Conversations about car accidents usually revolve around distracted driving or drunk driving, but what about drowsy driving? Fatigue and exhaustion behind the wheel can be just as dangerous as distractions and intoxication. Considering that when you’re sleepy and trying to do any other task it can be more difficult to concentrate, the same thing happens when you’re behind the wheel, and it’s incredibly more dangerous.

We’ve known the rules since childhood—red means stop and green means go. Yellow means the light is about to turn red. But what does a flashing yellow light mean? According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, a flashing yellow traffic light at an intersection means you should slow down and proceed with caution. Drivers facing a flashing yellow light are permitted by law to proceed through the intersection without stopping. But defensive driving is good practice, especially in situations like these when other drivers can’t always be trusted to adhere to traffic safety rules.

Car accidents happen every hour of every day in the United States. Many of them are fatal. According to the National Safety Council, over 40,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents in 2020. In Maryland alone, we see more than our share of car accidents—both fatal and non-fatal.

When you’re driving, you expect the road to be in good condition so that you don’t have any unexpected problems. But roads aren’t always properly maintained, or sometimes other factors have caused wear and poor conditions, like bad weather. These poor road conditions could lead to serious accidents.

Work-related injuries sustained outside the tangible boundaries of what was once considered the traditional office has become an increasingly hot topic within workers’ compensation law. As kitchen tables, parking lots, and laundry rooms across the country have been transformed into working spaces, employees in Maryland have rightly begun to wonder what happens when you are injured while working remotely.

Although it is well-known that drunk and impaired driving causes thousands of unnecessary deaths and injuries each year, many people still choose to ignore the consequences and get behind the wheel when they are unfit to drive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), roughly 28 people die every day in the U.S. in crashes involving drunk drivers. And in the state of Maryland alone, the statistics are tragically high. State law makes it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content (BAC) at or above 0.08%, and there is a zero-tolerance policy for drivers under the age of 21. However, between 2009 and 2018, there were 1,515 people killed in crashes involving an alcohol-impaired driver in Maryland.

In the United States, unlike many parts of the world, civil and criminal cases are handled under two separate and distinct areas of jurisdiction. Civil laws are in place to resolve disputes between individual parties, while criminal law deals with offenses that have occurred against the government or state. The type of law that applies to a situation depends on the circumstances. Knowledge of the difference between civil and criminal jurisdiction will help you know how to proceed, should you face a situation which calls for legal action. It is always beneficial to seek the guidance of an accomplished personal injury lawyer if you are unsure whether your situation falls under civil or criminal jurisdiction.

Substantial research has shown that cell phone use while driving is one of the leading causes of accidents on the road. Some studies have even concluded that the impairments associated with mobile phone use behind the wheel can be as extreme as those associated with drunk driving. Drivers who neglect their duty to keep themselves and others safe on the road put everyone at risk. In the state of Maryland, it is illegal to use a handheld phone while driving.

According to research conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), crashes involving stopped or disabled vehicles have been responsible for hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries over the past several years. Today, on average, 300 people are killed each year as a result of stopped-vehicle accidents. This statistic is particularly alarming in light of the fact that there has been an over 25% increase in stopped-vehicle accident-related deaths since 2014.

When you are injured on the job, your medical information becomes legal evidence. One of the most important aspects of your workers’ compensation case is making sure that your injury is clearly and accurately documented in your medical records. Workers’ compensation exists in order to provide much-needed benefit to employees who experience injuries or diseases directly related to their work. But if your medical records, a key component of your case, are not obtained or considered, you may suffer serious consequences. This may mean that you are not able to receive the best treatment options as recommended by your doctor, or that your claim may be denied.