The autumn season makes for a beautiful scenery of colorful, bright foliage. It also provides arguably great weather throughout the state of Maryland, serving as a happy medium between the summer heat and winter chill. Though it may seem like this season offers ideal driving conditions, this may not be necessarily true. Continue reading to learn what driving hazards to look out for this autumn and how one of the experienced Howard County car accident attorneys at Lloyd J. Eisenberg & Associates can help you in the event of a crash.
What are the driving hazards to be aware of this autumn season?
During autumn, existing driving hazards may be due to weather-related or seasonal conditions that are beyond anybody’s control, including your own. For example, inclement weather such as rain and fog may be more common in the fall. This inevitably blocks a driver’s visibility. With this, it is best to use low-beam headlights or avoid using cruise control during fogginess or rainfall, respectively.
Visibility is also an issue when driving in the dark; which, in the fall, the nights are longer than the days. In this case, it is recommended to keep your headlights clean and clear of debris. What’s more, you must get dim or misaligned headlights promptly fixed by a professional mechanic.
Lastly, it is likely for leaves to get stuck under your windshield wipers. These leaves may blow onto your windshield, or even scratch your windshield, and ultimately hinder your visibility. So, it is your responsibility to clear your windshield wipers before entering the roadway.
Who is responsible for the driving hazard that contributed to my accident?
While you may uphold your responsibility to safely drive and persistently maintain your car during the autumn season, you may, unfortunately, still get involved in a car accident. With this, you may be quick to assume that your crash was caused by an autumn-related driving hazard that was due to no fault of any other party. However, it may still be possible that someone else contributed. Examples read as follows:
- A government entity may have failed to promptly clear wet leaves from roadways, causing you to lose control of your vehicle.
- A government entity may have failed to promptly clear large leaf piles from roadways, obstructing your view from pedestrians/traffic.
- A driver may have failed to yield to traffic before passing around a large leaf pile, causing a collision.
- A driver may have failed to turn on their headlights or otherwise drive carefully in severe fog or rain conditions, causing a collision.
This is all to say that you must take your personal injury claim seriously. This starts with retaining the services of one of the skilled Howard County auto accident attorneys. Contact Lloyd J. Eisenberg today.
