Wouldn’t you want your Chihuahua to have as much style as the one in the video?

This year’s puppy bowl and animal-featuring Super Bowl commercials hit the audience right on the sweet spot.  Animals make people lower their guards, getting them ready to enjoy the show. This also explains why people watch silly animal videos, like this one:

Mr. Fluffy, May I Have Your Driver’s License?

We have no problem with talented pets knowing how to cruise with style.  We do have a problem with puppies driving without a license.  See, they are not allowed to have one because if they did, nobody would pay attention to the road.

And that’s why we couldn’t hire Rex when he applied as an attorney either.  He didn’t pass the bar.  Also, his good looks could have sidetracked us from completing work.

We’re sorry, Rex, people can be easily distracted.

Biologically Vulnerable to The Cute Factor

Humans are prone to be sensitive to animals.    Researchers at Caltech discovered certain brain cells activated when people saw animals, but these cells didn’t respond to other stimuli when presented with people or buildings.  They showed the subjects a series of pictures, changing elements in them each time. During the experiment, people were agile at recognizing the introduction of the smallest animal, but terrible at noticing changes in the buildings.  They didn’t even notice when an entire grain silo disappeared!

Cute Factor Can Take Your Eyes Off the Road

We tend to pay much more attention to animals, let alone our pets.  This is even worse when our dogs are anxious, fidgety passengers.  The American Automobile Association (AAA) found that it‘s common for dog owners to do the following while driving:  petting their dogs, stretching out an arm to hold the dog in place while braking, and even reaching to the back seat to interact with the dog in order to stop him from getting to the front seat.  By taking a hand off the steering wheel to perform these actions, drivers risk not paying attention to the road.

Yet, dogs are great traveling companions.  They don’t complain about the radio station when we’re jammin’, and they will never ask “Are we there yet?”

We have compiled a list of tips to travel with your dog safely.  That way, you can focus on your driving, and a dog like Rex can focus on what he does best:  enjoying the scenery.

Experience

There are two kinds of children: those that go to the pediatrician, play with the clinic’s toys, and get a lollipop at the end of the appointment. Then there are those that go to the doctor, get an “ouchie” shot and as a result hate clinics, hospitals, and doctors.  Imagine if the latter only got into a car when going to visit the doctor.  They wouldn’t only hate hospitals, but they would hate cars too!   The same principle applies for dogs.  If the only experience your dog has about riding in a car is when he is going to the vet and getting poked with needles, he will end up defiant and fidgety every time he goes for a ride with you.

Take your dog out more often for fun activities; the more positive the experiences, the more likely he will enjoy riding.  Here at the office, we’re no stranger to cute puppies. Kevin’s dog, Punim, gets plenty of fun time!

Equipment

If you’re not a kennel lover, there are other restraints that will allow your companion to travel as more than mere “luggage.”  It benefits you because it limits driver distractions.   It also benefits your pet, regardless of his hyperactivity. This isn’t only for frenzied dogs. If you slam on the brakes, both calm and hyper dogs will be thrown across with the same force.  A harness acts like a seat belt, protect him from bruising.

• Note:  Don’t tie your dog with a collar, as your dog may choke!

It’s worse for dogs that ride in the back of pickup trucks.  Abrupt motions caused by bumps on the road or swerving can throw dog out of the truck.  This happens more often that you think:  about 100,000 dogs die each year from accidents with trucks.  Because falls can be fatal, a simple harness isn’t enough; it’s better to buy a kennel big enough for movement and tie it tightly to the truck.

Seat belts for canines

  

A secure carrier that keeps this dog safe, and doesn’t cramp her style

Accommodations

• If your dog will travel on a kennel, put a flat pillow for him to sit on.   Your pup will appreciate some fluff and puff.
• Dogs get tired in long trips, so take your pup out to stretch his legs every once in a while.  Since you’ve already stopped, remember to give him some water and take him to the “bathroom.”
• Dogs also get dizzy.  Take it easy on curvy roads!
• Temperature
  • In cold weather, everyone in the car is wearing a jacket. Your dog’s fur might not be enough to keep him warm and he might need one too!
  • In warm weather, raise the air conditioning or open a window.  Heat can dehydrate dogs, especially if they have dark fur.
  • Never leave your dog (or your child for that matter!) alone in the car.  In the summer, the heat can be fatal.

Too bad Rex can’t work or drive.  Because he is a great traveling buddy, we love to keep him safe.  He does prove to be useful on the road.  Last time the car had a flat tire, he helped us push the car to the nearest gas station.  Kinda like these puppies…

Before you go:

Assemble The Team

Bring people with you – a trusted mechanic or a detail-oriented friend will point out things you may overlook.

Think the Plan Through

You should already have an idea of what you want, taking into account your budget and lifestyle. Can you afford the down payment? If not, perhaps the car is outside of your price range. Do you buy a lot of groceries? If so, you might prefer a spacious trunk. Do you have kids? You’ll need more space. Do you commute a lot? You might fancy a car with higher gas mileage. The idea is to already know what make and model you want. Read car reviews and what price ranges are fair at sites like www.edmunds.com and www.caranddriver.com

The Game

Put your poker face on; you don’t want to show all your cards. The salesperson should know you are prepared to take your game to another dealership in search of the best deal. Don’t make the dealership indispensable or demonstrate too much enthusiasm for any vehicle. This will allow you to remain as objective as possible for the examination.

You should check for the following:

• The basic arrangement of the car – The dashboard display, the controls, the seat, the stick shift, etc. Are the seats and pedals at a natural position for extended driving? You’ll be sitting there for around 100 hours a year (if you are like most Americans), so be picky.
• Mobilization – How easy is it for you and your passengers to get in and out of the car?
• Safety – Airbags, central locking system, safety belts, blind spots. If you can, go again at night and get a feel of the visibility with the headlights.
• Climate control – How long does it take to heat the car? How well does the cooling system work?
• Space – Do you feel comfortable with the head and leg space?
• Luggage -Is the trunk easily accessible?

The salesperson should be prepared for what’s comin’.

The driver who makes you miss green lights because he or she was too distracted talking on the phone, texting, or worse, falling asleep on the steering wheel. Buy a Bluetooth kit or buy some coffee, but please pay attention to the road!

The driver who makes a turn without using turn signals: Really, how hard is it to flip those levers up and down? This driver probably thinks we have a crystal ball and can guess he or she is taking the next right.

The driver with abandonment issues: Afraid to be on his/her own, this driver will tailgate up your rear view mirror and terrify you, especially when approaching stop signs or stoplights. They probably don’t understand the concept of personal space, much less of keeping distance while driving.

The driver with noise polluting music: Haven’t you noticed how you can literally feel the music? We don’t need a subwoofer-induced earthquake or to feel bass sounds creeping up our chairs. Of course, you won’t like the music and your mind will have a harder time focusing on the road.

Road rage is like a virus. It starts with one of these six annoying drivers, it infects us, and then is spread to others by honking at cars, flipping the finger, or spurting a senseless combination of insults. In the end, do any of these solutions fix the problem or make others want to become better drivers? Not really. Keep cool by learning breathing techniques, repeating a mantra, or tuning into the smooth jazz radio station. Patience is not easy to master, but it pays off – that dreamy frozen pizza dinner can wait.

If you are not sure, you belong to the 63% of Americans who failed to answer the same question.  Unfortunately, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners discovered that most people don’t understand the basic insurance concepts, and that 55% of them feel very uncomfortable when choosing insurance.

Auto insurance protects your biggest liability – your car.   Financially speaking, damage awards in severe car crashes can account from $500,00 to $1 million or more.  Also, since it’s broadly purchased, it is only wise to understand the basics of what will back you in case of an accident.

In Florida and Georgia (as in most states), it is mandatory for all drivers to have car insurance.  Your car insurance will be composed of several policies. Generally speaking, there are seven main protections offered by auto insurance companies:

• Liability: Because it covers damages to property and bodily injuries, this is the most important protection.  It also covers court costs and defense; if you can spare a buck, don’t go for one that offers the lowest liability available.
• Collision:  It compensates for damage to your car caused by colliding into another vehicle, or even other objects.  The more your car is worth, the better it is to stack up on collision coverage.
• Comprehensive:  The difference between Comprehensive and Collision is that Comprehensive covers damages that are not due to a wreck.  This will cover the result of a deer running against your parked car, or of a broken window due to a stray baseball

  

  Watch out for that deer!

• Uninsured motorist:  Pays coverage for drivers that don’t have liability insurance (although, ideally, everyone should have it). Given the sheer number of purely uninsured drivers around these days, everyone should carry plenty of this coverage as it could be your sole source of recovery in a serious accident.
• Underinsured motorist:  Covers damages the other motorist’s insurance will not cover or that are not fully compensated by the at-fault party’s liability coverage. Just like Uninsured Motorist coverage, be sure to carry plenty of this coverage.
• Medical:  Compensates for medical bills due to a wreck, whether the accident was or wasn’t your fault.  It will pay for your expenses, as well as the expenses of any third party the driver injured.
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP):  As the title hints, it pays for the medical bills of drivers and/or passengers of a given vehicle only, in contrast to Medical coverage, which covers third parties’ expenses

So, What’s The Best Deal?

It depends on you, your state’s laws, what you can afford, and how expensive your car is.

• Your State’s Laws:  Whatever coverage you get, make sure it complies with your state’s laws, as the minimum requirements vary from state to state. See them here!
• What You Can Afford:  You can add additional coverage past the minimum legal requirement by choosing policies that offer wider coverage.  If you can, invest in larger liability coverage. If you injure someone physically and only have the bare minimum coverage, their attorney will pursue assets!  By spending a little on liability protection, you might end up saving a lot more.
• Your Car: You’re better off not investing much in Collision or Comprehensive coverage if your car isn’t worth more than $2,000.   Likewise, invest majorly in these areas if you own the latest model luxury car

  

  Do you own a luxury car?

• Other Options: Coverage for rental cars, warranty for broken parts, and roadside assistance.

I Want the Best Rates Available!

Don’t we all?  Take a look at some factors that affect your insurance rate.

• The Value of Your Car:  A dent in a luxury car will be worth more than a dent in a convenience car.  Before buying your next car, consider your corresponding rates along with the gas and maintenance costs.
• Where You Live:  It costs less to insure a car if you live in a safe neighborhood versus if you live in one with high vandalism and crime rates.
• You and Your Dependent’s Driving Record: If you’re a goody-goody driver with a clean record, insurers may offer discounts.  In the same way, your rate could be increased dramatically if your teenage son backs up against someone in the parking lot.
• Those Minimal Claims:  If you call your insurance company every time you notice a small scratch on your car, you are committing a mistake.  Calling for trivial things might make you most likely to be dumped by your current insurance provider, more likely to be rejected by your next potential insurer, or compelled to pay higher rates.  Don’t sweat the small things. File claims only if they are substantial.
• Your Credit Score:  As far as your insurance company is concerned, the worse your personal finance management, the worse the financial risk is for them.  Because people with lower credit scores tend to struggle more financially, they tend to claim smaller damages.  These small claims add up and in the end, people with low credit scores impose a heavier burden to insurance companies.  This results in people with low credit scores getting higher rates.
• By law, your insurer should let you know if it referred to your credit score to compute your premium.  However, it is always a good idea to ask if they referred to it

One Last Tip

If you do happen to be involved in a car accident, call us at Kanner & Pintaluga first. Most insurance companies will attempt to reduce the amount of money they have to pay to you to resolve the case.  Be especially careful if they request to record the conversation, as they can use it against you.

Knowing the basics of car insurance can help you make decisions more confidently – and more wisely.  Next time you shop for insurance, take the time to go over the policies to guarantee you’re getting the best deal.  By tailoring your package to your needs, you are ensuring that in an adverse scenario, the burden will be as marginal as it can be.

P.S. To answer the opening question:

“Say your wallet, laptop, tablet, and GPS were all stolen from the car…  What would you do?” 

If someone breaks into your car, your auto insurance doesn’t cover private property.  You should file that under your homeowner’s insurance.

So dangerous it might be illegal?

Sure enough, texting while walking is relatively inoffensive when compared to texting while driving. Yet, authorities in certain states, like Indiana, Arkansas, and New York have considered reprimanding text-walkers.  In 2011, New York senators were proposing a fine of 100 dollars.   Although it sounds over-the-top at first, let’s consider: when we text and walk, we pay more attention to the screen than to our surroundings.

Yet, how badly can you hurt yourself at 2 mph?  It depends.  Looking sideways before crossing the street is plain common sense, and looking at a screen while walking straight in front of moving cars is not a great idea.  Unfortunately, while texting, people have forgotten to take these safety measures, stepping in the path of cars and trains while texting, and sometimes causing fatalities.

How can anyone fail to see something that is right in front of his or her eyes?  

The supposed risk of text-walking is due to what researchers call “inattention blindness”. This means that a person can see something, but their brain does not process the presence of the object.  Your whole range of vision is temporarily blinded to a two-by-three inch screen. Combine this with your head held low, and you end up with a wide range of blind spots, making pedestrians unaware of what’s ahead of them.

Don’t believe us?  A perfect example is of this woman who fell into a water fountain in a mall because she was too distracted.  The woman’s eyes saw the fountain.  However, her brain, too busy texting, did not register the pool of water as a hazard to her dry clothes or electronic devices.  And the result is in this video:

A much more unpleasant experience happened to Alexa Longueira, who stepped and fell straight into a manhole in New York’s Staten Island.  Nothing grave happened to her; however, she came back up covered in sewage.

Other lesser dangers include bumping into lamp posts, angry pedestrians, and fire hydrants. This can be embarrassing, which is why a street in Brick Lane, London, woke up one morning with its lamp posts covered in plush, creating the first “text safe street”. Curiously, Brick Lane was identified as the most dangerous “lamp-collision” venue, counting for the majority of England’s 68,000 texting accidents. A release then revealed that 1 in 10 Brits have had an accident because they were texting while walking.  Comparable data in the US is still missing, but most likely it is around the same number.

Perhaps multitasking is overrated, but it is more convenient to get through work items while on the go, rather than having to wait until we’re in front of a laptop.  So, what’s the best thing to do?  Walking slower when texting?  Stopping and directing our backs to a wall when we text? If you’ve ever collided or seen someone accidentally running into an object because of this, tell us about it.  Comment below or leave us a post on our Facebook page!

WOW! Leading up to the crash, it seems clear the larger and “more solid” ‘59 would at least stand a chance. Not the case. The collision shows just how far the automotive industry has come in driver safety technology. The narrator points out that the Bel Air’s lack of airbag, head restraint, and seat belt further worsen the condition of the driver.

We’re not trying to discourage antique car collectors. Cars of the past have a charm that can’t be replicated. The video just demonstrates the advancements in vehicle safety and heightened importance of accident avoidance, especially in older vehicles. But this got us thinking – hasn’t everything about highway safety been improved?

Except the driver. Just think about it…when you’re driving and get cut off, do you blame the road? The car? By one estimate, the definite or probable cause in 93% of ALL accidents is driver error. Even if a person forgets to use their seat belt, it can wildly affect the results in an accident. Although advancements in technology definitely make a difference, there is still no cure for human mistake. Or is there?

Cue the “self-driving” car. You’ve seen them in the news or maybe you’ve even seen them on the road. These autonomous vehicles still seem like something out of a sci-fi movie, but they could be closer to reality than you think. It will be interesting to see how they’re written into the law.

There are many obvious problems to self-driving cars and probably not-so-obvious ones too. If your laptop freezes up, then one of these cars could too, right? And who is to blame when they get into an accident?

So tell us in the comments – what do you think about the latest advancements in driving safety and how it could improve? What potential problems do you see with self-driving cars?

Before we tell you our prediction, we’ve got to mention the game-changing drive. It doesn’t involve Eli Manning or Tom Brady, nor Ahmad Bradshow or Rob Gronkowski. The drive we’re talking about is your commute – the superfan drive to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis or the drive back from your friend’s after watching the game on his 60” HDTV. The Super Bowl is often the most watched broadcast of the year. Last year, it drew 111 MILLION viewers to become the most popular broadcast in American TV history. How many of those drive?

In addition to crowded roadways before the event, a lot of alcohol is consumed. Nielson reported that 51.7 million cases of beer are sold in the week surrounding the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, this significantly increases the danger of drunk drivers.

Hosting a Party

If you’re hosting a party, it’s important to coordinate designated drivers and see to it that their cars are accessible at the end of the game. It’s best to make these arrangements BEFORE kickoff! Make sure to have cab numbers handy, or arrange for people to spend the night. If no one wants to be a DD, make the offer attractive by offering the best seat in the house or a first run at the snacks.

When hosting a party, you’re legally considered to be the ‘Social Host.’ In Florida, there is a possibility that the Social Host will be held liable for a guest who drives home drunk and causes an accident. In other words, you must make the prevention of drunk drivers your responsibility as the host!

Going to a Party

Since someone was nice enough to put together a party and request your attendance, return the favor by making their job (see above) easy! If you plan on drinking, have a plan to get home safely before the game starts. If you don’t want to drink, offer your services as a designated driver and be sure your car can get out of the driveway!

Our Prediction

Until our Dolphins return to the Super Bowl, we’ve got to get behind something.  Since the Patriots are the official favorite, we’ll take the Patriots by 17.

From the offices of Kanner & Pintaluga, we wish everyone a fun and safe Super Bowl. Whether you’re a host or a guest this season, remember that your choices for Super Bowl XLVI mean a lot to all of us!

Tell us your prediction on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kpattorney!

Our clients are as diverse as our great country. To provide great representation to our great diverse communities we are proud of our multilingualism. To further the end, we have over forty (40) people on staff that are multilingual, including languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, French and Yiddish. Furthermore, we always have a translation service ready to assist 24 hours a day in any other language.

Howard M. Kanner is proud to have collected in excess of one hundred MILLION dollars in compensation on behalf of his injured clients, including a million dollar settlement prior to turning 30 years old. Howard graduated from Florida State University and proudly supports the Seminoles, and continued his studies at Vermont Law School.

Eric Pintaluga is a committed attorney known for his personal involvement in each case and works hands on with clients of K&P to make sure they are getting the care they need. Eric speaks fluent Spanish and is a staple of the Hispanic community. Eric first studied at the University of Florida – fuel for the many other Gator attorneys in our office. He went to law school at the University of Miami (the Hurricanes are represented too), and regularly appears on the ‘Ask an Attorney Live’ radio call-in show.

We thought starting this blog would be a good way to get you answers to FAQs, share how the latest technologies in cars and beyond affect us & help us, and info about events like our yearly Cinco de Mayo celebration (can’t wait!). You’ll also regularly see tips for young drivers, updates on celebrity cases, and local news.