Not Another Winter Storm! Car Accidents in the Snow

It’s March. Winter should be on it’s a way out, right? Well, that simply hasn’t been the case. New Jersey has endured some of the season’s worst weather as we welcomed March in with inches upon inches of snow and damaging winds. What’s worse is that it’s been snowing all day. And, maybe even more snow could be coming!

With all of this snow, our state’s roadways have been quite dangerous to traveling motorists. As the snow falls, we urge that you consider staying off the roads if at all possible to let the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) do its job.

Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency yesterday and urged drivers to stay off the interstates and highways. But if you do end up driving in the winter weather, keep these things in mind:

• Drive slowly and be cautious
• Increase your distance between other motorists
• Accelerate and decelerate slowly
• Don’t use cruise control
• Know your vehicle’s brakes
• Fuel up

But most importantly, don’t drive (as we have been stressing). The potential of a crash, injury, and even death increase when driving in the snow. Accidents caused by winter weather usually occur because of poor visibility, slick roads, and drivers’ inability to drive in snow properly. On average, there are 116,000 injuries and 1,300 deaths related to winter weather and roadways.

What If You Get into An Accident?

Let’s say that you have to forgo staying home during the accumulating snow because you cannot get out of showing up to work. As you’re driving on the snow-covered roads, you lose control of your vehicle and crash into a nearby ditch. You are fine, but your car isn’t. What do you do?

Hopefully, this isn’t you over the next few days, but here are some things that you can do:

• Move yourself to safety to ensure you aren’t injured by any incoming vehicles who do not see you or your vehicle
• Call 911 and report the incident
• Document the incident by photographing the accident, roads, damages to your vehicle
• If other drivers were involved, gather their contact and insurance information

The most important thing you can do is contact an experienced attorney who specializes in winter weather-related car accidents. At the Law Offices of Anthony Carbone, we will recover any and all damages you need to move on from your car accident. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Stay safe during the weather!