Getting around town on your bike is one of the best ways to save gas and get some exercise in. However, safety is a growing concern for bicyclist in the Ann Arbor area. As the weather starts to warm and people venture outdoors, the threat of accidents starts to rise. What hazards do bicyclists face? Check out the two most common causes of bicycle accidents, and keep yourself from winding up a statistic.
Crash with a motor vehicle
Ever since their introduction back in 2008, cryptocurrencies have had a major impact on the financial and legal worlds. For instance, upon shooting up to around $20,000 a coin, bitcoin has become an alluring investment for anyone looking for a high-risk, high-reward scenario. Even though bitcoin has fallen to one-fifth of its all-time high, people still use it as a store for value and potentially lucrative investment. Seeing as bitcoin has been added to several investors' portfolios, it now comes up repeatedly in divorce proceedings, which presents lawyers with its own set of problems.
When it comes to cryptocurrencies and divorce, not only are lawyers having a hard time dealing with this new digital asset, but the currencies' unregulated and encrypted nature also makes them ideal vehicles for stashing away funds in high-asset divorces, complicating the process even further. It is easy to track the trading of complete novices on crypto exchanges and find out how much they hold in these digital assets. However, if traders know what they are doing, they can hide their crypto assets, and the lawyers will be none the wiser. In fact, by simply buying bitcoin with cash instead of doing it online, an individual can make sure that his or her purchase is untraceable.
Most Michigan residents know that experts recommend a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night. However, with daylight saving time, many will lose an hour of sleep and become drowsy in the daytime. Combine that with driving, and the chances of an accident spike. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, missing one to two hours of sleep in a 24-hour period actually doubles the risk for a crash.
One who drives after only five hours of sleep in the previous 24 hours will be as impaired as a drunk driver is behind the wheel. This startling observation, also made by AAA, should encourage drivers to adjust their sleep schedules for daylight saving time. There is, after all, only one solution to drowsiness: adequate sleep.
The Governors Highway Safety Association estimates that 6,227 pedestrians were killed in Michigan and across the U.S. in 2018. Though it is only based on state highway safety office data from the first half of 2018, the estimate has serious implications. It would mean that 2018 saw the highest number of pedestrian deaths since 1990, which saw 6,482 deaths.
Various factors are involved. While passenger cars are to blame for most pedestrian deaths, the number of SUVs involved in fatal pedestrian accidents rose 50 percent from 2013 to 2017. SUVs have higher front-end profiles, making them twice as likely to kill any pedestrians they strike. There are more SUVs on the roads, too; it continues to be a best-selling vehicle and accounts for 60 percent of all new vehicles sales in the U.S.
Many Michigan residents are concerned about the public health impacts of the opioid crisis. According to one study, prescription opiate usage could also be linked to fatal car accidents. Researchers examined fatal two-car crashes across the United States and found that the at-fault drivers were almost twice as likely to have prescription opiates in their systems.
Regardless of the presence of substances, most of these deadly car accidents were caused when one driver veered outside of their correct lane. Still, there were vast discrepancies in substance use between those drivers found responsible for the crashes and those who were not. The researchers examined a total of 18,321 fatal crashes. They found that in 5,258 cases, the driver who was at fault had alcohol present in their system. Even 1,815 of the not-at-fault drivers tested positive for alcohol. Researchers also found that 918 of the at-fault drivers tested positive for prescription opiates, compared to 549 of the not-at-fault drivers.
Many people in Michigan end up divorcing and getting remarried later on. While people might not think about entering into prenuptial agreements when they get married the first time, having one before entering into second marriages after the individual spouses have accumulated assets and have had children might be a good idea.
When people get remarried in their 50s or 60s, they have likely accumulated substantial assets such as retirement accounts, real estate, and artwork. They may also have children from their previous marriages and want to make certain that they are provided for. People might also want some protection in place in the event that their new marriages end in divorce.
You regularly put in long hours to ensure your business is successful. You also have a plan for taking your company to the next level. While your marriage is heading for divorce, your business has never been better. Will you lose your business during your divorce?
In Michigan, judges divide marital property equitably. Therefore, if you are going through a divorce, you must mentally divide your assets into marital and separate categories. As you may suspect, doing so can be challenging. In fact, deciding whether you own your business may require a complicated legal analysis. Still, you should understand a few things about business ownership during and after divorce proceedings.
The most frequently reported factors in auto accidents in Michigan are also common elsewhere in the nation. The following is just a brief summary of those factors. First of all, most accidents are caused by human error with distracted driving being especially prominent. Calling, texting, adjusting the radio, eating, talking with passengers -- all of these can take one's attention from the road.
Another factor is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, even prescription medication. These impair judgment and slow reaction times. Furthermore, drivers with medical conditions could cause crashes after a stroke, heart attack or other medical episode. Falling asleep at the wheel could also be considered a medical episode.
Michigan motorists who are concerned about road safety should know that excessive vehicle speed is a contributing factor in almost 33 percent of all fatalities caused by motor vehicle crashes. This is according to a report issued by the Governors Highway Safety Association. However, speeding receives inadequate attention as an issue of traffic safety and is even considered to be socially acceptable by many drivers.
The report by the GHSA examines speeding and its impact on traffic deaths. The report also includes a look at state and federal policies, the most recently available research and data, existing programs whose purpose are to lower the number of crashes related to speeding and future approaches to reducing speed-related crashes. According to the executive director of the GHSA, in order to have zero deaths, it is necessary that speeding is addressed more profoundly than it has been. Speed is a roadway hazard, and more resources are needed to compel drivers to driver slower to prevent fatalities.
Widespread public health campaigns in Michigan have highlighted the dangers of distracted driving. Many of these efforts have focused on the use of handheld phones, including calling and texting while driving. Similarly to overall trends in communication, fewer drivers are talking on handheld phones while behind the wheel. However, drivers are 57 percent more likely to use their phones for texting, internet browsing or email, even when operating their vehicles.
Even drivers who refrain from mobile device use while moving may be tempted to pick up a phone and text or surf while stopped at a red light. However, even stopped distracted drivers can contribute to dangerous car accidents, being ill-prepared to move in an emergency situation or even when the light changes to green. These results came in a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an organization supported by the insurance industry that aims to improve roadway safety and decrease accident risks.
Kline Legal Group P.L.C.
483 Little Lake Drive, Suite 200
Ann Arbor,
MI
48103
Phone:
734-249-6100
Fax:
734-302-7222
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