It's difficult to tell an elderly loved one that they need to stop driving. However, it may also be impossible to avoid.
If you need to have this conversation for their own safety -- and that of others on the road -- it can help to provide specific examples of why you think that they should stop. Don't just note that it's common at their age. They're likely to say that they can still drive safely, even if others cannot.
Many people assume that the danger of speeding comes from the fact that it's harder to control the car. They could lose control, spin out, and crash into someone else or a stationary object on the side of the road.
Ironically, this is why some people feel safe speeding. They can feel that they are still in control of the car. Maybe they're experienced speeders who do it all the time. They're not worried about causing an accident, so they think it's safe enough to speed.
In some ways, riding your motorcycle in the autumn is even better than riding it in the summer. You get cooler temperatures, which can be nice when wearing leather or a protective suit. You get the beautiful leaves in Pennsylvania, which can be reason enough to go for a ride as they change colors. It's a wonderful time of year.
However, riding in the fall does come with some new hazards. First and foremost, the days are getting shorter. Rides that would have been well-lit in the summer are now done at dusk or even in the dark. This changes your visibility, making it harder for other drivers to see you, and could lead to an accident.
Riding a motorcycle at night can feel fun and exhilarating if you're just going out for the enjoyment of the ride. During the hot days of the summer, it can also be a way to take advantage of the cooler temps; you're going to get hot riding at noon in a leather jacket and a helmet. And, for those who use a motorcycle as their main means of transportation, night riding may just be unavoidable.
That said, night riding does come with its own challenges and accident risks. Here are five things you should know:
For far too many people, car accidents can have lasting effects. Even if people do not suffer severe physical injuries, they can still sustain mental or emotional trauma that affects them for an extended period of time. Though you may have hoped to avoid involvement in this type of incident, you, like many other Pennsylvania residents, were not so lucky.
Most people find themselves involved in a car accident at some point. While some of those incidents may be minor, others are severe. You may have recently suffered serious injuries in a car crash and wonder how these injuries will affect you in the long term.
Car accidents clearly affect your life from the moment they happen. This is true even when just your car is damaged, but especially so when you suffer injuries. You may need to spend time in the hospital recovering and healing. Even after getting released, you may need more recovery time at home. It only takes a split second for another driver to cause a crash, but you could be paying for it for weeks.
But what if your injuries are more than a short-term issue? What if that car accident causes you to lose your job?
When you see a semitruck go around a corner and roll, what is your first thought? Do you assume that the driver must have been going too fast?
This type of accident is very dangerous, especially for those who may be riding next to the truck on the road. A semi can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds and can crush other vehicles in a second. It is true that some of these accidents happen when drivers are speeding, but that's not the only reason.
Have you ever heard someone complain that "they just don't make cars like they used to"? Odds are, that person was involved in a minor accident. They may be frustrated by the way their new car seemed to take a lot of damage in the crash, and they may be complaining that a car they had back in the '70s would have simply had a few scratches and been fine.
The reason for this, in many cases, is that modern cars have crumple zones. However, this doesn't mean that they're worse. They're actually far better. These crumple zones increase safety on the road by a wide margin.
If you want to avoid car accidents this year -- as we all do -- you need to know what steps to take. Too many people seem to just hope that they don't get hit by attempting to generally follow the traffic laws, rather than taking active steps to avoid a crash. That's often not enough. They get hit by other drivers or cause accidents themselves.
To help you take that more active role, here are a few mistakes you should strive to avoid:
The first thing that you often hear about motorcycle accidents is just how likely they are to be fatal. The death rate is much higher than it is for those in car accidents. This is true.
However, that doesn't mean that there is nothing you can do to prevent such an outcome. In reality, most motorcyclists who get into accidents live through those accidents. One man survived two of them, and he offered up some survival tips afterward. They include:
Law Offices of Edward P. Shaughnessy
731 Lehigh Street
Easton,
PA
18042
Toll Free:
877-245-0251
Phone:
610-365-7892
Fax:
610-258-9498
Easton Law Office Map
20 East Broad Street
Bethlehem,
PA
18018
Toll Free:
877-245-0251
Phone:
610-365-7892
Fax:
610-258-9498
Bethlehem Law Office Map
