A little over a month ago, a motorcyclist was killed when his motorcycle hit a car. According to police, the Fairfax County motorcycle accident occurred on the evening of Wednesday, June 8, 2011.

Forty-three-year-old Hassan Lowe of Alexandria, was heading southbound on North Kings Highway when his bike struck a car turning onto Fort Drive. The force of the impact caused Lowe to be thrown from his motorcycle. He was taken to the hospital by emergency crewmembers, but sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.

Virginia Motorcycle Accidents are a Major Problem
Stories such as the one of this fatal motorcycle crash bring to light the dangers of the road. In 2010, there were 2,207 motorcycle accidents reported in Virginia, which led to 78 deaths and 1,981 injuries. The Virginia Highway Traffic Safety Office issued a report citing the following facts and data regarding Virginia motorcycle wrecks:

• 53.5% of the crashes occurred when the vehicle was going straight
• Motorcycle defects were cited in less than 5% of accidents
• Nearly 8% of motorcycle wrecks involved speeding
• Alcohol was a known factor in 3.4% of accidents
• 1,834 drivers were injured, while 147 passengers were hurt in motorcycle crashes
• Motorcycle accidents accounted for 11.3% of all fatal crashes

If You’re The One Injured
Reading statistics is one thing, being included in them is another. If you have been hurt in a Fairfax motorcycle accident, you need to learn your rights by ordering the FREE book, Five Deadly Sins That Can Wreck Your Injury Claim. This book will open your eyes to how personal injury claims are handled and what actions can be harmful.

Two new traffic safety laws have taken effect in Virginia in July 2010. These are laws that you need to be aware of if you are traveling on the state’s roads and highways.

Virginia lawmakers voted to expand the Commonwealth’s Move Over law during the 2010 legislative session.  This new law requires motorists to move over or proceed cautiously (if they can’t change lanes safely) when there is a tow truck or highway maintenance vehicle flashing amber lights. Previously, motorists only had to do so when there were vehicles displaying red or blue lights.

This new law is designed to protect tow truck drivers and highway workers. It follows a tragic Newport News accident that claimed the life of Andy Starmer, a tow truck driver who was hit and killed while he was assisting a stranded motorist.

There is a second law that has taken effect, which impacts teenagers.  According to the new law, 16- and 17-year-old passengers will be required to wear seatbelts while riding in the back seat of vehicles.  They will be subject to primary enforcement for not buckling up. Before this law, only fifteen-year-old and younger passengers had to wear seatbelts in the back seat.

Lawmakers are hoping that these new laws will serve as additional protection for many on the roads in Virginia.

A recent verdict in the Fairfax County Circuit Court called for payments from both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s insurance companies.

Ms. Gina Deangelis was driving her vehicle on the exit ramp from Route 29 (Lee Highway) at West Ox Road on October 24, 2003. The defendant, Mr. Cory Dumar, ran a red light and crossed the path of the plaintiff’s vehicle causing a collision. Ms. Deangelis suffered a variety of injuries as a result of the accident.

The Fairfax jury awarded Ms. Deangelis $79,757 in damages but Mr. Dumar’s liability insurance limit was $25,000. Luckily for Ms. Deangelis she carried un-insured motorist/under-insured motorist (UIM) coverage. This insurance covers damages that exceed a defendant’s liability coverage. Mr. Dumars only carried $25,000 in liability coverage so the remaining balance of $54,757 was paid by Ms. Deangelis’ UIM insurance.

Virginia is one of the states that does not have an insurance requirement for drivers. It is perfectly legal for an uninsured motorist to drive in Virginia after paying a small fee to the DMV. That fact makes UIM coverage even more important for Virginians. Imagine being hit by a motorist without coverage and you have insufficient UIM coverage. You won’t be able to recover anything from the at-fault driver and the maximum you can get from your insurance company will be whatever your UIM coverage is. Is it enough?

The same applies for under-insured motorists such as Mr. Dumars. $25,000 is the minimum liability coverage available for purchase. Even if someone has $25,000 (even $100,000 if you suffer serious losses) it will likely not cover your losses. Make sure you have proper UIM coverage to protect yourself, it’s inexpensive and can protect you from the growing numbers of un-insured/under-insured motorists in Fairfax and the entire Commonwealth.

Check out Ben Glass’ book The Ultimate Guide to Car Insurance in Virginia for FREE!

If you ask Virginia consumers their opinions about the proposed new law that would mandate insurers to notify car accident victims when a settlement check has been sent to their lawyer, they will probably tell you that they think it is a good idea.

The Virginia Payee Notification Statute has received a lot of opposition by trial lawyers because they feel that it “unfairly singles out plaintiff’s lawyers.”  One attorney commented that the lawyers who oppose this proposed statute are placing their own egos in front of a common sense rule.  “Their feelings are hurt.”

There have also been a lot of supporters of this law, as they feel that it would protect consumers against unethical attorneys, such as Stephen Conrad.

Conrad concocted a scheme where he would settle his clients’ cases without their knowledge and when the insurance company would mail Conrad the settlement check, he would forge his clients’ signatures and cash it.  He was able to steal millions of dollars.  If the Virginia Payee Notification Statute had been in place, Conrad probably would not have been able to pull off this stunt.