Safety Information

The lawyers at JBGD&K are constantly reminded how an accident or an injury can permanently change someone’s life. We believe our clients are better off if the accident or injury never happens in the first place. Monetary compensation is all that can be offered when someone is permanently injured – but it is a poor substitute for a healthy, normal life.

Injuries in motor vehicle accidents can be reduced – and sometimes prevented completely – by some very simple safety measures. Please buckle up, seat belt your children, and drive carefully.

Seat Belts.

If you are in a serious accident, a seat belt could save your life. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that adult lap and shoulder safety belts, when properly used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. In addition, they are required by Connecticut law.

Many injuries or deaths occur during what is called “the human collision” - that is when a person inside the car collides with:

the steering wheel

the dashboard

the windshield and frame

a door

a window

a roof

other passengers.

A safety belt stops this collision by holding you in place. Seat belts also keep you inside the car. A person is 25 times more likely to be killed or injured if they are thrown from the car.

Safety belts also spread out the impact of a crash. They stop you from moving after the car has stopped, and they spread the force of the impact over the strongest parts of your body – your hips and shoulders.

In Connecticut, all drivers and front-seat passengers must wear seatbelts.

Children must ride in a proper child restraint until they are over 6 years of age and 60 pounds. (Both the age and weight requirements must be met.) After children outgrow their car seat, they must ride in a booster seat using a lap and shoulder belt. The law also now requires that infants remain rear-facing until they are 1 year of age and 20 pounds. Children must wear a safety belt in the back seat through the age of 16. This information and more concerning vehicle safety is available at www.ct.gov/dot under the “safety” heading.

Restricted Cell Phone Use – or None at All.

Research shows that using a cell phone while driving substantially increases collision risk. Interestingly, incoming calls cause a high percentage of cell phone related crashes. If you must use a cell phone in the car, please consider the following safety tips:

1. Don’t place calls while moving. Pull over and turn on your hazard lights before dialing.
   
   
2. If you must use your phone in traffic use a hands-free device so both hands can stay on the wheel.
   
   
3. Realize that you will be distracted every time you use the phone. Adjust your driving according.
   
   
4. Avoid emotional or complex phone calls. Keep it short.
   
   
5. Never take notes or look up phone numbers.

Last October, the Connecticut legislature passed a law restricting drivers’ use of cell phones. The law requires that drivers 18 years of age and older need to use a hands-free accessory in order to legally use a cellular telephone or other mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers who are 16 or 17 years of age may not use any type of cell phone or mobile electronic device, even with a hands-free accessory. The one exception to this law is that a cell phone or mobile electronic device may be used by a driver of any age in an emergency situation, so go ahead and use your phone while driving for emergency calls to 911, a hospital, a doctor's office, a health clinic, an ambulance company, or a fire or police department. (For purposes of the law, a mobile electronic device is defined as any hand-held or other portable electronic equipment capable of providing data communication between two or more people, including devices for text messaging or paging, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, video games, DVD players or equipment on which digital photographs can be taken or transmitted.) Chief State’s Attorney Christopher L. Morano said, "The purpose of this law is to promote safety on our highways."

Avoiding Impaired Driving.

Alcohol changes the way a person thinks, affects judgment, slows reaction, and interferes with coordination. By drinking alcohol and/or taking drugs and then getting behind the wheel of a vehicle, the impaired driver is only asking for trouble--for themselves and anyone who crosses their path. Driving safely requires a combination of concentration and motor skills, a great deal of common sense, a courteous attitude, and a concern for the safety of everyone on the road. Safe driving requires a steady hand, a clear head and an observant eye.

Antihistamines and a variety of other medications can affect the mental and physical skills needed for safe driving--even some over-the-counter medicines can affect driving. The effects of a drug vary significantly from one individual to the next, and may even vary in the same individual at different times. The driver's age, weight, emotional state, the amount of the drug and when it was taken, are all factors which influence the ability to drive safely. Read drug labels carefully and err on the side of caution when deciding whether to get behind the wheel.

In Connecticut, if you are 21 years of age or over, you are considered to be legally intoxicated if you have a BAC (blood alcohol concentration) of .08 or higher. If you are under age 21 you are legally intoxicated at a .02 BAC or higher. Since driving is considered a privilege in Connecticut, under Connecticut’s "Implied Consent Law", any person who operates a motor vehicle is presumed to have given their consent to a test to determine BAC. In Connecticut, driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DUI) is a criminal offence. This offence may be prosecuted with or without any direct evidence of a person’s BAC. The determining factor is whether the person’s ability to operate has been impaired