Seattle Personal Injury Attorney's


Seven Tips to Prevent Distracted Driving During the Holidays

By: Kirk Bernard

Distracted driving is claiming thousands of lives and causing even more personal injuries on our roadways. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 6,000 people were killed and 500,000 injured in car accidents involving distracted driving in 2008. Distracted driving was responsible for 12 percent of all fatal auto accidents in 2004, but that number has risen to 16 percent in 2008. With advancement in communications technologies comes the danger of driving while talking on a cell phone, texting or checking for directions on a GPS device. During this holiday season, as you hit the road, please be mindful of these dangers and make sure that your attention is on the roadway. It is illegal in Washington State to text while you drive or to talk on a handheld cell phone device as you are driving.

Here are some tips, which skilled Seattle personal injury attorney Kirk Bernard hopes you will find useful, to prevent distracted driving:

  1. Get really ready. When you pull out of your driveway, make sure you are REALLY ready. Did you adjust your mirrors? Did you adjust seat positions, climate controls and sound systems? Did you find that CD you wanted to play on your trip? Do not fumble around with controls or look for things as you're driving.

  2. If you must check your map or program your GPS in unfamiliar territory, please stop your vehicle. Do not try to look for your destination or route as you are driving. This can be extremely dangerous as it will definitely take your eye and attention off the road.

  3. Use common sense when it comes to dealing with other distractions in the car such as kids and pets.

  4. Do not try to multi-task when you are driving. If you must eat or drink, park your vehicle in a rest stop. If you must put on make-up or shave then stop the vehicle in a safe area in order to do so. It's well worth your time.

  5. Do not talk on a handheld cell phone or text when you are driving. It is illegal in 20 states and extremely dangerous.

  6. Figure out the controls before you start driving an unfamiliar vehicle or rental car. Familiarize yourself before you get behind the wheel so you're not learning the controls as you're driving.

  7. New studies are showing that you can be quite distracted even when you are talking on a hands-free device. Remember that even the few seconds that it takes to punch in a pre-dialed number can be critical when you're traveling at highway speeds. So if you need to do anything while you are driving, simply wait until you have made a safe stop.

Please drive safely this holiday season. If you get into a car accident as a result of a distracted or negligent driver, please contact the experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys with The Bernard Law Group. We will hold the negligent parties accountable for their actions and make sure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries, damages and loss.

About the Author

Seattle personal injury attorney, Kirk Bernard of The Bernard Law Group, has worked to protect the rights of injury and accident victims for more than 20 years as a civil litigator. Inspired by his father, Saul Bernard, who tried hundreds of cases beginning in the 1930s, Kirk Bernard works to maintain the family-rooted objective of making a difference to those who have been wronged by another. In the extensive period that Kirk Bernard has been litigating injury cases, he has acquired invaluable legal knowledge to assist injury victims and their families in obtaining just compensation for the physical harm and emotional suffering that has befallen upon them at no fault of their own. In acquiring millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for his clients, Kirk Bernard’s dedication has helped Washington accident victims in receiving the monetary funds that they need to help pay for expenses associated with their injuries brought on by another individual’s negligence. In addition to being a skilled Seattle personal injury attorney, Kirk Bernard is also a member of ATLA, the Consumer Attorney’s Association, and an eagle member of the Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.



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Delicious Chocolate Recipes:

Scrumptious Chocolate Fillings, Candies, and more:

Icing can be formed into shapes such as flowers and leaves using a pastry bag. A pastry bag is an often cone- or triangular-shaped, hand-held bag made from cloth, paper, or plastic that is used to pipe semi-solid foods by pressing them through a narrow opening at one end. Aside from icings and frostings, pastry bags are commonly used to shape meringue and whipped cream, and to fill doughnuts with jelly or vanilla custard. Using icing to decorate cakes is commonly used with wedding cakes, anniversary cakes and birthday cakes.

Chocolate Whip

Put milk, chocolate and salt in double-boiler; mix cornstarch in a small quantity of cold milk, and stir into the hot milk when the chocolate has been melted; stir until smooth, then cook twelve minutes. Mix together the yolks of the eggs and sugar, then pour the hot mixture over it; cook again one or two minutes, stirring. When very cold, just before serving, add the vanilla and fold in the stiffly beaten whites of the eggs. Pile lightly in a glass dish and serve with lady fingers. A meringue can be made of the whites of the eggs and sugar, then folded in the chocolate mixture, but it does not stand as long.

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