What to Do as the Victim of a Car Crash
With around six million car crashes happening in the United States every year, it pays to know what to do if you’re the victim of a crash. Here’s what you need to know.
Car crashes are an unfortunate fact of life. If you drive or are the passenger in a car on a regular basis, there is a chance you will be involved in a car crash at some point in your life. Drinking alcohol or taking drugs, speeding, and driving recklessly, are all major causes of car accidents. Drivers who are distracted by using their cell phones also make up a growing proportion of all car accidents. If you take all the necessary precautions as a driver by avoiding these hazards, you will significantly lower your risk of causing a car crash.
But what should you do if you are the victim of a car crash that is another driver’s fault? Anyone who spends time in a car or other kind of vehicle should understand what needs to be done when a car crash happens. As well as making sure everyone is safe, you’ll want to ensure you have all the information you need if a case ends up going through a legal process. Around a third of car crashes result in non-fatal injuries, so there is also a good chance you might need legal representation specifically to gain justice for your injuries, such as from Cellino law personal injury lawyers of New York.
It always pays to be prepared to be able to effectively deal with unexpected situations. So here’s what you need to do if you’re the victim of a car crash.
As Soon As The Accident Happens
There are a number of things you need to do as soon as a car crash has happened. If your vehicle is still operational, you need to pull it over to somewhere safe and turn the ignition off. Looking for somewhere safe includes a place that is out of the way of traffic, and also somewhere that is well lit in public view, just in case the person who crashed into you becomes aggressive. Check to see if anyone is hurt and see if there is anything you can do to help. You may need to vacate your vehicle if the damage is severe enough to risk a fire. As soon as you can after ensuring everyone is safe, you should call the police. Tell them exactly where you are and if anyone is injured, so they can call an ambulance too.
Double Check Safety
As soon as the police are on their way, double-check that you have made the situation as safe as possible. Ensure oncoming traffic is aware of the hazard by using hazard lights and warning triangles. Look out for leaking fuel and move far away from the accident site if there is any. Even if there doesn’t seem to be any fuel spillages, do not light a cigarette or have a naked flame for any other reason. Most importantly, make sure your loved ones are safe – including your children, anyone with physical disabilities, and pets. Look out for anyone else who might have been a victim of the car crash too and help them if you can.
Collate Information
As soon as all your safety concerns have been taken care of, it’s time to collect as much information as you can that relates to the accident. This will be really important for the future insurance claims and legal processes you’re likely to have to go through. Firstly, find out what you can about the other driver. Information you should ask for includes their full name and address, their phone number and their driving license number (take a photo of it if they’ll allow you to). Find out if they are the owner of the vehicle, and if not, get all the details of the vehicle owner too. Remember to make a note of the license plate number.
Aside from these basics, get as much information about the accident and the surrounding scene as you can. Use your cell phone to take photos and videos of the accident and the surrounding area from different angles. This could be invaluable to your insurance company and lawyer later, as it’s likely the adrenalin will cause you to forget details at the time. Make as many notes as you can, such as the time and date of the crash, if there are any environmental or physical factors that might have caused the crash – such as missing road signs, and if there were any other vehicles involved. Make a note of any witnesses too, and get their contact details.
If the other driver is uncooperative or aggressive, get as much information as possible while keeping yourself safe. In the least, make a note of their license plate number and vehicle description, and take photos or videos if at all possible.
Next Steps
Once the police have done everything they need to do and there’s nothing more you can do at the scene, it’s time to make your way home and plan your next steps. The first thing to do is seek medical help if you and your passengers need it. Once this is done, you will need to inform your insurance company and find legal representation. Both will ask for the police report and the evidence you collected.
4 Harsh Truths They Don’t Tell You About College Life
College is your first step into adulthood, where you start taking ownership over your education, everyday activities, and future. As liberating and exciting college is, those who have gone through it may not have shared with you these four harsh truths about the real college experience:
You Need to Protect Yourself
Your time in college is a time of freedom that comes with the added responsibility of protecting yourself from unwanted trouble. If you stay at your college dorm or a new apartment with housemates you are not familiar with, keeping to a curfew and locking your door when you are out or asleep are some key precautions you can take daily for safety.
If you are active on social media, sharing excessive details about your daily activities and whereabouts can be dangerous. Whether your social media accounts are public or private, select selectively and block out sensitive information in your social media posts to reduce the risks of cyberstalking. Additionally, activating emergency alerts on your devices, knowing and keeping to your alcohol limit, and having trusted friends to look out for you during your nights out can also help keep you safe.
However, despite your best efforts to protect yourself, there is a chance that you may find yourself in trouble; continue reading here to learn how to safeguard yourself in these unforeseen circumstances.
You Need Sleep
It may be normal to pull all-nighters or nurse a sleep debt in college but you shouldn’t mistake these unhealthy behaviors as a badge of honor. While you have more flexibility in spending your time than in high school, juggling too many commitments or procrastinating may compromise your health and academics.
Your body may be able to recover from all-nighters and overly packed schedules in a few days, but a prolonged sleep deficit will cause you to fall sick easily. Prioritize your commitments and delegate sufficient time for each of them. A tip to do this effectively is acknowledging that your energy level varies throughout the day.
When are you most awake and alert? Schedule your study sessions during your most productive and creative blocks and save your not-so-productive blocks to run errands, rest, and engage in leisure. Understanding your body and planning your time around your body’s natural rhythm will help you focus on your commitments better and rest adequately. In the long run, you can also avoid burnout – a common struggle that many students face in college.
You Will Feel Lonely (A Lot)
You may have moved to a different state or country for college, being away from your family and childhood friends for the first time. While learning to manage your academics, finances, meals, and laundry amongst other responsibilities, you are also learning how to manage these long-distance relationships with your loved ones back home.
However, drifting apart from your loved ones due to different priorities and conflicting schedules can happen. And the lack of connection with your family and friends can cause you to feel lonely and lost, especially as you start to consider your career and future more seriously.
You may also realize that the people you hit off well at the start of college are not the friends you want to keep close. Instead of forcing yourself to spend time with them, keep yourself open to meeting new people – you may find others with whom you can connect more meaningfully.
Keeping yourself available also means that you can learn to enjoy your company. Many people struggle to spend time alone as they fear that others will judge them. But being alone is nothing to be ashamed of, and it doesn’t have to equate to being lonely. Spending time in solitude has numerous benefits, including helping us decompress, develop our unique interests, and connect more deeply with others.
You Still Have Time After College
We are no strangers to regrets. After graduating, you may wish you had completed more internships and participated in more campus activities. Time in college may pass fast, but there is still time outside of college to learn and experience what you couldn’t accomplish then. Trust that you have made the best decisions to maximize your time in college, with the circumstances then.
In addition, don’t let your “failures” in college stop you from trying similar ventures post-graduation. Writing papers and taking examinations are a part of college, and this means that there will be times when your grades fall below your expectation.
Performed poorly on your public relations module in college? It doesn’t mean that you can’t pursue a career in public relations; you can still learn how to develop and craft a press release in your freelance writing career or at your job. Your grades in college won’t dictate your success after graduation so long as you embrace a growth mindset and challenge yourself meaningfully.
6 Ways to Stay Out of Trouble at College
With all the new experiences and excitement of living independently for the first time, college can unfortunately come with trouble for some students. Here’s how to stay out of trouble, and what to do if you find yourself in a tricky situation at college.
Living according to your own schedule for the first time is an exciting moment for any student. College is a time to embrace new opportunities and experiences while you further your education, and no one wants to take that away from you. However, it is a well-known fact that college students can sometimes get in trouble.
The form trouble takes depends on the student and different circumstances. It can vary from skipping a few classes and not getting assignments in on time, to committing crimes. When students get involved in some kind of crime at college, it often happens quickly and without them thinking about the consequences of certain actions. Almost 30,000 criminal incidents against people or property are recorded on college campuses every year. All these reported crimes are serious, and include forcible sex offenses, burglaries, vehicle thefts, aggravated assaults and robberies. Any student accused of crimes such as these will need legal representation (continue reading here) and will face serious consequences both in terms of the law and the college system.
Being aware of the different forms trouble could come in at college is a good way to try to avoid getting into trouble in the first place. Here are 6 ways to avoid trouble.
1. Understand Alcohol Laws
One of the most common things college students do that violates the law is to drink alcohol while underage, since the legal age to drink in the United States is 21. It is important to be mindful of this fact throughout college, despite what other students are doing. Being stopped by law enforcement for drinking alcohol or behaving in a disruptive way due to alcohol can lead to a number of problems. Some of the most common laws students might break include being a minor in possession, public intoxication, open container and driving under the influence (DUI). If in doubt, simply don’t drink alcohol.
2. Know The State Rules
Another way that college students can slip up is by following the rules and laws from their home state, instead of the state they go to college in. It’s worth looking up what the rules and laws are in the state you are studying in so you can abide by them. If you are caught doing something you shouldn’t be, law enforcement won’t take ignorance as an acceptable excuse.
3. Surround Yourself With Good People
One good way to stay out of trouble at college is to make friends who are similar to you. A lot of problems happen when students try to fit into a crowd they are not really suited to. They can find themselves doing things they wouldn’t normally do just to be seen as one of the ‘in crowd’. You’ll have a far better college experience generally if you make friends who have similar interests to you. If you make proper friends like this, you’ll also be more likely to look out for each other, and help keep each other safe and away from trouble.
4. Get Involved
A great way to stay out of trouble at college is to get involved in some positive activities the college has on offer. Playing a sport is excellent for this, as this will help to keep you mentally and physically sharp too. Volunteering – either for a local organization, or by contributing to college life somehow in your spare time – is also a great way to become part of the college community, and put your energy and enthusiasm to good use. The more you do positive activities like this, the less time you will have to get into trouble!
5. Pick Your Fun
When you’re at college, there is something going on 24/7 that you could get involved in. But that doesn’t mean you have to get involved in everything. To start with, you will probably be going out and about a lot more, as you try to figure out which parts of college life you want to be involved in. But once you’re a little more established at college, it’s probably a good idea to calm things down a little. Striking a balance is key at college, and you don’t want to burn yourself out and jeopardize your studies by going out too much in the evenings. You’ll feel a better balance generally if you mix up the way you have fun, so try to intersperse your nights out partying with some movie nights in with friends. Not going too crazy all the time will help keep you out of trouble too.
6. Be A Good Student
It might sound obvious – you’re at college to get an education, after all – but being a good student is a great way to veer away from trouble. Doing all the things you’re supposed to do at college will help to keep you on the right track. This starts with turning up to class on time every time and actively participating in classes too. Take good notes, listen to advice your professors give you, and follow instructions carefully. This will also help you do your assignments well, while handing them in on time every time is important too.
6 Tips for Improving Focus at Work
People often complain about how frequently they get distracted at work. Even when working from home, we’re connected to the outside world 24/7 with non-stop distractions all around us. It’s a wonder we can achieve anything with all the social media and messaging apps vying for our attention.
Of course, that lack of focus at work could be caused by a physical condition. Lack of concentration, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, sleep disorder, and having a short attention span are all causes for concern. Experts often recommend evidence-based medical solutions such as Provigil to treat many of these health conditions. In addition, there are a number of simple tips you can employ to improve your productivity and get you back on track at work.
1. Good Work-Rest Balance
One of the most commons causes of losing focus and getting behind on your schedule at work is the lack of work and rest balance. Working long hours can lead to burnout. This is a serious condition that affects your ability to finish your tasks on time if at all. You won’t even be able to get anything done no matter how hard you try. A small task that you used to finish in half an hour could take you a whole day to get done.
To avoid suffering burnout and having to take a long vacation away from work, experts recommend you take a break from work a few times a day. The break doesn’t have to be a long one otherwise you won’t be able to get back into the work mood easily! A 10-minute break every 90 minutes is the recommended work-rest balance.
2. Switch Off Your Phone
Distractions are the enemy of productivity. The more distracted you are, the more hours you have to spend at work to get anything done. According to many studies on productivity at the workplace, the number one distraction workers have is right there in their hands. The phone keeps sending you notifications and distracting you from your work around the clock.
These same studies recommend that workers switch off all notifications and keep their phones tucked away in their handbags or desk drawers. That way you’ll resist the temptation to check your phone every 5 minutes which can wreak havoc with your focus and productivity.
3. Make a Short List
They say to succeed you have to visualize success. That didn’t work for me as I had expected. But what really worked was to make a list of all the tasks I needed to do that day. Every time I finish a task, I ticked it off the list and went down to the next task. By the end of the day, I found that I have achieved a lot in less time.
Now the secret to making this work is not to get overambitious about what you can achieve in one day. It’s easy to cram the list with all kinds of tasks important or not. But that can be quite counterproductive. So if you find that your list is longer than 6 to 7 tasks, weed out all the unimportant tasks and only keep the crucial ones.
4. One Thing at a Time
Managers and CEOs often praise multitasking in their employees. But recent research has found that people who multitask tend to have poor concentration and even poorer productivity. Multitasking used to be the buzzword making the rounds in offices everywhere. But now, not so much.
To make the most out of your time and finish many tasks in one day, you should focus on working on one thing at a time. If you have to finish a spreadsheet, then that should be the only thing open on your screen. Switch off all chat boxes, close your email tabs, and minimize all other apps open on your computer.
5. Get Back on Track
More often than not, you’ll notice that you got distracted. Maybe a coworker walked in and engaged you in a frivolous chat. Or an email would pop up and distract you from what you were doing. The distractions are numerous and our overactive mind seems to be itching to get involved in something different all the time.
When that happens, simply steer your mind back to what you’re working on or cut the conversation short with your colleague telling them politely that you have to get back to work. Don’t get frustrated at how easily you get distracted. It takes practice to achieve the kind of focus that Zen monks are famous for!
6. Music for Better Focus
Music plays a great role in our lives. Not only does music entertain us, but it can also calm our active minds, or stimulate us when we’re too bored or tired to get work done. When you feel restless and your mind is all over the place, simply put on some easy listening music that will help you achieve better concentration. Recent studies have found a correlation between music and high concentration, stimulating memory, and making predictions. Music also will insulate you from the chatter at the office and the other distractions that will keep you from being productive.
If you want to achieve more every day, maintain high focus, and get ahead at work, then you need to remove all the distractions around you such as your phone, chats, and many apps open on your desktop. Play some easy listening music to insulate yourself from the distractions around you and prepare a list of the important tasks you need to do that day in advance.