Detroit Personal Injury Law Blog

Not all vehicles on the highway have tire-pressure monitors, although the warning devices have been required by law on cars made since 2008. The risk of a tire-related car accident is higher for drivers of older-model vehicles and cars that did not voluntarily feature the safety option before the law went into effect.

Tire-pressure monitors remind drivers to maintain pressure, but the devices cannot force motorists to comply. Drivers still control whether they respond to electronic underinflation warnings.

We have all seen the bumper stickers that implore us to "start seeing motorcycles." It seems like a simple request, and certainly good advice. As the weather in Michigan warms up more and more motorcyclists are bringing their bikes out of storage for the riding season. Motorists who have not been accustomed to looking out for motorcycles must once again pay full attention to ensure that they fulfilling their duty to drive safely and not endanger others who are using Michigan's roads.

While motorcycles are certainly smaller than other passenger vehicles they are still clearly visible to any driver who is paying sufficient attention. But for some reason it seems as if drivers either do not recognize motorcycles on the road or do not respect motorcyclists and give them the same deference that they would give to other vehicles.

Just after 3:30 in the afternoon yesterday Michigan State Football Players Lawrence Thomas and William Gholston were injured when they were involved in a multi-vehicle car accident on Interstate 96. A report n the accident in the Detroit Free Press said that neither of the young athletes, nor anyone else involved in the accident, suffered serious injuries. Both Thomas, a redshirt freshman, and Gholston, a junior, are from Detroit.

The accident itself involved a series of events that ultimately led to the football players' vehicle on its side in a ditch and another car ending up on its roof. A Michigan State Trooper indicated that the incident began when one vehicle changed lanes in front of a Hyundai sedan, cutting it off. The woman driving the Hyundai lost control of her vehicle as a result. The Hyundai then swerved into the path of the SUV which was being driven by Gholston. Those two cars collided and rolled off the road into the shoulder.

In general, car accidents occur because someone was not driving as safely as they should have been. A driver may have been distracted, intoxicated, or simply have made a decision or misjudged a curve. Whatever the specific cause, many accidents can be traced back to the negligence of a specific person who was behind the wheel of a motor vehicle during the accident.

But this is not always the case. There are times when an accident is caused by the condition of the roadway itself. It may be that the roadbed was negligently prepared. Thus resulting in potholes or buckling and that these problems in the road itself cause a driver to lose control of their vehicle and become involved in a car accident. Recently the Michigan Supreme Court examined the question of when public agencies may be liable to driver for problems in the road that cause accidents.