During the winter season, the days are shorter and the nights are longer. This means that many people commuting home from work do so only after the sun has set. Driving at night can be a challenge for all drivers.

Here are some tips to help you become a safe nighttime driver:

• Look out for pedestrians everywhere, at all times. Safety is a shared responsibility.
• Use extra caution when driving in hard-to-see conditions, such as at nighttime or in bad weather.
• Slow down and be prepared to stop when turning or approaching a crosswalk.
• Yield to pedestrians at crosswalks and stop far enough back from the crosswalk to give other vehicles an opportunity to stop safely as well.
• Never pass vehicles stopped at a crosswalk. There may be pedestrians crossing that you can’t see.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
• Follow the speed limit, especially in areas where there are people on the street.
• Follow slower speed limits in school zones and in neighborhoods where there are children present.
• Be extra cautious when backing up your vehicle – pedestrians can suddenly move into your path.
• Check all intersections carefully, watching for pedestrians.
• Increase the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. This allows for extra time and space if you need to suddenly react to a situation.
• Don’t drive if you are feeling drowsy.
• Focus on the road. Always leave your phone or any other hand-held electronic device alone while you’re driving.

Walking is a healthy way to get around, but unfortunately, pedestrian injuries are all too common. Poor  weather conditions, reckless driving, and unsafe road conditions can all lead to accidents that  injure pedestrians.

Mazin & Associates, PC, Personal Injury Lawyers handles personal injury claims ranging from car accidents, to slips and falls, and brain injury claims.  To arrange a free consultation with one of our car accident lawyers, call (416) 625-2122 or visit our website.

From car accident cases to slip and falls, you may have suffered an injury as a result of someone else’s negligence. Many people are reluctant to hire a lawyer for injuries that appear relatively minor in nature. In many circumstances, this could be a big mistake and you may lose valuable compensation.

Injury lawyers may assist you with your physical, psychological and financial recovery following an accident. Here are a few reasons why you might consider hiring a lawyer for seemingly minor injuries.

Your Injuries may Worsen:

What appears to at least initially be a minor injury may with time reveal a more serious or even permanent impairment. Furthermore, many injuries may not be immediately visible. You may feel additional or new symptoms, both physical and psychological, weeks or even months after the accident. As a result you may incur additional medical or rehabilitation expenses beyond what you initially anticipated. This is one of the most important reasons to talk to a personal injury lawyer as s/he will advise you to wait until you know the full extent of your injuries. This can also help you to determine the right time to accept a settlement offer for your claim.

Negotiating with Insurance Companies:

Another common reason why people do not hire a personal injury lawyer is because they believe that their insurance company is there to help them. But insurance companies are interested in minimizing payouts so that they can maximize their profit margins. It is important to understand that insurance companies, like many other corporations, respond to business incentives and in the case of a personal injury claim, these incentives are at odds with what the interest of the claimant or plaintiff. For this reason, it is critical that you retain a personal injury lawyer so that you can obtain fair compensation for your losses. It is important to have an experienced personal injury lawyer representing your best interests, who can negotiate strongly with insurance companies on your behalf.

Some people may not hire a lawyer for fear of paying large legal fees. But at Mazin & Associates, PC, Personal Injury Lawyers, we work on a contingency-fee basis. This means that you will not pay for any legal fees unless you win your case. To arrange a free consultation, call (416) 625-2122 or visit our website.

A dashboard camera is a camera that is placed on your wind shield or dashboard and is continuously recording everything that happens while you are driving your car. More advanced versions of the cameras can also record rear views; some are even equipped with infra-red sensors to enable recordings in the dark too. The main purpose of using this type of camera is to record exactly what happened in the event of a car accident.

When your car accident claim evolves into a full-blown dispute, dashboard cameras are becoming a popular way for careful drivers to verify that they were not at fault after an accident. Any video you provide must be of good enough quality to clearly show the third party. A dashboard camera can be a useful tool since it is sometimes difficult to explain or recall exactly what happened during the accident. A dashboard cam will be there to contribute to find out the truth. So, when an accident occurs, it may be easier for you to prove not only that the other person was at fault, but how he or she violated the law.

There are three organizations that would probably benefit the most from such a device being used by consumers: injured individuals, insurers and law enforcement. This is because a dash cam can greatly contribute to the resolution of traffic accidents and claims.

Some of the insurance companies have their own policies whether dashboard camera footage will even be considered, if at all. Some of the major insurance companies have yet to set an official policy regarding how they review and use dashboard camera footage. The insurance company could choose to consider it if they think it would help, but they are not always required to. However, Car Accident Lawyers, Mazin & Associates, PC would know how to evaluate such a video and determine if it can be made admissible. To find out how we can help you after your accident, call us at (416) 625-2122.

Your claim might be strengthened from the dashboard camera footage and might potentially reduce the time that is needed to settle your case. Although dashboard camera footage is not always conclusive evidence of what happened during the accident, it can be very helpful.