A study released this week by the AAA’s safety foundation shows that teens driving with their friends in the car is much riskier than driving alone or with an adult. This study is one of the first that has been done since changes were made in driving laws in many states, which began in the mid-1990s. Many states now restrict teens from driving with passengers under the age of 21 and prevent driving at night.

The study was based on teen crashes that occurred between 2007 and 2010. The study found that a 16 or 17 year old’s risk of death when carrying one passenger younger than 21, and no adults, increased 44 percent when compared with driving alone. The risk is double that when carrying two passengers under the age of 21, and quadruples when carrying three or more young passengers. However, the risk of a teen driver dying in an accident when driving with a passenger aged 35 or older decreases by 62 percent.

The good news is between 2000 and 2010, the number of 16 and 17 year olds involved in fatal crashes fell by more than half each year. Much of the credit for those declines is attributed to graduated licensing laws, more seat belt use, less drunk driving and better car safety equipment. Among those young teen drivers who were killed between 2000 and 2010, 40 percent had at least one passenger under the age of 21 and no older adult passengers.

This new study shows just how distracting young passengers can be to teen drivers. If you have a young driver in your family, consider what rules you want to put into place about driving with other young passengers or alone – that can make a huge impact on the odds of a crash occurring.

Have you been involved in an accident that was caused by a teen driver? If so, you could have a cause of action against that teen. Call the Dallas car accident attorneys at The Barber Law Firm at 866-986-1529 to learn more.

In a tragic accident that occurred Saturday night, a man fell from a platform and was dragged beneath a Dallas Area Rapid Transit train and was killed. The accident occurred inCarrollton. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Although it’s possible DART was not responsible for the accident that occurred Saturday night, common carriers do have a responsibility to keep passengers safe. “Common carriers” are those whose business it is to transport individuals from one place to another for compensation, and whose services are open to the public. Some examples of common carriers include commercial buses, trains, subways, airplanes, taxis and ferries.

Common carriers owe their passengers a special duty to passengers. In general, common carriers are required to use the highest degree of care and diligence in transporting passengers to their destinations. The common carriers must have the equipment and skill to transport passengers.

Although common carriers do owe a high degree of care for their passengers, they are not considered insurers of their passengers’ safety. They are only required to exercise that degree of care that could reasonably be expected. If a passenger is injured, it’s not automatically the responsibility of the common carrier – the accident could have been caused by the passenger’s negligence.

If you have been injured in a common carrier accident, contact the personal injury attorneys at The Barber Law Firm. It’s important to preserve evidence and investigate the accident before it’s too late.

With the weather warming up, and with gas prices sky-high and most likely rising more before summer, increasing people are turning to scooters, mopeds, and other forms of transportation instead of their automobiles.

Many people don’t consider scooters to be dangerous. However, they can be. Scooters move faster than bicycles and do not offer many protections. To stay safe on scooters, there are a few safety tips to follow. First, obey all traffic laws. Try to keep on the right side of the road, like a bicycle. Be sure to use the proper safety equipment, including a helmet that is approved by the Department of Transportation. Although it may be tempting to wear shorts and other summer clothing, you may wish to consider wearing gloves, pants and a riding jacket to avoid hand, leg and torso injuries in the event of an accident.

It’s extremely important to be observant when riding a scooter. Many other drivers report having trouble seeing motorcycles, which are bigger and louder than scooters. Stay close to the edge of the road and use mirrors to see the area behind your scooter. It’s also important to follow safe riding practices, such as riding defensively. If you must ride at night, wear bright colors and use reflective strips to make yourself visible to other cars. Use your headlights. Finally, if you are in an accident, speak with the police officer at the scene. Get all necessary information from the other driver, such as insurance information and contact information. Take pictures if possible.

Scooter riding can be a fun and safe hobby if good safety practices are followed. If you have been injured in aDallasscooter or moped accident due to another driver’s negligence, contact the Dallas personal injury attorneys at The Barber Law Firm today. Our attorneys have assisted numerous accident victims in obtaining the compensation they deserve.

It is a very common misperception among non-lawyers that almost any attorney can represent a client in almost any matter as long as the case is a common one. Many clients think that if they need a routine bankruptcy or a will prepared, they can go to the same attorney who handled their divorce or did the closing on their home. In addition, some attorneys will agree to handle a case outside their specialty in order to collect the fee.

However, the truth is that the law is increasingly becoming more complex, so it is much better to find an attorney who specializes in what you need. Also, you may think you have a very simple, straightforward case. While this is sometimes true, more often a simple case can be filled with complexities that only an experienced attorney will recognize. Instead of finding any random attorney to handle your case, a better approach is to find the most experienced attorney in the field of law your case is in who you can afford to hire to handle your case.

This is particularly true in personal injury cases. Although personal injury cases are very common, they can be very complex. Only an attorney with substantial personal injury experience should handle such a case. Also, once a case is settled, an injured party cannot get more compensation later if their medical circumstances change. Therefore, you should hire an experienced attorney to help you get the maximum amount of compensation available.

Have you been injured in an accident due to another party’s negligence in the Dallas area? If so, contact the Barber Law Firm, a personal injury law firm dedicated to helping accident victims recover.

More than ever, holiday shoppers are turning to the internet to purchase some or all of their Christmas gifts. Although the internet is very convenient and shoppers can score some great deals, cyber thieves are out there looking for a way to steal your credit card and other personal information. So how can you stay safe while shopping online?

The Federal Trade Commission recommends a three-pronged approach.

1. Deter. Safeguard your information in order to deter identity thieves from obtaining your information. Some ways to do this include:

• Do not click on links in unsolicited emails or pop-up advertisements. Use anti-virus software on your home computer and keep it updated.
• Do not use obvious passwords.
• Don’t give out your Social Security number online unless absolutely necessary.
• Make sure each website on which you make purchases is a secure website.

2. Detect. Detect suspicious activity involving your identity by monitoring your financial accounts.

• Be alert for bills do not arrive as expected.
• Be alert for calls about purchases you did not make or accounts you did not open.
• Monitor your credit report, either by obtaining free credit reports or by signing up with a monitoring service.
• Review your account statements for suspicious charges.

3. Defend. Once suspicious activity is detected, defend yourself against identity theft.

• Place a fraud alert on your credit reports by contacting the three major credit bureaus – TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. Creditors will then have certain procedures in place if someone opens an account in your name within 90 days.
• Close accounts that are fraudulent.
• File a police report.
• Make a complaint with the FTC.

Have you or a loved one been the victim of identity theft or another legal problem? If so, contact The Barber Law Firm in Dallas at 972-231-5800. We will help you evaluate your legal options. Call today to learn more.

More people than ever before are using social media as a way to stay connected with family and friends. Many of those who use social media forget that the information they post is either public or can be made public at a later date. Unfortunately for some of those users, information posted on social media sites has proved damaging for lawsuits the parties were involved in.

Although social media websites are relatively new, there are already numerous instances of individuals whose personal injury lawsuits were damaged or ruined by posting information online. For example, a woman who sued an office furniture company after falling off an office chair claimed she suffered serious injuries and was confined to her home and bed. However, the furniture company saw that on her Facebook and MySpace pages, from the limited information she had made public that she appeared to have an active lifestyle. A judge later ordered the plaintiff to give the defendant access to her private Facebook and MySpace postings.

As social media continues to become more prevalent, we should see more and more cases like this. Social media can not only damage a personal injury lawsuit – there have also been published cases of debt collectors using Facebook to find debtors, although many courts have banned them from doing so. Facebook can also be a gold mine of information for divorce lawyers. If you are using social media, be smart about it. Be aware that everything you post ultimately has the potential to be made public.

If you are in the Dallas area and you have been injured and expect to be involved in a personal injury lawsuit, contact the Barber Law Firm. Our attorneys can guide you through the best way to proceed with your claim. Call us today.