Adjust your speed to the winter weather. Whether it’s raining, snowing or icy outside, even going at the speed limit can be hazardous. Vehicles require a longer stopping distance in bad weather, and according to idrivesafely.com, slow, cautious braking, cornering and accelerating and avoiding black ice can help get you to your destination safely.
Recovering Compensation After an Injury Accident on Winter Roads
Those who live in and around Washington, D.C. know that winter weather combined with heavy traffic can make driving quickly turn into a nightmare. A few years ago, a mere inch of snow that happened to fall during rush hour turned the entire area into a skating rink of crashing cars when the roadways turned into ice. Some people stayed all night in their vehicles, while others just abandoned theirs and headed on foot toward the nearest hotel. Hundreds of accidents occurred.
Roeser Law Firm – Serving the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area
If you are injured in a traffic collision during the winter weather in Washington, D.C., you can go outside a claim made with your own insurance carrier if your medical costs and lost wages exceed your PIP policy or you’ve suffered scarring or an injury expected to last at least 180 days. The Roeser Law Firm is here to offer you a free, no-obligation consultation on whether you can file a claim to recover the compensation that you deserve. Contact me at (202) 660-4070, and I can answer your questions, review your claim and tell you how you can recover compensation.
Protecting Yourself from Accidents on Washington, D.C. Winter Roads
Negligent drivers cause most accidents, whether it’s due to speeding, distracted driving or for other reasons. Although not all accidents are avoidable, there are things a motorist in the metropolitan area can do to help avoid the risk of a serious injury collision. The following reminders might help:
- Adjust your speed to the winter weather. Whether it’s raining, snowing or icy outside, even going at the speed limit can be hazardous. Vehicles require a longer stopping distance in bad weather, and according to idrivesafely.com, slow, cautious braking, cornering and accelerating and avoiding black ice can help get you to your destination safely.
- Be careful to avoid fishtailing. Fishtailing or hydroplaning occurs when the front wheels lock and the rear wheels spin out of control. By adding weight to the trunk of a front-engine vehicle, it can improve the tires’ grip on the roadway. Whenever possible, drive in the tracks left by other vehicles.
- Check your vehicle’s maintenance when you hear about a winter weather storm coming your way, especially your tires. This can be a good time to replace those old, worn tires because they are more likely to cause a spin-out. Proper inflation to the manufacturer’s recommendations is important too.
- Check your windshield wipers, battery and coolant and fill up your gas tank.
- Plan to take longer to reach your destination. When winter weather is upon us, the rain starts pouring or snow is falling, it can take a lot longer than usual to reach our places of work or our homes when the day is done. Take into account that it will take longer and plan accordingly.
Roeser Law Firm
If you were injured by a negligent driver, you may be able to place a claim for compensation to recover your medical costs and other losses. Contact the Roeser Law Firm at (202) 662-4070, and we will set up a free consultation to review your claim. You can also contact us online.
