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MINNEAPOLIS CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS – DANGERS OF DRIVING IN RAIN.

From left to right: Attorneys Stephanie Schommer, Dean Salita, Doug Schmidt, Mary Beth Boyce and Josh Laabs.

 

MINNEAPOLIS ACCIDENT & INJURY LAWYERS – SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS

Car accidents are a leading cause of personal injury. People in Minnesota spend a significant part of their lives in cars, trucks, buses, vans and on motorcycles. Collisions can cause serious and permanent injury and disability. Most, if not all, car accidents are totally preventable.

The lawyers and paralegal assistants on the Schmidt Salita Law Team are committed to bringing justice to the victims of motor vehicle collisions in Minnesota, whether it’s a car accident, a trucking accident, a motorcycle accident, a car-bicycle collision or a car-pedestrian incident. They have witnessed, first-hand, the devastating effects of the injuries and disabilities resulting from motor vehicle collision.

They know that Minnesota drivers understand the simple concept that driving in ice and snow is more hazardous than normal because of reduced braking and stopping distance, reduced steering capabilities, and reduced visibility.

They are not so convinced that Minnesota drivers understand and appreciate the hazard of driving in rainy conditions with wet highway surfaces. Accordingly, please read these safety tips from verified experts regarding safe driving practices in rainy weather with water covered road surfaces.

 

Driving in Heavy Rain Can Be More Hazardous Than Driving in Heavy Snowing Conditions.

When it comes to weather conditions, most Minnesota drivers do not appreciate the simple facts. Reliable statistics prove that driving in rain is actually more dangerous than driving on a snowing day, according to certified experts. There is good reason to support that notion.

– According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the odds of a car crash are higher when rain is falling and the pavement is wet, than during a wintery day with conditions of snow or ice and sleet.

-Using 10 years of traffic crash statistics, the NHTSA research team compiled statistics indicating that there are more accidents during rain than when it is snowing or sleeting. (Some of this difference can be explained by the fact that drivers tend to stay home more during a snowstorm than during a rain, according to an expert at the National Safety Council.)

-Most drivers do not appreciate the hazards of driving in the rain – and certainly not as much as they appreciate the hazards of driving in the snow.

Safety Tips For Driving in Rainy Conditions.

The personal injury and wrongful death lawyers at the Schmidt Salita Law Team offer the following suggestions to increase safety and reduce the odds of a motor vehicle crash or collision while driving in the rain:

  1. Make sure you have good tires. Make sure that you have more than 4/32 of an inch of tread. The NHTSA considers tires with 2/32 of an inch of tread to be unsafe. We recommend that you should replace your tires before they reach that condition.
  2. Maintain proper tire pressure. Check your tire pressure once a month using a tire gauge.
  3. Make sure you have good windshield wipers. Poor windshield wipers can significantly reduce your visibility, which is even more important when rainfall is already reducing visibility.
  4. Make sure that you have proper lights. Check to be sure that headlights, taillights, brake lights and turn signals are all working properly – and are clean. Dirty headlights can reduce lumination as much as 80-90%.
  5. Use headlights at all times, especially during rain to boost the visibility of your vehicle to others.
  6. Slow down and drive at a safe speed during rainy conditions. When road surfaces are wet, the braking capacity of your vehicle is reduced and the stopping distance can be greatly increased. Some driving experts recommend that motorists reduce their speed by about 1/3 when road surfaces are wet from rain.
  7. Don’t tailgate. That is always a good rule, but even more important when it is raining. The old-fashioned rule of maintaining a certain car-length distance between your car and the car ahead is no longer an accepted standard. The recommended safe distance depends on speed. Accordingly, in dry conditions, it is recommended that you stay 3-4 seconds behind the vehicle ahead. If its raining, you should add more time, staying about 5 seconds behind.  If it’s raining and you are driving at night, you should aim to be 6 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you.
  8. Don’t use cruise control when it’s raining. Even adaptive cruise control, which is an advanced version of cruise control and maintains a set speed and a safe following distance, is not recommended during rainy weather, according to one expert.
Driving in the rain is a dangerous situation. You can lower the risk of injury to yourself and others by adhering to the recommendations in this article.

Minnesota is a No-Fault state. The “at-fault” driver remains legally responsible for negligent driving behavior which causes a car accident and personal injury. No-Fault insurance covers the basic medical expenses or other health care expenses, wage losses and replacement services losses. After that, the “at-fault” law kicks in and requires the “at-fault” driver’s insurance company to pay reasonable damages caused by the negligence of the at-fault driver.

The lawyers and paralegal assistants in the Schmidt Salita Law Team hope that you don’t encounter a personal injury or wrongful death as the result of any motor vehicle collision, whether in rainy conditions, ice and snow conditions, or normal weather conditions. But if you do, we want to help you to achieve a full measure of justice.

The Schmidt Salita Law Team has over 70 years of experience, as a 5 Star Rated law firm, in bringing justice to the victims of personal injury and wrongful death. They provide high quality legal services to the entire State of Minnesota, including the entire metropolitan area of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the surrounding areas of Minnetonka, Hopkins, Golden Valley, Wayzata, Maple Grove, Orono, Osseo, Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Anoka, Blaine, Shoreview, Shorewood, Eden Prairie, Bloomington, Carver, Chanhassen, Savage and Shakopee.

 

The Schmidt Salita Team Offers Contingent Fee Arrangements.

The firm offers contingent fee agreements (You don’t pay lawyers fees until you collect and then only as a percentage of the settlement). The Team also offers home and hospital visits to clients whose injuries present difficulty in coming to the office. One of our certified attorneys can meet you where you are.

“PERSONAL INJURY LEGAL SERVICES WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH!”

The Schmidt Salita Law Team has locations throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as Minnetonka, Maple Grove, Plymouth, Osseo, Anoka, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Center, Fridley, Blaine, Shoreview, Woodbury, Falcon Heights, Columbia Park, Stillwater, Hastings, Inver Grove, Cottage Grove, South St. Paul, Apple Valley, Eagan, Burnsville, Savage, Shakopee, Richfield, Bloomington, Chaska, Chanhassen, Edina, Eden Prairie, and Hopkins.