There is nothing like that sinking feeling when your battery is flat and the car will not start and you know you have to jump start it.

However, it is easy to fix with jump leads. First you need to find a car which has a similar engine size to your own. You should also have safety goggles. Check your car battery as if is is damaged or corroded or leaking it could be dangerous to jump start so call a mechanic. Remember not to put metal objects near the battery and never smoke when carrying out this maneuver.

Turn the headlights and any electronics off and take the key out of the ignition. Then park the vehicles next to each other and ensure the jump leads can go from one battery to the other. Connect the first end of the RED positive lead to the positive terminal on the working battery. Do the same for the other end of the lead for the flat battery.

Then connect the BLACK negative lead to the negative terminal on the working battery. Attach the other end to a metal point as an earth, such as a bolt or bracket, but away from the dead battery. Check your handbook to see if your car has a special negative jump-starting pole.

Start the engine of the working car and wait around a minute before trying to start the car which is not working. If it does not work then wait a little longer. Once the vehicle is running, leave it a little while to charge the battery.

Remove the jump leads in reverse to the way you attached them.

If you have been injured in a serious accident, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

Many people believe that sunglasses with a yellow tint will help you with night driving.

Unfortunately the Sunglass Association of America says that this type of lenses only really make you believe you can see better as although they are thought to help with contrast which is supposed to make objects clearer at night, they actually cut down on the amount of light you can really see, so should not be used.

If you do suffer from night blindness, in other words you feel you do not see well enough to drive at night, you can try using special prescription glasses which have an anti-reflective coating. These stop the light from bouncing, especially for those who wear contact lenses which can often cause flares around headlights making it difficult to see at night.

If you do not wear glasses to correct your vision then do not wear sunglasses of any type at night and if you are having difficulty with your vision at night, it is best to stop driving then.

If you have been injured in a serious accident, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

At the end of August dirt bike and ATV riders all descended on the town of New Haven for an illegal joyride.

The riders came from as far afield as Boston but what they did not know is that New Haven police would link up with police from East Haven, West Haven and state police to carry out a major crackdown on the illegal dirt bike and ATV use in Greater New Haven.

In the city alone, nine arrests were made and 20 bikes were seized. In total there were 12 to 15 arrests with 30 bikes confiscated.

Police discovered about the ride from social media as well of informants and they considered it to be a major safety hazard with at one point during the gathering 100 bikes doing wheelies and running red lights on the boulevard. They have a policy not to give chase as that can also cause an accident but instead they used video cameras to record drivers and then arrested them later. Plain clothes police also arrested drivers at the Hess gas station on State Street as they were putting gas in their vehicles.

If you have been injured in a serious accident, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

The blizzard which swept through Connecticut on Tuesday resulted in a travel ban but fewer accidents than forecast.

According to the governor there were only 11 accidents with one minor injury on state roads during the blizzard. He said that a city plow collided with a utility pole in Middletown which led to the road being closed and a power outage which affected hundreds of people. However, most of those people had service back within a few hours.

Metro North services were cancelled until trains could move safely between Grand Central Terminal and New Haven.

In New Haven, the Office of Emergency Management reported 12 plus inches of snow, with 240 cars being towed for parking ban violations, but apart from that it was quiet. In East Haven there were 12 to 15 inches of snow, with crews working round the clock to clear roads.

Drivers throughout the area abided by the travel ban, which made a major difference to the number of accidents. However, travel remained dangerous due to the winds blowing the snow and reducing visibility.

If you have been injured in a serious accident, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

What is needed in a good driver? Well anticipation is one of the most important things, thinking what might happen around you, as well as concentration of course, focusing on your driving and nothing else.

Another thing which is very important is that you need to have skill to be a good driver and this comes over time and with a lot of practice. Some drivers never develop the skills needed to be a very good driver, you probably could name some.

You also need to have the right attitude. Your aim is to stay calm and tolerant in all situations and those who cannot do that will never become good drivers.

And finally you need the knowledge. You should know the Highway Code, and although you may have learned it to pass your driving test that could have been a long time ago so it is worth picking up a new copy to check you know it.

If you have been injured in a serious vehicle accident involving an automobile and a pedestrian, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

There are many reasons why people say they do not wear seat belts.

One of the most common is that they do not need them as the car has airbags

The reality is that yes air bags do provide extra protection in a front on crash but if not wearing a seat belt the driver or front seat passenger can slide under them. In addition, air bags will not help in side or rear impact or rollover crashes.

Another reason given for not wearing seat belts is that people do not want to be trapped in a burning car or underwater. However, crashes involving fire or water happen in only half a percent of all crashes. And, when they do occur, the best chance of survival is if you are conscious and uninjured which may not be the case if you did not have your seatbelt on when the accident occurred.

Some think that it is safer to be thrown clear in a crash than to remain inside the vehicle but that is almost impossible as when you’re thrown out of the vehicle it may be  through the windshield, along the road, or even crushed by your own vehicle or another one. Your best place to be in a crash is inside the vehicle, securely held by your seat belt.

Please always remember to buckle up while in a moving automobile. If you have been injured in a serious vehicle accident involving an automobile and a pedestrian, and would like to best possible attorney team to work on your case, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help.

So far this year, 15 children around the country have died after being left in a car during hot weather. In all of  2013 the total was 44.

According to the Connecticut State Police, their investigations will determine what charge the person who left the child in the car will face on a case by case basis.

Should the child be left unsupervised inside the vehicle but their health is not at risk, the charge is likely to be misdemeanor. This was the case of the East Haven mom who was arrested for leaving her infant child and a toddler in a Target parking lot, and a Shelton mom who was also arrested for leaving her young three year old in the parking lot at Trader Joe. Both events happened this month.

However if the child then needs medical attention, the charge increase to risk of injury to a minor, and should the child die, the charge becomes one of murder.

Children should never be left in a locked car, nor should they have access to a vehicle or its trunk, especially when the weather is hot.

Drivers should keep their vehicles locked and never let children play inside them, and they should always check the vehicle before locking it and leaving it, in case a child is hiding.

All drivers know the uncertainty which comes with driving in wet and rainy conditions. Not only does the rain obscure road conditions and what is happening outside of the car, the rain itself presents various hazards resulting from the way it affects the roads. One of the hazards presented by rainy and wet conditions is hydroplaning. This occurs when a car skims across the top of a body of water, such as a puddle, causing the driver to lose at least partial control of his or her vehicle.

Though practically all East Haven area drivers have experienced the hydroplaning phenomenon, relatively few have ever studied exactly what to do in order to best maneuver such a situation safely. Here we present a video on how to handle driving in wet conditions and what to do if your car hydroplanes:

One of the keys to driving in rainy conditions is to treat the situation seriously and pay close attention to the road and drivers around you. Remember, the rain does not just affect your ability to safely control your vehicle, but also affects other drivers’ abilities to safely control their vehicles as well. For this reason it is generally wise to simply avoid driving in heavy downpours altogether. However, in case you do find yourself driving in rainy conditions, the suggestions found in the video above should help you have the best chance of doing so safely.

If you have been injured in a serious vehicle accident in East Haven or another part of Connecticut, please immediately call Hastings, Cohan, and Walsh, LLP –(888) 244-5480. We are here to help