Tomorrow is December 23.  For most people this is not a date that comes with great anticipation, but for Seinfeld fans we all know that December 23 is Festivus.  As Frank called it: “A Festivus for the rest of us.” 

The reason I bring this up is in the Seinfeld episode during the Festivus dinner you gather your family around and you tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year.  This is called the airing of grievances. 

So I thought I would air my grievances about Louisville drivers and how their actions can cause serious automobile accidents here in Kentucky.  Car accidents can have severe consequences and distracted driving is even worse during the holiday season. We all have our minds on other things.  Holiday road rage runs wild.  Here are a few of the grievances I have against some of those drivers that use the Louisville roadways:

            1. Bicyclists That Ignore the Law.    As I was riding to work this morning I got off the expressway at Jefferson Street.  As I was driving down Jefferson Street I saw someone riding their bike to work, which I commend.  The same laws of the road apply to bike riders as to cars.  This particular rider, during rush hour mind you, was riding the white line of a lane in between cars. He was only giving himself a foot on either side as he went down through the traffic.  This is just downright dumb.  I hope he made it to work.  The chances are if he continues this activity, he is going to be involved in a bicycle accident. He will be injured and have problems for the rest of his life.

            2. Texting and driving.  I had someone pull over into my lane as she was texting and had no idea that it even happened.  Get off the phone and concentrate on driving.  It’s very simple to do and it will save your life as well as others’ lives.  Is it worth being in an accident because you need to text, “Oh my gosh” to your girlfriend in the next 13 seconds?

            3. Using Two Lanes to Make a Turn. Stay in your lane. Don’t make a right turn by initiating your turn toward the left.  Stay in your lane.  You don’t have to veer to the left and into the other lane in order to make a right-hand turn.  You can do it within the lanes.  That’s why the lines are there.

            4. Tailgaters.  Get off the rear end of my car.  You’re not going to get there any quicker because you’re 5 feet off my bumper.  Be three car lengths back.  There is a reason this is recommended.  You’re reaction time is not good enough if I have to slam on the brakes for a deer.  You’re going to cause an accident and you’re going to hurt my back.  Back off.

            5. Icy Road Speeders. When the roads get wet and snowy, slow down.  There’s no reason to go 75 miles an hour in a 45 mile per hour zone weaving in and out traffic.  I know 95 percent of the road is okay, but if you hit that one spot at the wrong time you’re going to lose control and cause a serious car wreck.  You don’t need to be in an accident this time of year and neither do I.  Slow down, drive smart, don’t be an idiot.

            These are just five of my grievances I have to voice against Louisville drivers. I have many others. These are just some of the poor driving skills I’ve seen in the last few weeks.  I know I’m somewhat making light of this, but my point is if you are careful you can save yourself from being in an accident. You don’t have to be injured.  Christmas is a great time of year.  Let’s all drive smart and take care of ourselves and take care of other drivers on the road so that we can eliminate bicycle accidents, car accidents and truck accidents.  Have a safe and happy Festivus and let’s hope that there are no grievances to air about Louisville drivers and Kentucky car accidents in the coming year.

It’s that time of the year.  It’s cold outside.  The Christmas decorations are everywhere.  We are all eagerly anticipating the Christmas holiday.  Children are awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. Parents are heading to the stores trying to get that perfect gift. We have all seen “Jingle All the Way” with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad and Phil Hartman, and unfortunately that is the way the holidays make a lot of people act. Another thing that comes with the holiday season is downright stupid driving. 

I was driving down US 42 on the way to work and a car swerved over into my lane and almost ran me off the road.  I looked over only to see a teenage girl, texting on her phone, totally unaware that she had almost caused an accident.  I honked at her, which I probably shouldn’t have done. I then gave her the universal signal for “What were you thinking?” (Both hands extended in the air) She looked over at me with a puzzled look on her face and then went straight back to texting and driving.  She is a ticking time bomb; eventually she will be involved in an automobile accident. I hope no one is seriously injured.

I know inattentive driving is not limited to Christmas time. But this close call made me think that we need to be much more aware of what is happening on our roads in Louisville, Kentucky, in order to avoid an automobile accident.   There are always people that are not thinking clearly while they are driving. They text, eat, read, put on make up, and on and on. Distracted drivers are dangerous. You have seen this as you drive down the road.  I saw a bicycle on the road in this cold weather without any reflectors and the rider was dressed totally in black and it was night and pitch black.  I hope he made it home.  It would be a minor miracle. 

As we get closer and closer to Christmas, tempers are going to flare as shoppers are trying to get to the malls. We will all rush out to get that last minute gift. I urge everyone to be  extra careful during this time.  Be a little more cautious.  Take a little more time.  Try not to be in a hurry.  I know that this is a hard task, but we need to look out for the other car. If you don’t you are risking being in a serious auto accident.  You need to expect the unexpected.  Just because you have a green light does not mean the other person will be paying attention.  Look as you go through to make sure that the other person sees the red light.  You need to have your escape route planned.  Don’t let a car wreck destroy your Christmas holiday.  Be aware that people are not paying as much attention. You must pay twice as much attention to have a safe and accident free holiday season.

We have all seen the Television commercials where attorneys are offering quick settlements and checks to anyone that has been in an auto accident in the sate of Kentucky, or anywhere for that matter. There are attorneys morphing into tigers, swinging bats and talking to dogs. They are funny and give us a laugh until we realize this is all the information we have to make a decision on hiring an attorney if we have been injured in a car wreck. Lawyer advertising is uninformative and in my opinion a disgrace.

What does this tell you about the attorney and what they do to help accident victims? Not a thing, except we will get you the money you deserve. This is important but it isn’t the whole story. It doesn’t tell you what an attorney can do for you if you have been unfortunate enough to be a victim of an accident case.

When you have been in a car accident you have many questions and problems that you need help with. A personal injury attorney will help you solve these problems with very little involvement on the part of the accident victim so they can concentrate on going to the doctor and getting better.

A personal injury attorney will not only get you the recovery you deserve, but will:

• Educate you about the claims process
• Help you get your loss wages paid
• Help you get your medical bills paid
• Manage all the paper work that is accumulated
• Open the insurance claim and provide relevant information to the at-fault insurance company
• Speak with the insurance adjusters so the accident victim does not have to
• Prepare you when you do have to talk to the insurance adjuster
• Help you get your car fixed or settle for a fair amount if your car is totaled
• Take witness statements
• Sends notification to health insurance and settle those subrogation liens when appropriate
• Gather and review all medical records
• Gather and review all employment records
• Send a settlement demand tot eh insurance company and negotiate an settlement when [possible
• Confirm unpaid medical bills and negotiate a reduced payment
• Take your case to trial
• and be there to counsel you on many aspects of your accident case

Attorneys do a whole lot more than what Television advertisements lead you to believe. There is a whole other side to the practice of law that you can’t get from a commercial. Attorneys are there to protect your rights against the insurance company. They are there to make sure you are not taken advantage of. Lawyers counsel you during a very difficult and often tragic time in one’s life. It’s a lot more than a quick check. If you are in an accident and are injured your attorney is someone who will counsel, guide and fight for you.

As anyone knows a distracted driver is a dangerous driver. I would go as far to say that a distracted driver becomes very dangerous. Believe it or not, most of us are not very good at multi-tasking, especially when we are behind the wheel of a car. Driving is difficult enough, but when you drive and eat, put on make up, talk on the phone or text message you are putting yourself and everyone around you at risk. My old boss used to call cars missiles of destruction in his closing arguments. There is a lot of truth in that statement.

A study released by the National Safety Council last week tested 41 drivers ability to maneuver their cars while engaged in distracting activities, like doing mental math problems and answering questions. I would argue that this is far less distracting than eating a sandwich or putting on makeup, but guess what? They had problems keeping their car in the correct lane and they had a slower response time. Easier activities had almost the same affect as harder activities. The point being eating a sandwich may be as dangerous as text messaging. I find this hard to believe, but agree that any distraction can lower the reaction time and limit one’s ability to avoid an accident.

The point is concentrate on driving or you are going to hurt someone. A distraction is one of the items police look for in evaluating fault in a car wreck. Keep Kentucky roadways safe and accident free. Concentrate on driving and nothing else!