San Francisco Injury Attorney Blog

Many San Francisco car accidents are caused by our streetcars, also known as light rail vehicles, or LRVs. Many people do not realize how much longer it takes streetcars to stop. There is essentially a double delay: LRV brakes do not even begin to work until a second or two after they are applied, then they stop the car much more slowly than a car's brakes would. On San Francisco cable cars, the primary brake is a pine block! Many San Francisco car accidents are caused by our streetcars, also known as light rail vehicles, or LRVs. Many people do not realize how much longer it takes streetcars to stop. There is essentially a double delay: LRV brakes do not even begin to work until a second or two after they are applied, then they stop the car much more slowly than a car's brakes would. On San Francisco streetcars, the primary brake is a pine block.

A recent accident, on April 6, 2010, was covered in a San Francisco Chronicle piece. The same story was picked up nationally in a Associated Press story. This injury accident was caused by faulty brakes on the streetcar. In this injury accident, the streetcar hit a bus from behind, pushing it into the streetcar, which then hit passenger cars.

Another factor in car accidents involving streetcars is the physics: since "light" rail vehicles are actually massive and heavy, they cause much more injury-producing forces at any given speed than a car would.

I think people can always use another reminder about the need to act quickly in a personal injury claim involving San Francisco, or any other town or city: there is a six-month claims filing deadline. This also applies to community hospitals, such as San Francisco General Hospital, and Highland Hospital in Oakland, as well as any claims against the State of California. Anyone injured in an accident that was caused by a government-funded employee should seek a personal injury attorney promptly, so that this crucial deadline, called the statute of limitations, will not bar the claim.

Continue reading "Another San Francisco Injury Streetcar Accident" »

Do you turn you head to check your blind spot before making a lane change? Here in congested San Francisco, turning your head even briefly away can increase your risk of being in a car accident. There's a way to reset your mirrors that makes head turning unnecessary. It's the Blindspot and Glare Elimination (BGE) mirror setting. The BGE was developed in 1996 by a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) named George Platzer. The BGE setting changes the view of your side mirrors to show your blind spots, rather than the view behind, which is already covered by your rear view mirror. An added benefit of the BGE setting is the elimination of glare from passing cars.

For drivers who are accustomed to the typical side mirror settings, switching to the BGE setting is a bit difficult initially, due to disorientation when looking at the side view mirror when the side of their vehicle is no longer visible, but after switching, most acclimate to the new settings and find it a better way to drive.

There are several advantages to the BGE setting:

The BGE setting involves tipping your mirrors out about 15 degrees farther than the typical setting. Here's how to do it:

Place your head against the driver's side window and adjust the driver's side mirror so you can barely see the driver's side of your car. (This is the view you would have on typical settings without moving your head.)

Move your head as close to the center of the car as possible and adjust the passenger's side mirror so you can barely see the passenger's side of your car.

To check your BGE setting, watch as a car passes you in an adjacent lane. It should enter your outside mirror before it leaves the rearview (inside) mirror. Also, the car should appear in your peripheral vision before it leaves the outside mirror.

Continue reading "California Driving: How to set your car's mirrors to really see your blind spots" »

Like many of us, I am still finding my way to a safe personal driving and talking policy here in San Francisco. Of course, California law now prohibits using a handset while driving, but we are one of just seven states with this restriction. Is it safe to talk and drive, even using a speakerphone or headset? The New York Times online has an entire section devoted to articles on the risks of driving and talking.

A U.S. News & World Report piece points to research that indicates that talking while driving can impair the brain's ability to process what a driver is seeing by 50%. Many reports are linking cellphone use with San Francisco car accidents . This piece also cites an interesting statistic: at any given time, about 11% of drivers are on the phone. A Wired Magazine online piece featured tests that showed only 1 in 40 drivers retained their full ability to reach quickly to changing road conditions while talking and driving. But those "supertaskers" were able to perform competently on driving tests while talking, leading the magazine to emphasize that for some drivers, talking and driving pose no added risk of harm.

Combining these two statistics-the 11% of drivers being on the phone, and the 1-in-40 who can so do without impaired driving ability-highlights the danger of combining the two. Of courses, many of us would like to think that we are the 1 in 40. It would be interesting to see how many people in a survey felt that they were among the "supertaskers" that Wired cites. Based on my experiences, I don't think that I'm one of them. I have noticed that my driving attention suffers when I am on the phone. For now, I have decided to avoid driving and talking while here in San Francisco, or any urban area, but I still do it on longer freeway drives in uncongested traffic. Being able to utilize that otherwise-wasted time is hard to give up. But I know that multiple studies show that it is taking something away from my reaction abilities.

For now, I still talk while driving on a limited basis, but I am open to limiting it even more, or giving it up entirely if I become convinced that it is always unsafe.

Continue reading "Driving and Talking in the San Francisco Bay Area" »