Biloxi Personal Injury Law Blog

Is your spouse one of those people who likes to drive as long as possible without stopping on a road trip? Do they prefer to skip the overnight hotel stays and meal breaks and just "push on through" until you reach your destination? Maybe you're the one in the family who likes to do that.

You can save time and money by driving straight through to your destination. However, you can't do it alone, and you need to be prepared. Let's look at just a few safety tips for a long road trip:

• Make sure your vehicle is ready. Check all of the liquid levels and tires and be sure you have a good spare tire. Have all of your vehicle documents easily available (including registration, insurance and roadside assistance numbers).
• Have at least one other driver to alternate with. Setting a driver schedule can be helpful, but anytime the driver is tired or just needs a break, stop or switch.
• While it's not your turn to drive, get some sleep. If there's more than one designated driver, it's helpful if one of them can be in the front seat with the driver helping them navigate if necessary, changing channels on the radio and tending to the kids or others in the vehicle who need something.
• Don't be afraid to stop. If everyone is just too tired to drive safely or if the weather or road conditions get bad, look for a motel to spend the night. Don't just pull over and sleep. That can be very dangerous. Depending on where you are, it might also be illegal.

A woman who killed another driver in a crash on Interstate 22 in Byhalia almost a year ago has been sentenced to a decade in prison. The crash occurred during a high-speed police chase through two counties in North Mississippi. The driver was charged with second-degree murder as well as fleeing law enforcement.

The incident occurred on Nov. 29, 2018. Police tried to pull over the woman and her companion for driving a stolen car. After passing from DeSoto County into Marshall County, with deputies from both counties behind them, they crashed into the victim's car, causing her to suffer fatal injuries.

If you're shopping for a new car after being involved in a crash, you likely want one with all the safety features widely available on newer models to help you feel more secure as you get back on the road.

One popular feature -- which will be standard in 2022 on most vehicles -- is automatic emergency braking (AEB). It can help prevent rear-end crashes because it will cause the vehicle to brake when it senses that the car in front has stopped -- even if the driver doesn't notice.

As patients, it's ultimately our responsibility to make the decision about whether or how a medical condition will be treated. However, we have to be able to give "informed consent." That's where the doctor's responsibility comes in.

Doctors are obligated to give their patients thorough and honest information about their condition as well as their treatment options, any potential risks that these treatments carry and the prognosis with and without treatment. They're required to provide this information in language that patients can understand.