Bowie Legal Issues Blog

Many drivers across Maryland and the United States prefer to avoid traveling near commercial trucks whenever possible because they can be hard to see and navigate around, among other reasons. While sharing the road with semitrucks is dangerous even when truck drivers are consistent about properly following the rules of the road, it can prove considerably more so when the employees driving these vehicles are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Unfortunately, the American Addiction Centers report that substance abuse among semitruck drivers is far more common than you may like to believe. When truckers turn to drugs or alcohol while at the wheel, it has the potential to affect everything from their vision and alertness to a trucker’s ability to stop or gauge risks, which in turn means everyone else on the roadway faces increased dangers. So, just how much are today’s truck drivers turning to drugs or alcohol, and why is substance abuse such a prevalent problem in the industry?

You may never have been involved in a car crash, but if you are, seek prompt medical attention, even if you feel fine.

Signs of a potentially serious condition may not show up right away. For example, until symptoms develop several days after the accident, there would be no reason to suspect a traumatic brain injury.

Last week, we discussed in broad terms what happens when one member of a divorced couple decides to move away and the couple has minor children in common. This week, we’ll delve into what happens in the event that the non-relocating ex-spouse does not agree to the relocation request: a court relocation hearing.

At the hearing, the court will examine the current custody arrangement—which was originally drafted with the best interest of the child in mind. If one parent is planning to move to a location far enough away that it would inhibit visitation or shared custody by the other parent, then the court must consider whether the move is in the best interest of the child. There is no precise formula to determine what is best for a child, but some factors the court might consider are:

We may be getting smarter as a species, but we’re not becoming any safer at driving. At least that’s what the data says. In 2015, the number of traffic deaths in the U.S. spiked by 8 percent—the biggest jump in half a century. By 2016, that statistic increased again, resulting in more than 40,000 traffic fatalities. As 2017 draws to a close, let’s take some proactive steps to being safer on the road.

Traffic accidents are usually the result of human error, but which driving errors most frequently result in accidents? In this week’s post, we examine the three most common instigators of car accidents.