accident is unacceptably high.  Inattentive drivers may cause accidents in a variety of ways including:

  • Failing to notice an interruption in the flow of traffic
  • Delayed response time when braking or maneuvering around a traffic hazard
  • Running red lights and stop signs
  • Failing to navigate curves in the road
  • Colliding with pedestrians in crosswalks
  • Drifting out of one’s lane or off the roadway

These are just a few of the types of driver errors that may be caused by distracted drivers.  If you or a close family member is injured or a loved one dies in a distracted driving accident, you may have a right to compensation for your injuries or loss of companions, support and guidance of a loved one.  The experienced Mississippi motor vehicle accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi auto accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Five Things You Need to Know About Fault in Mississippi Auto Accidents

When you are involved in a collision while traveling on Mississippi roadways, the accident scene can be extremely confusing and chaotic.  Many accidents happen so quickly that it can be difficult to process exactly how the accident occurred even if you are one of the drivers involved. What you do at an accident scene is important because your ability to recover financial compensation for your injuries from the other driver’s insurance company may depend on your ability to prove the fault of the other driver.  While there are a few accidents where there can be little dispute about who is at fault, this is the exception rather than the rule.

The basis for imposing liability in most Mississippi car accident cases is the negligence of the other driver. Negligence effectively refers to unreasonably careless driving that causes foreseeable injury to other vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.  Fault is a closely related concept, which in ordinary parlance refers to a person whose poor driving causes an accident.  It is fairly rare that an insurance company will simply concede the issue of fault, which means the available evidence in most cases is open to multiple interpretations as to who caused an accident. Because fault is a critical issue in terms of recovering financial compensation for your injuries suffered in Mississippi motor vehicle accident, we have provided five things you need to know about the issue of fault if you are involved in a car crash in Mississippi.

  1. If you are involved in a collision, you should never admit fault or express remorse. While the urge to say, “I’m sorry” may be compelling, a savvy insurance company adjuster may later construe this act of courtesy as an admission of fault.
  2. Do not presume that you are at fault and have no right to recovery based solely on the law enforcement accident report. While police officers that investigate car accidents are extremely knowledgeable and competent, they frequently are forced to make a determination on the issue of fault with incomplete evidence. If you retain an experienced Mississippi car accident law firm, the law firm typically will conduct an independent investigation and often consult accident reconstruction experts. The key to keep in mind is that you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries despite the conclusions of a law enforcement accident report.
  3. Any driver involved in a motor vehicle accident should be aware that fault can be divided amongst multiple parties. Sometimes both drivers in a two-car collision will have made careless errors, but this does not necessarily preclude your ability to recover for your injuries provided that the other driver is determined to have had a higher degree of fault.  While your own percentage of fault may result in a reduction of your financial recovery, you may still be entitled to compensation for your injuries but the amount may be reduced by your percentage of fault.  When the plaintiff and defendant are both at-fault, the legal term to characterize this type of fault is “comparative fault.
  4. Some of the most common types of unsafe driving that constitute fault in Mississippi car accident lawsuits include:
  • Speeding
  • Drunk driving
  • Illegal turns
  • Running stop signs/red lights
  • Tailgating
  • Drowsy driving
  • Distracted driving
  • Failure to observe right of way
  • Unsafe lane changes
  1. There are a few situations where fault may not be disputed.  The most common situations include

Mississippi car crashes in which one driver rear-ends another driver, or a driver makes a left turn at an intersection when the other vehicle is proceeding straight through a green light.

Because insurance companies aggressively dispute the issue of fault in Mississippi car accident cases, it is important to seek an experienced Mississippi car accident lawyer who may be able to preserve critical evidence and develop a compelling theory of liability.  The experienced Mississippi motor vehicle accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi auto accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Will Legalization of Medical Marijuana Increase in Mississippi Car Accidents

Mississippi is one of several states that will consider proposals to legalize medical marijuana later this year.  It is somewhat predictable that Mississippi might be a state on the forefront of this issue given that Mississippi is a producer of medical marijuana.  The University of Mississippi has long functioned as a marijuana research facility.  Ole Miss even grows and ships medical marijuana for use in other states where use of cannabis for medical purposes is legal provided it is prescribed by a physician.  Ole Miss even receives federal funds to promote research and production of medical marijuana.  Mississippi has also decriminalized marijuana up to thirty grams.

Despite where one stands on merits of legalizing medical marijuana, one issue that must be considered is how it might impact accidents involving impaired drivers.  Alcohol, which is legal and readily accessible to Mississippi adults, accounts for over 10,000 traffic related fatalities per year and accounts for 33 percent of accident related fatalities in Mississippi.  Alcohol is the most prevalent factor in collisions that result in injury or fatalities throughout the U.S.

One is left to wonder why we should be more optimistic that the legalization of medical marijuana would not result in an analogous surge in Mississippi car accidents caused by impaired drivers.  Some medical marijuana proponents argue that marijuana can be distinguished from alcohol use because it will only be legal for medical reasons.  It is theorized that because alcohol is used exclusively for recreational use this is why it results in a high rate of drunk driving.  It is also argued that drivers using medical marijuana may have less impairment of driving ability than those who consume alcohol.

A recent study suggests that this rather dubious differentiation may not have any basis in fact.  The recent study published in the British Medical Journal revealed that drivers who had used marijuana were twice as likely to be involved in an auto accident then drivers who were not under the influence of marijuana.  However, another recent study conducted by professors at the Universities of Colorado and Montana, which analyzed 19 years of data involving fatal accidents, found that accidents rates have declined by ten percent in states that have legalized medical marijuana.  The authors of the study argue that this does not simply reflect declining accident rates in states where medical marijuana is legal because alcohol related accident rates have remained relatively constant in these states.

The argument that somehow the clinical role of marijuana makes a difference is also questionable because of the growing number of motor vehicle accidents caused by drivers under the influence of prescription medications.  The theory that somehow limiting use to therapeutic purposes will prevent the drug from being ingested before motorist drive would seem to be no more valid than with prescription medications.

Law enforcement and public safety advocates argue that driving under the influence of any substance that causes impairment is dangerous.  Many car accidents are caused by some form of drug, including alcohol, prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and illegal narcotics.  Those who oppose legalization of marijuana believe that anything that increases access or use of a drug will result in an increase in accidents involving impaired drivers.

If you have suffered serious injury caused by a driver under the influence of alcohol or drugs, you should seek immediate legal advice.  Most personal injury law firms in Mississippi offer a free consultation with no obligation so that they can assess the value of your claim, and you can obtain information about your options.  The experienced Mississippi personal injury attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi personal injury victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

 

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Feds Propose Limits on Dashboard Gadgets That Distract Drivers

The dashboards of passenger vehicles are quickly becoming a cross between a comprehensive entertainment system, wireless communication center and portable arcade.  Car manufacturers are constantly striving to provide vehicles with more appealing features including improved safety features like crash avoidance systems and improved air bag protection, but these features often conflict with new entertainment features.  Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of Mississippi motor vehicle collisions.  As car manufacturers increasingly turn car dashboards into home entertainment centers that can be used for keeping in touch on social media sites, searching the web, watching videos and reading e-books, the problem continues to grow.

However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced new guidelines designed to reduce the risk of distracted driving collisions caused by dashboard entertainment technology.  The NHTSA is requesting that automakers curb the practice of providing electronic gadgets that promote distracted driving.  Although compliance is voluntary, the NHTSA has asked vehicle makers to design distracting technology so that it is automatically disabled when the vehicle is moving.

The proposal does not apply to all electronic technology equally.  Certain types of technology like collision warning systems and GPS devices are partially exempt from the guideline.  While the NHTSA is not requesting that these devices be disabled when the vehicle is moving, they are asking that the devices be designed so there is no need for drivers to adjust them while driving.

Unfortunately, this proposal is voluntary, which means that manufacturers may choose to ignore the guideline because consumers may be turned off by the devices being disabled when the vehicle is moving.  If some motor vehicle manufacturers decide that they wish to make the devices usable during driving, it may place pressure on other car makers to follow suit so that their vehicles offer the same technological entertainment advantages.

Independent studies have shown that distracted driving is comparable to drunk driving and drowsy driving in terms of the likelihood of Mississippi car accidents.  It is inconceivable that automakers would consider installing mini-bars in the front seat of passenger vehicles so one would assume that it is also a bad idea to put a DVD player or device for surfing the Internet in the dashboard of a vehicle.  Driving distractions that cause Mississippi motor vehicle accidents can take many forms, including watching videos, web surfing, reading, eating, using a cell phone and more.  It is always dangerous to multi-task while driving a motor vehicle so we can only hope that automakers comply with the suggestions of the NHTSA.

The experienced Mississippi motor vehicle accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi auto accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Road Rage & Aggressive Driving: Different but Unacceptable Driving Practices

While many people use the terms “aggressive driving” and “road rage” interchangeably, they distinguish two very different kinds of conduct.  Aggressive driving is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as engaging in multiple violations of traffic safety laws simultaneously putting other motorists and pedestrians at risk.  While aggressive driving may constitute reckless conduct and justify an award of punitive damages to discourage such unsafe driving practices, road rage involves intentionally threatening or attacking another motorist often with a weapon and constitutes a criminal act, which will usually justify punitive damages.

Aggressive driving is rude inconsiderate driving that frequently includes multiple traffic violations including tailgating, weaving in and out of traffic, speeding and unsafe lane changes.  Drivers that engage in aggressive driving in Mississippi often are rushing to meet unrealistic schedules and annoyed by traffic conditions that slow aggressive drivers down.  Drivers that engage in aggressive driving practices not only put themselves at risk but may force other drivers who engage in emergency or unsafe maneuvers to avoid a collision. For example, when an aggressive driver tries to pass on the shoulder of the roadway, this may startle a driver in the lane closest to the shoulder so that they veer into another vehicle causing a collision.

When a driver engages in a pattern of motor vehicle violations that place other motorists and pedestrians in danger, the aggressive driver may be strictly liable for injuries caused by his or her unsafe driving practices. The doctrine of negligence per se essentially provides that if a driver violates a driving safety law, which causes injury to someone with whom they share the road, they may be strictly liable for any damages. If a driver engages in certain combinations of driving violations that constitute aggressive driving, such as driving at high speed rates of speed while swerving in and out of traffic, this may also constitute grounds for imposing punitive damages.

While aggressive driving may be unsafe and even reckless, it does not constitute an intentional criminal offense intended to cause injury to another.  Road rage is an intentional criminal act designed to inflict physical injury. Common examples of road rage may include ramming another vehicle or pedestrian, running a vehicle off the road, shooting into another vehicle with a firearm or other violent criminal violent acts.  Because road rage behavior will generally constitute a criminal offense, a civil lawsuit will typically follow a criminal prosecution. It can be significantly easier for a victim of road rage to pursue civil litigation when there has already been a finding of guilt in a prior criminal case. Because road rage attacks are intentional criminal acts, they generally result in an award of punitive damages against the perpetrator.

While aggressive driving and road rage are two very different types of driving behavior, they are both completely unacceptable and place the safety of others in immediate jeopardy. If you or someone you love has been the victim of a road rage incident or accident caused by aggressive driving in Mississippi, the experienced Mississippi aggressive driving accident attorneys at Barrett law may be able to help you seek compensation for your injuries or loss.  Our Mississippi road rage attorneys are committed to the principle that those who engage in wrongful conduct must be punished and victims should be compensated.  The experienced Mississippi aggressive driving accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing effective representation to Mississippi bus accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Mississippi Distracted Driving Accident Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

While the majority of Mississippi drivers are careful and attentive when driving, there are some drivers that find it necessary to engage in other activities when driving that prevent them from focusing on the road ahead and potential traffic hazards.  Virtually all drivers sometimes exercise poor judgment by driving when distracted.  The danger associated with distracted driving in Mississippi has grown exponentially with the increase in handheld electronic communication gadgets.  Mobile phones, iPods, tablet computers, GPS devices and other electronic devices have become as dangerous as drunk drivers.  We have provided information regarding the rights of Mississippi motorists who are involved in Mississippi distracted driving accidents.

What are the most dangerous forms of distracted driving?

There are many forms of distracted driving that can result in serious collisions in Mississippi including the following:

  • Texting while driving
  • Talking on a cell phone
  • Eating or drinking
  • Reading
  • Surfing the internet
  • Using a GPS device
  • Reaching for an object or child in the vehicle
  • Grooming including brushing one’s hair or putting on makeup
  • Conversations with passengers
  • Adjusting the car stereo or CD player

Are many car accidents caused by districted driving?

Distracted driving is such a serious public safety issue that it is has been called “the new drunk driving epidemic” by federal motor vehicle safety agencies.  Motor vehicle accidents cause fifteen fatalities and 1,200 injuries per day in the U.S.  This amounts to 5,400 distracted driving fatalities and almost 450,000 injuries per year.  Distracted driving has become the number one cause of motor vehicle related fatalities among teen drivers.

How serious a factor are cell phones as a driver distraction?

Whether used for telephone calls or texting, many drivers routinely use their cell phone when driving.  A study conducted of U.S. drivers found that three-fours of all U.S. drivers surveyed admitted to talking on their cell phone during the previous thirty day period.  A quarter of U.S. drivers admit to frequently using a cell phone while driving.  Texting and emailing from a mobile phone is particularly distracting because it requires concentration on the screen and physical manipulation of a keyboard.  Nonetheless, approximately nine percent of drivers indicate that they text or email regularly while driving.

How do driving distractions impact driving behavior?

There are three kinds of driver distractions: (1) visual, (2) physical and (3) mental.  A visual distraction is any distraction that causes a driver to divert one’s eyes from the roadway, such as looking at the screen of a cell phone or glancing at children in the backseat of a vehicle.  A physical distraction involves reaching for an object or passenger in the vehicle.  The classic physical distraction might be reaching into the back seat to discipline children.  Mental distractions can range from carrying on a conversation that diverts mental concentration to listening to music on the radio.  The most dangerous types of distractions impact a driver on all three levels.  If you send a text message while driving, for example, it requires that you use your fingers to type, your eyes to view the screen and your mind to process what to write.

Is text messaging really as dangerous as drunk driving?

A study conducted by the University of Utah revealed that drivers that text while driving exhibit more impaired driving ability than drivers with a BAC of .08 percent, which is the legal limit for DUI.  The researchers compared reaction times of drivers when braking and found that texting activity slows reaction time considerably more than being over the legal limit for DUI.

What laws limit or restrict cell phone use while driving in Mississippi?

Twenty separate bills were proposed in Mississippi to restrict cell phone use while driving during 2011 with three more addressing text messaging bans in 2012.  However, the only cell phone restriction currently in effect is a restriction on text messaging by inexperienced teen drivers that have not yet been granted an unrestricted drivers’ license.  Mississippi bus drivers are also prohibited from using any wireless communication device when transporting children.

Some driving distractions are so much a part of the daily behavior of motorists that drivers never even contemplate the risk.  One of the most dangerous forms of driving distraction other than the use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices is eating and drinking while driving.  When food and drinks are spilled, drivers may be forced to divert their hands, eyes and concentration away from the task of driving to clean up the mess.  The distraction is even greater if the food or beverage is hot or scalding.  If you are injured in a Mississippi distracted driving accident or a loved one dies, you may have the right to seek damages for your injuries or loss.  The experienced Mississippi distracted driving accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing aggressive representation to Mississippi distracted driving accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

 

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Congress Considers Encouraging States to Make Ignition Interlock Devices Mandatory for DUI Offenders

While drunk drivers continue to claim the lives of many innocent motorists, proposed new legislation may go a long way toward reducing the number of motorists that suffer life-altering injuries or die at the hands of drunk drivers.  Federal lawmakers in Congress are proposing legislation that would condition additional federal highway funds on states making the installation of ignition interlock devices mandatory for drivers convicted of DUI.

The House transportation bill that was announced this week would make additional federal highway funds available to states that make the installation of an ignition interlock device a mandatory component of sentences in drunk driving cases.  An ignition interlock device prevents a driver from starting a vehicle until they have submitted to a breath test of blood alcohol concentration (BAC).  The Senate is expected to submit similar DUI ignition interlock legislation.

Ignition interlock devices are currently mandatory for any driver convicted of driving under the influence in fifteen states.  Versions of the requirement in other states make installation of the portable breath test mandatory only for repeat offenders, drunk drivers that cause injury or death and drivers with high BAC levels.  Critics of the legislation, which predictably include the beverage industry, argue that the law will limit a judge’s ability to make subtle sentencing adjustments that differentiate a first time offender who is right at the legal limit of .08 percent BAC from a repeat offender with a BAC level that is double or triple the legal limit.

Data suggests that the program may be far more effective at discouraging repeat offenders and preventing DUI related accidents in Mississippi than driver’s license suspension and revocation.  The International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety indicates that ignition interlock devices reduce repeat DUI offenses, which may lead to fatal Mississippi DUI accidents, by as much as 40 to 95 percent.  An independent statistic reported on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website indicates that mandatory installation of ignition interlock devices results in a 70 percent reduction in DUI arrests.

The enormous effectiveness of installation of portable breath testing devices is only matched by the ineffectiveness of drivers’ license suspensions.  A number of studies reveal that anywhere between 50-75 percent of drivers continue to drive under the influence of alcohol even after having their drivers’ license suspended.  While the number of people injured and killed in DUI accidents has decreased in recent years, more than 10,000 people per year die in drunk driving accidents, which amount to one every fifty minutes.

The proposed legislation may reduce Mississippi drunk driving accidents, but many Mississippi drunk drivers will continue to put other vehicle occupants at risk.  If you or someone you love has been injured by a drunk driver or a loved one has died, our experienced Mississippi drunk driving attorneys at Barrett Law are committed to holding drunk drivers accountable and seeking compensation for their victims. The experienced drunk driver accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing aggressive representation to Mississippi drunk driving victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

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Heavy Mississippi Fog Can Cause Horrific Multi-Car Pileups

Although most Mississippi drivers know that driving in rainy weather is dangerous, drivers may be less likely to consider the impact of dense fog.  The reality is that some of the most horrific accidents in the U.S. have occurred during heavy fog with pileups of cars, trucks, SUVs, tractor-trailers and buses.  What distinguishes fog from other types of serious motor vehicle accidents is that the risk of being involved in a collision gets greater with the increase in the number of vehicles.  At Barrett Law, our experienced Mississippi multi-car pileup attorneys understand the extreme level of carnage and serious debilitating injuries that accompany multi-car pileups in heavy fog.

A multi-car accident in Florida this weekend serves as a sad reminder of the danger associated with driving in heavy fog conditions.  The multi-car accident caused by heavy fog and smoke resulted in accident related fatalities of ten vehicle occupants and injury to 38 others.  The wreckage and devastation from the multi-car pileup was so extensive that one witness said, “”[it] looked like someone was picking up cars and throwing them.”  Pictures of the carnage were described by media sources as resembling the aftermath of a Hollywood disaster movie.

This type of devastating accident which results in many vehicles colliding with each other in a chain reaction collision or multi-car pileup are most common in heavy fog conditions that severely limit visibility.  While it is prudent to drive slower or to get off the road until the fog clears, some motorists will barrel down the roadway as if there are no adverse driving conditions.  Visibility during the multi-car pileup this weekend was so bad that those on the scene could only hear the collisions rather than actually see them.

The pictures of the carnage included jackknifed big-rigs, vehicles crushed underneath tractor –trailers, vehicles burned all the way to their frame and similar images.  If you can avoid driving in foggy conditions, the results can be devastating.  Fog not only limits visibility but also makes it more difficult to perceive contrasts and impairs a driver’s perception.

Foggy conditions can compromise your driving in several ways.  When you drive in heavy fog, it can interfere with your ability to properly judge distance.  There is a natural tendency to perceive that blurry objects are a greater distance than those that are not blurry.  This can result in errors in judging the distance of a stationary object or moving vehicle.  Fog also makes it difficult to differentiate moving from stationary objects.

Mississippi motorists who fail to appreciate the hazards of driving in heavy fog may start horrific multi-car accidents, our experienced Mississippi bad weather attorneys at Barrett Law are committed to helping those injured by the careless driving obtain the financial compensation they need.  The experienced Mississippi bad weather car accident attorneys at Barrett Law have been providing aggressive representation to Mississippi car accident victims for over 75 years.  We provide diligent legal representation and impassioned advocacy so we invite you to call us today at 662-834-2376 to learn how we can help.

 

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