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The large majority of us will be lucky enough to go through life without ever coming close to a serious car accident. However, these things can and do happen, and it can really pay off to be familiar with some of the major risk factors involved in crashes. Once you’ve been driving for a few years, it can be easy to slip into a state of apathy, and forget all about some very serious hazards…
Speeding
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You’ve almost certainly seen a speed freak tear past you on the highway from time to time, and may have even been one yourself occasionally. A lot of drivers, feeling way too confident in their abilities, will totally overlook the speed limit, and break it by ten, twenty, or even thirty miles per hour! Your speed will make it much harder to react to the conditions around you, and significantly increase your odds of getting involved in an accident. Make sure you’re paying attention to the speed limit, and sticking to it religiously. Just a few seconds can make all the difference when you need to avoid a collision.
Distracted Driving
This is one of the biggest dangers facing modern drivers today, especially as so many people overlook it! When you’re driving, reaching out for some food, replying to a message on your phone, or even getting too wrapped up in a conversation can increase your risk of a crash massively. Talk to any truck accident lawyer, and they’ll tell you that a massive proportion of the cases they have to deal with could have been prevented if one of the drivers hadn’t been distracted. Whenever you set off in your car, make sure you eliminate any kind of distractions that could pose a risk.
Reckless Driving
Although this is a term that’s thrown around by law enforcement all over the world, it’s a pretty broad one that can cover a lot of things. Reckless driving is any instance of a driver neglecting the kind of care they need to exercise at the wheel, and ignoring the traffic conditions around them. Speeding, changing lanes too abruptly, and tailgating are all examples of reckless driving. This kind of behaviour is usually rooted in road rage and impatience. If you bring an attitude out on the road with you, try to work on it!
Catching the Light
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Red means stop, green means go. Although this is so simple a child can grasp it, a lot of drivers try to save themselves a few milliseconds by stepping on the gas and trying to catch a green light before it turns red. You may be able to get away with this unscathed hundreds or even thousands of times. However, when your luck runs out, the consequences can be dire. Drivers who run red lights at intersections are often the cause of side-on collisions or “T-bones”, which are one of the most dangerous forms of collision that can happen between two vehicles. If you’ve got enough distance to stop safely, then do it!
Actress Lindsay Lohan has accepted a plea deal in a misdemeanor car crash case that includes 90 days in a rehabilitation facility.
The star pleaded no contest Monday to reckless driving, lying to police and obstructing officers who were investigating the accident involving her in June last year.
A judge says Lindsay Lohan will be sentenced to 90 days in rehab, 30 days of community labor and 18 months of psychological therapy.
She was on probation when her sports car crashed on Pacific Coast Highway while on her way to a film shoot.
The deal followed over two hours of talks behind closed doors in the judge’s chambers between her legal team and prosecutors.A mandatory sentence of five days in jail will be included in her rehab stay, which she will be able to complete in her native New York.
Lindsay Lohan was also found in violation of her probation in a 2011 necklace theft and sentenced to 180 days in jail.
However, she will be able to avoid jail time if she complies with the conditions of her plea deal.
A newly-released booking photo of Nick Gordon, Bobbi Kristina Brown’s “adopted brother”, shows him smiling following his arrest for reckless driving.
Nick Gordon, 23, who was informally adopted by Bobbi Kristina’s mother Whitney Houston, was booked at Georgia’s Alpharetta City Jail on Wednesday night after he was clocked driving 82 mph in a 35 mph zone.
A police report indicates Nick Gordon has been ordered to appear in court on the charge.
Alpharetta Public Information Officer George Gordon confirms the incident occurred on Wednesday night at approximately 6:39 p.m.
Nick Gordon was driving a Gray Chevrolet Camaro on North Point Parkway, an affluent area known to have a high volume of pedestrian traffic.
He was cited for reckless driving and speeding and transported to the North Fulton Alpharetta jail Annex.
Police say an “acquaintance” of Nick Gordon was allowed to come to the scene and take custody of the vehicle. That person’s identity has not been released.
Nick Gordon’s court appearance is scheduled for February 12, 2013 at 9am.
It is his first reckless driving offense.
His arrest comes hours after Bobbi Kristina Brown totaled her Chevrolet Camaro near their Georgia home.
A newly-released booking photo of Nick Gordon shows him smiling following his arrest for reckless driving
Bobbi Kristina Brown, 19, daughter of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston, was not injured after wrecking her Chevrolet Camaro while driving in Alpharetta, Georgia on Wednesday.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ a good Samaritan saw the vehicle totaled in an embankment and called 911.
According to the website, Bobbi Kristina Brown was standing next to her car when emergency personnel arrived.
Investigators believe Bobbi Kristina Brown lost control of the vehicle while making a left turn out of her apartment complex, driving over a curb and hitting several small trees before stopping at a local park trail in the city, located about 26 miles north of Atlanta.
She was reportedly issued a traffic citation for “failure to maintain lane”.
Police do not believe drugs or alcohol were a factor.
The accident follows two months after she was involved in a car crash with Nick Gordon and just a few weeks after she struck his repaired sports car in a parking lot at their home.
Bobbi Kristina Brown was a passenger in Nick Gordon’s black 2012 Camaro when it was severely damaged on September 26.
According to TMZ, the couple had been arguing at the time of the crash – which destroyed the entire front end of the vehicle.
Nick Gordon’s Camaro was the only car involved. No one was injured.
And earlier this month Bobbi Kristina Brown accidentally struck Nick Gordon’s car with her own vehicle in the parking garage of the apartment complex, causing severe damage to the front of his sports car.
Bobbi Kristina Brown had followed Nick Gordon back to their apartment in her own Camaro and as she tried to back into the parking space next to his, she struck his vehicle.
