As December comes to a close, we reflect on the previous year and look forward to the fresh start that a new year brings. In this century, we celebrate our second decade, so there is bound to be extra excitement as we enter 2020. The new year brings resolutions and champagne toasts, but unfortunately, new years eve and day are a couple of the most dangerous times to be on the road and car accidents spike.

One of the biggest contributions to this spike is drunk driving. Crashes having to do with alcohol or drugs increase 71% compared to an average weekend from 6:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve to 6:00 a.m. on New Years Day. Like it's winter holiday counterparts, New Years encourages drinking alcohol. Many people top off at midnight with a glass of champagne. While that one glass of champagne would likely keep someone within the legal limit to drive, it is the drinks before and after that can create a problem.

What Is Considered Drunk Driving?

Across the United States, the legal limit to drive after consuming alcohol is 0.08%. If a person is caught with a higher concentration of alcohol in their system, they will be arrested and potentially charged with a DUI. This is because anything higher than 0.08% is considered too dangerous for a person to be driving a car. Alcohol affects decision making and reaction times, which can contribute to the cause of an auto accident.

Getting in a truck accident is a great fear for many people. Trucks themselves are large and often carry hefty loads of cargo. When driving, people are often cautious of trucks, but deadly accidents still happen. Drivers can take certain precautions when sharing the road with truck drivers, but a negligent truck driver or company is no match for small errors passenger car drivers can make.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety states that in 2018, 4,136 people died as a result of getting into an accident with a truck. The majority of these deaths were people in passenger cars. Truck drivers have the advantage of being protected in a vehicle that weighs upwards of 30 times more than an average car. A truck can roll over, but in an accident with another smaller vehicle, a semi-truck is likely to come up on top.

When a truck accident is caused by a negligent truck driver or company, reasons for this happening can include but are not limited to, an overtired driver, a driver working past the legal limit of driving hours, a company not doing a thorough inspection of their feet. Other drivers cannot control these things, but they can make decisions for a safer roadway with trucks.

No one expects to get into an accident with a truck. If anything, most drivers are extra cautious around such vehicles that can weigh up to 80,000 pounds in the United States. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, nearly 5,000 trucks were involved in fatal accidents in 2017. No matter the safety precautions other drivers take, they can still fall victim to poorly maintained fleets or exhausted drivers.

When it comes to truck accidents, it is drivers in passenger cars that are most at risk. Trucks are large and heavy, so while they could crush a small car, they keep the truck driver relatively safer. An accident with a truck can result in life-altering injuries for anyone involved. This can prevent a victim from returning to work and racking up medical bills, creating many uncertainties. Luckily, contacting a personal injury attorney can assist you after an accident to receive compensation for the accident.

After a truck accident, a lawyer would most likely recommend filing a personal injury lawsuit. This is when a person has suffered, whether physically or emotionally, because of the negligence of the other party. It is the responsibility of the plaintiff and their lawyer to prove that the defending party was at fault. A lawyer will pull information such as the police report and federal regulations to compare to the accident and investigate if a third party could have been at fault.

Although auto insurance is required by law, when you consistently make on-time payments, you expect your insurance company to assist you after an accident. However, even though you may pay an insurance company, your claim is not guaranteed to be accepted. After a car accident, many things can give a person involved fear and uncertainty, and having a claim denied can provide additional stress during this tough time.

What Is The Process for Filing a Claim?

The requirements for filing a claim can be met as soon as the car accident happens. After the accident, calling 911 and filing a police report will be crucial to filing a claim with your insurance company. This acts as an official report about the accident. When filing a claim, you will also need the contact information from the other parties involved. You can call your insurance company as soon as being on the side of the road, waiting for police assistance. If you are insured, your insurance company may be able to assist right away if you are not able to use your car after an accident.

After a claim is filed, then a claim specialist is assigned to your specific case to review. When a claim is denied, there is often the uncertainty of how to proceed. Here are common reasons why an insurance claim is denied after a car accident.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. Getting into a car accident is a traumatizing enough experience, but the situation may be further complicated if the driver is a teenager.

Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are the most likely to be involved in a car accident. In fact, that age group is three times more likely to be in an accident than drivers 20 years and older. When it comes to the death rates of teenagers involved in a car accident, male drivers are twice as likely to be in a fatal crash than females.

More than 30,000 people are killed in car crashes each year. Considering teen drivers have the highest probability to be involved in a crash, there is a good possibility that you may get in a car accident with a teenage driver. Although the majority of teen drivers have recently completed driver education courses and should have a fresh memory of safety, accidents with teenage drivers are often caused by reckless activity.