STRAIGHT TALK LAW: SEATTLE, WASHINGTON PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER JASON EPSTEIN ON RUN-OFF ROADWAY CAR ACCIDENTS

They call Missouri the “Show Me” State. And the video just released by the Missouri State Highway Patrol could show you how to save your life.

According to the Patrol’s Colonel Ron Replogle, 50% of all fatal car accidents every year in Missouri are caused by vehicles driving off the roadway for whatever reason – going too fast, distracted driving or losing control of the vehicle. That’s right – half.

Why? Mostly because, according to the Missouri Police, when the vehicle’s tires drop off the roadway, the driver realizes what has just happened and panics. He or she overcorrects for the run-off and ends up skidding sideways back across the roadway – where, obviously, they can be hit by traffic, resulting in personal injury and/or wrongful death.

It’s startling, even for an experienced personal injury lawyer such as myself, to find out that that large a percentage of car accident deaths are caused by the simple act of driving off the road. I’m sure the Missouri statistics are comparable in the Seattle, Washington area where I practice law. But it’s also reassuring to know that the Missouri authorities have recognized the seriousness of the situation and are taking steps to educate the general public on how to handle it.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has produced both a thirty second PSA, as well as a two minute instructional video, created specifically to show drivers just how to deal with a run-off roadway situation. You can see the videos at their special website, www.savemolives.com.

They’ve also provided some tips and tricks that can help protect you and others on the road in the event you do end up accidentally driving off the road:

• Remain calm; try not to panic and overcorrect.
• Keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.
• Ease off the gas and stay off the brake.
• Turn your steering wheel a 1/8th turn to the left.
• When you feel your tires go back on the road pavement again, turn the wheel a 1/4 turn to the right.
• Now breathe deeply. You just prevented a run-off-road crash.

Keep these tips in mind when you drive – and it could save your life. Not many people are aware of the seriousness or the frequency of run-off roadway crashes. So I urge you to view the videos created by the Missouri State Patrol and learn more. Discovering ways to prevent car accidents that result in personal injury and wrongful death should always be a primary focus of every driver on the road.

For more free “Straight Talk Law” information, please visit my website at www.straighttalklaw.com, where you can order free books on personal injury lawyers, Washington auto accidents, auto insurance, and other valuable legal information, offered as a public service by myself and my law practice in Seattle, Washington.