Archive for May, 2010

How to Avoid a Staged Auto Accident

You’ve probably heard of staged accidents, or seen them on television or in movies, but did you realize they really do happen?

Here’s the scenario: You’re driving along, everything seems to be ok, but then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a car crashes into you in a parking lot. Perhaps the damage doesn’t appear extensive, and it seems obvious that the fault belongs to the other driver, but you find yourself accused of being at fault.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau reported that staged accidents are up 46% from 2007 to 2009, and the states with the highest staged incidents are Florida, New York, California, Texas and Illinois. Arizona ranks 10th, high enough to cause concern.

What’s even more concerning about staged accidents is that often they are so well-planned that fake witnesses might be involved, additional passengers might claim injuries (people who weren’t even in the vehicle), and medical providers might prescribe treatments that really aren’t necessary – all for a nice payoff.

How can you avoid being a victim of a staged accident? Here are a few tips:

1. Call the police so they can write a police report. Do this no matter the extent of the damage.

2. Keep a camera with you and take pictures of the accident, the damage, and the people who were in the car who hit you. This is fairly easy to do now that many cell phones have a camera feature.

3. Take note of the number of people who were in the car who hit you. Get their names, phone numbers, addresses, and driver’s license numbers also. Don’t just focus on the driver.

4. Do not tailgate, as the driver in front of you may slam on their brakes for no apparent reason. This is an easy method for a scam artist to turn you into a victim.

5. If you require any medical treatments, keep careful records to make sure none of the treatment costs were inflated or fictitious.

6. Contact the Arizona Department of Insurance Fraud Unit if you suspect a medical provider, auto body shop, mechanic, or anyone else has committed fraud.

Nothing is worse than being in an auto accident, and then finding out it was staged. Protect yourself.

The Importance of a Designated Driver

Anyone who’s been arrested for an Arizona DUI can tell you that the state doesn’t play when it comes to such offenses.

Arizona is one of the strictest states when it comes to DUI laws. If convicted, you face fines, jail time, you must have an ignition lock device installed on your car, and much more. For that reason, you’ll want to avoid drinking and driving altogether.

An Arizona DUI can cost you lots of money, can cost you your freedom, it can cause you to lose your job and it can tarnish your reputation. That’s not to mention that a conviction could put a felony on your record for life. Don’t let this happen to you. Instead, find a designated driver if you’ve been drinking.  Don’t get behind the wheel.

Most drivers, when charged with a DUI, automatically consider their potential loss of freedom, employment and reputation. They don’t consider that they could have injured or even killed someone. Your reaction time is considerably slower whenever you’ve been drinking alcohol.

Even if you’re just buzzed, you can still get into an accident and cause injury to someone. That can change your life forever. You will face fines, prison time, probation and the guilt in knowing that you changed a life forever, or ended it, just because you didn’t get a designated driver.

The above examples should be reason enough to secure a designated driver when you’ve been drinking. The problem is that most people think they’re fine when they’ve been drinking. That kind of thinking is a symptom of impairment.  Don’t be one of these people. Call a designated driver before you start drinking so that you can keep yourself and others safe, and you can avoid getting a DUI in Arizona, where they like to make examples of impaired drivers.