Staying Safe on The Roadways
According to the National Safety Council, there is an estimated 40,000 roadway deaths per year. If you drive for your line of work, there are somethings that you can do to help prevent injury while on the job, as well as strengthen your case if you are injured on the job. If you are injured, reach out to your personal Denver injury attorney. With that in mind, here are some of our tips to driving safely, and strengthen your case if you are injured.
Safe driving tips might be common sense to most, but if you aren’t following any of the below you might not have a case if something happens while you are working. You should always stay safe while driving, but when behind the wheel we do have some general recommendations that seem to be forgotten.
Obey all speed limits and signs
While this is a common one, it is also one that we seen is consistently disobeyed. When driving for work always abide by speed limits and be careful when obeying traffic symbols and signs. If you disregard speed limits or signs, your employer could cite this as the cause for an accident and avoid any liability.
Never drive under the influence
Driving under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs is never a good idea and it is of course illegal. While driving in general, you should never drive under the influence. Another thing to consider is if you are on any medications. Check with a doctor before taking prescription medication, if your medication is going to cause drowsiness you should avoid taking it while on the job.
Safety First
Always wear your seatbelt while driving, and before driving do a safety check. Are all your mirrors in the right place, are there air in your tires? While these are basic, you’ll need to make sure you abide by all of these to ensure that you are not only safe, but if something does happen you’ll be legally protected as well.
Defensive driving
Defensive driving goes hand in hand with our safety first recommendation. When practicing defensive driving you should always expect the unexpected and be aware of what others are doing around you. Not only will this help keep you safe, but it could lead to you seeing things that might help you in a case. Always keep a 2-second distance between you and the car in front of you, it’ll give you time to react in the instance of an emergency.
Driving alone
This final tip is specifically related to driving for work, and oftentimes your employer will have something documenting this. If your line of work does not require children or others to be present in the car, avoid having others with you. Having others present in the car, especially children, might cause a distraction and keep you from fully focusing on driving. Something you want to avoid if working, or hoping to stay as safe as possible while on the job. Your employer can use having others in the car as evidence of distracted driving in the case of a lawsuit.
If you’ve stayed safe while on the job, abided by all road rules and procedures, but were still in a traffic accident it is possible you could have a case. However, your employer does have legal responsibilities to ensure your safety while you are driving for work and if they’ve failed at any of them you might have a case. When thinking about moving forward with a case, there are some things you should consider.
Company Policy
Does your employer have a company policy when it comes to driving? If your company does not have a policy, or has failed to communicate that policy effectively you might have a case. Companies should communicate safety rules and regulations consistently, efficiently, and often with employees. Company policies should include safe driving rules/regulations, policies in case you are in an accident, and helpful contact information. This is not a complete and exhaustive list of everything that should be included, but it is a good starting point.
Check Company History
Does your employer have a history of employee accidents? Check to see how many accidents your company’s employees have had, and have any of them filed suit. If you discover many employees have filed suit against your company, and won, you should each out to a Denver personal injury attorney.
What Were You Doing?
What were you doing at the time of the accident? Be honest with yourself on this one. If you were texting and driving you are not going to win a case. If you were safely driving and something still happens you might have a case, but contact your Denver personal injury attorney to discuss.
Does Your Company Have Insurance?
This is an extremely important question to ask and one that will be very telling on how professional and prepared your employer is. If your company does not have insurance, that could be indicative of a larger problem.
If you have evaluated your options and believe you might have a case, contact a Denver personal attorney. Mark A. Simon is a Denver attorney who will fight tirelessly for your rights and ensure that you receive the highest possible settlement for each individual case. He will begin the investigation process immediately, ensuring you receive the best representation possible. If you are in the Denver metro area and require legal help or assistance, contact him to discuss your legal options during a free consultation.