Ocean County Workers' Compensation Law Blog

You know there are drunk drivers all over the road. You also know that one of these people could cause a serious accident without notice. While this is enough to scare you, it doesn't mean you can stay off the road for the rest of your life.

The best thing you can do is focus on what's happening around you, which means knowing the potential signs that someone is driving under the influence of alcohol. Here are some things to watch for:

• Swerving: Drunk drivers often find it difficult to stay in their lane of travel.
• Aggression: While many types of people become aggressive when driving, this is common among those who are drunk.
• Failure to obey the rules of the road: This takes on many forms, such as running a red light or stop sign, failure to yield and driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
• Bobbing head: Someone who is drunk may find it difficult to keep their head steady and eyes above the steering wheel.
• Slow response time: For example, when a traffic signal turns from red to green, they sit for a few seconds before finally hitting the accelerator.

Traumatic brain injuries are interesting, because they vary significantly among patients. For some, their injuries may resolve quickly, and they can get on with their lives with relatively few side effects. For others, it's a lifetime of recovery ahead of them.

When medical providers assess those who have suffered brain injuries, the first thing they have to do is rate them on the Glasgow Coma Scale. This gives medical providers a point of reference for how the patient was when they arrived at the hospital or clinic and how far they've come during treatment. Higher scores on this scale mean that the injuries are less severe.

A slip and fall accident can happen at any time, especially at your place of employment. This holds true regardless of your career, job responsibilities or work environment.

Here are some of the most common causes of workplace slip and fall accidents:

• Debris: Indoors and out, it only takes one piece of debris to cause an accident. For example, if someone leaves a bag of trash lying on the ground and you don't see it, there's a chance it could knock you to the ground.
• Defective stairs: It's not always easy to pinpoint defective stairs, such as a step that is missing or rounded. However, if you work in an office building, you're likely to regularly climb up and down stairs.
• Power cords: For example, if you work in the construction industry, there are power cords everywhere. Even if you're skilled at pinpointing and avoiding them, one could catch your foot and cause you to lose your balance.
• Inclement weather: This typically comes into play during the winter months, such as if your employer or building owner neglects to clear the walkway of snow and/or ice.

No matter when you take to the road, there's always a chance you could find yourself driving in heavy traffic. Even if this is part of your daily routine, it doesn't make it any easier to prevent trouble and maintain your safety.

Here are some of the many steps you can take to improve your safety when navigating heavy traffic:

• Slow down: Driving too fast in heavy traffic increases the risk of an accident since you have less time to stop, such as if the driver in front of you has to abruptly hit the brakes.
• Stay in your lane: Don't be one of those drivers who is always looking for the fast lane. Find out where you need to be and stay there for the meantime.
• Don't become aggressive: Forget about what everyone is doing around you. It's a must to drive defensively if you want to maintain your safety. Even if someone is pushing your buttons, keep to yourself and make decisions with your safety in mind.
• Change your route: If you're tired of driving the same route every day, look for an alternative that may allow you to avoid some of the traffic.