As the kids get out of school and families make vacation plans, the number of miles of California roadways covered by San Francisco drivers and others throughout the Bay Area will continue to rise dramatically. While summer is a time for family outings and vacations, this increased driving also means more car accidents. The period from Memorial Day to Labor Day is one of the most dangerous for drivers. There are a number of factors that contribute to the heightened risk of being involved in a Bay Area car accident during the summer, including more teen drivers on the road, tourist unfamiliar with the area, more total miles traveled by drivers and increased traffic congestion just to name a few factors.
Despite the increased risk of being involved in a car accident in San Francisco during the summer months, there are steps that driver’s can take to reduce this risk, including the following:
- Adjust your driving to weather conditions, road conditions and visibility
- Keep your vehicle well maintained
- Focus on the road rather than using your cell phone
- Determine your route before leaving home as opposed to trying to study a GPS device while driving
- Ignore aggressive drivers as opposed to retaliating or responding
- Comply with the two-second rule when following another vehicle and obey the speed limit
- Never drive if you have been drinking or have consumed medications
- Do not drive when you are drowsy from lack of sleep
- Pay especially careful attention at intersections or other high density pedestrian traffic areas
If you are involved in an auto collision while driving in San Francisco, you should stop and exchange insurance and driver’s license information. If you or anyone else suffers any form of injury, you should summon the police and seek medical attention. The evidence to establish fault or causation in a San Francisco car accident can easily disappear. If you seek medical attention, preserve any parts that break off your vehicle, and take pictures of the accident scene, you typically will strengthen your auto accident claim. It is important to seek prompt legal advice from an experienced San Francisco auto accident lawyer and avoid any communication with the insurance carrier for the other driver.
Contact Us For Your Free Consultation
If you or someone you love is injured or a loved one dies because of a negligent driver, we invite you to contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman offers a free initial consultation so that we can assess your case. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.