Off road driving can be a very rewarding and fun pastime, but in order to ensure you stay safe off road it is worth learning the different techniques and how to practice them depending on the conditions.

Your vehicle will dictate how severe the terrain can be and one of the most important things to know is how to negotiate steep hills. You will need to consider not only the actual angle of the hill, but also the type of terrain, the approach to the hill and how much ground clearance your vehicle has. The angle at the rear of the car is important as if you have a tow bar for example that may hit the ground on a steep hill. The ground clearance is also important especially on very rough or rutted or rocky surfaces.

To make a successful hill climb you need sufficient traction and momentum and you need to make sure to choose the right route. If it is slippery then select the highest gear you can, raise the suspension if that option is available to you and ease off the gas as you reach the top. The route you choose will depend on obstacles in the way, the existing tracks and ruts but the basic rule is to use a route which minimizes side angles as sliding forwards or backwards is much easier to control than a sideways slide.

If you, or someone you know, have been the victim of a serious car accident, contact the Reno accident attorneys of Jolley Urga Woodbury & Little at (702) 699-7500 or contact us online today.

When driving in the rain you need to be more alert and most important you must slow your speed.

Once it begins to rain hard, turn your headlights on low beam, not only to make it easier for you to see the road ahead but also so that other drivers can see you more easily, especially those who are behind.

You should not drive off road nor through moving water as you will have no idea how deep the water is and you could become stuck or even swept away by the water. Even if you manage to get through the water, if it is too deep it could damage the vehicle’s electrical system.

Be mindful of other road users and don’t drive too quickly past pedestrians and splash them with standing water.

If the rain becomes very heavy and accompanied by thunder and lightning it is best to leave the roadway and wait until the storm passes. The visibility will be worse and the high winds make driving even more difficult plus lightning flashes can be disorientating and can cause temporary blindness which can lead to an accident.

If you, or someone you know, have been the victim of a serious car accident, contact the Reno accident attorneys of Jolley Urga Woodbury & Little at (702) 699-7500 or contact us online today.

Every state apart from New Hampshire requires drivers to have liability insurance.

However, the minimum policy limits in Nevada are low, at $15,000 per person for bodily injury, $30,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $10,000 per accident for property damage. Therefore it is advisable for Nevada drivers to buy uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, in case they are involved in a serious accident.

In some other states, Florida and New Jersey, the limit is even lower for bodily injury, at $10,000 but most are between $20,000 and $30,000, with Alaska and Maine having the highest at $50,000.

However, although if you have the minimum you are within the law, that does not prevent you from being personally liable if you are to blame for an accident. You would have to pay yourself for the loss and damage you have caused. And if it is you who are injured, you can either settle for the policy limit, which will often not be sufficient to compensate you, or you will have to appoint an attorney to try and claim directly from the person who caused the accident.

Therefore, to protect yourself in either of these eventualities you should buy additional coverage which allows you to claim against your own insurance to make up the shortfall.

If you, or someone you know, have been the victim of a serious car accident, contact the Reno accident attorneys of Jolley Urga Woodbury & Little at (702) 699-7500 or contact us online today.

Seat belt laws in the United States are in place specifically to reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths that result from car crashes. Seat belts have been proven as the most effective mechanism for saving lives on America’s roads and while there have been a few reported instances of seat belt failure over the years that have caused some brief debate about their effectiveness, the fact remains that seat belts make traveling in passenger vehicles significantly safer. But there are a number of interesting statistics about seat belts that prove their effectiveness and show just how much safer America’s roads could be if adults and children buckled up every time they got in a car.

• A study conducted by James Madison University showed that as many as 17,000 lives could be saved annually by properly using seat belts.
• According to the Naval Safety Center, out of more than 32,000 people killed in car crashes in 2002, nearly 60 percent were not wearing a seat belt.
• The traffic statistics website Car-Accidents.com found that individuals who are injured in a car crash who were not wearing a seat belt pay an average of 50 percent more in medical costs than those who do wear them.