A new year means new opportunity. This year, nearly sixty percent of Americans will make a New Year’s resolution. From weight loss, to improving their careers—everyone has something that is important to them. At GLS Injury Law we see some of the most devastating consequences of bad decision making. So, as you set your New Year’s resolution this year, or if you might consider adding another to your list—we’d like to offer some suggestions.
- Avoid Distracted Driving
- Control Your Speed
- Have a Plan When Socializing
- Prevent Home Falls
Avoid Distracted Driving
Last year, an estimated 38,800 people lost their lives in car crashes in the United States. This number represents a 14 percent increase in the number of deaths from just four years ago. In addition to the fatalities, approximately 4.5 million people were seriously injured in traffic accidents. The National Safety Council indicates distracted and drowsy driving continue to be leading factors in these accidents.
- At any given time throughout the day, approximately 660,000 drivers are attempting to use their phones while behind the wheel.
- Cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes a year.
- 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving.
- Texting while driving accidents occur at a rate of six times as much as accidents that involve drunk driving.
- Answering a text takes about five seconds on average. Traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to travel the length of a football field.
This new year, we encourage everyone to come up with a plan to do away with this extremely negligent act. Use a dash mount for your phone and connect your phone to a Bluetooth device if possible, to encourage hands-free driving. Avoid eating, drinking, and applying makeup while behind the wheel.
Limit your attention to passengers. Passengers are a serious distraction, especially for younger drivers. Take every measure you can to keep your attention on the road. Always stay focused. Driving while tired, fatigued, and medicated can also lead to serious accidents.
Control Your Speed
Speeding is one of the biggest contributors to car accidents; whether it is a driver being rear-ended or an accident that happened after someone sped through a red light. Speeding is extremely dangerous, and it can easily be controlled. Do your part this year and make a commitment to ease off the pedal and give yourself extra time to get to your destination.
Have A Plan When Socializing
This is always important, but especially important to remind everyone of this around the holidays when people are gathering with friends and family. Knowing ahead of time what your plans are for getting home can go a long way in preventing a reckless decision once alcohol has started to affect your inhibitions.
It’s an alarming statistic, but important to point out—every 50 minutes a person dies because of driving under the influence of alcohol. So please, this new year, have a plan. Assign a designated sober driver or consider a cab service like Lyft or Uber if you do decide to join others at a home celebration. This seemingly small decision can completely alter the course of your life and the lives of people around you!
Prevent Home Falls
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in four individuals ages 64 and older are at high risk of falling and getting hurt. In fact, one in four of these individuals are likely to fall each year. Nearly 800,000 people are seen in hospitals each year due to falls, including 300,000 that led to hip fractures. With these statistics in mind, here are some steps to minimize the risks of falls at home, especially for older adults:
- Install mounted guard rails on stairs, tubs, and near the toilet if necessary
- Get rid of rugs that slip, or add a rug slip pad below
- Make sure there is proper lighting throughout the house
- Remove clutter around stairways, main entryways or exit areas
These are some simple steps that can go a long way when it comes to avoiding a lifetime of pain and injuries that could be catastrophic to you and your entire family. As you and your family are setting your New Year’s resolutions this year, please consider adding these to your list. They are simple acts that could save many lives.
Contact Trustworthy Attorneys at GLS Injury Law
Even when taking every precaution, accidents happen. Many times, unfortunately, our best efforts to not get hurt are fruitless due to the negligence of others. If you get hurt on the job, at home, at a business, or on the road in 2021, you should always exercise your right to seek compensation through a personal injury and/or workers’ compensation claim.
Our personal injury and auto accident attorneys aggressively fight for the rights of their clients and have won more than 99% of their cases. If you or someone you know has been injured and it’s someone else’s fault, give us a call. Our experienced attorneys will hold the at-fault parties accountable, helping you secure maximum compensation. We have earned more than $117,000,000 in settlements for our clients and we can help you too. Just Call Georgelis First at 717-394-3004.
