Snow And Ice Most Likely The Cause Of A Growing Number Of Deadly Pennsylvania Head On Collisions In Recent Weeks
In the last two months, as an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney, I have seen an increased volume of head on collisions with the cause being lack of caution on icy and snowy roads whereupon a vehicle traveling carelessly or too fast for the conditions loses control. Many times, the results are catastrophic with permanent injuries or unfortunately wrongful death. The crash dynamics of a head on collision are often unforgiving. Even at relatively low speeds, head on collisions will often leave the accident victim with catastrophic and debilitating injuries and many times death.
Snow and ice on roadways are major contributing factors in fatal car accidents and head on collisions in Pennsylvania. Many times, these accidents are caused by black ice which is sometimes called glare ice or clear ice and is a thin coating of glazed ice on the surface. While not truly black, it is actually transparent. When driving on snowy and icy roadways, please follow the offered tips from the experienced Pennsylvania car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily:
1. Make sure your tires have at least a 6/32 deep tread according to The Tire Rack.
2. Make sure your windshield is clear and replace windshield wiper blades with new ones.
3. Apply Rain-X or water shedding material to your window and make sure that your
windshield washer system works.
4. Use your air conditioner. In order to remove condensation and frost from the interior
windows, gauge your air conditioner and select a fresh air option. It is fine to set the
temperature on hot.
5. Check your headlights to make sure that they are clean and other vehicles will see you.
6. Learn how to stop properly. For a non-ABS vehicle on a mixed surface road, push the
brake pedal hard until the wheels stop rolling and then immediately release the brake
enough to allow the wheels to begin turning again. Repeat this sequence rapidly.
7. Watch carefully for black ice. The road has a glare and looks slick, which it probably is.
8. Test traction with a couple smooth brake applications or slight turn of the wheel when driving.
9. Too much steering is bad. A slick section and turn causes your front wheels to lose grip.
A common but incorrect reaction is to continue to turning the wheel. Never over turn.
10. Avoid rear tire slides. ESC is not mandatory on all vehicles until 2012. Make sure your rear
tires have as much tread as the front tires and if you are looking to purchase a new car,
certainly purchase one with ESC. Forget all the miracles they told you about when you
bought the car such as all wheel drive and ESC.
11. Drive carefully and pay close attention to weather conditions.
The head on car accident lawyers of Reiff & Bily have successfully represented injured victims of head on collisions since 1979 with a track record of success. As of January 1, 2011, our experienced Pennsylvania car accident lawyers have recently joined forces with the legendary Beasley Firm and collectively both firms have been awarded billions of dollars since 1958. For a free, no obligation consultation, please contact us online at www.reiffandbily.com or toll free at 1-800-421-9595.
