Austin Family Law And Personal Injury Blog

As one of many Texas parents who filed for divorce this year, you can likely relate to those who say they worry about their children's well-being when it comes to custody issues. If you and your ex have a solid co-parenting plan and a strong support network, you might feel confident that your kids will bounce back quickly and be able to move on in life without lasting repercussions.

On the other hand, you might be among hundreds, if not thousands, of other parents who are deeply concerned because a co-parent is unfit. If this is so in your case, it's of paramount importance that you know your rights and how to protect them. In situations like yours, the first logical step to take is to bring the matter to the court's attention. If you know someone who has gone through a similar experience, his or her guidance and support may prove invaluable.

Although they know in theory that the practice is illegal, many drivers in the Austin area may be tempted to try and beat a light just as it is turning red. They may think that there is little harm in this practice since cross-traffic does not start traveling through an intersection immediately or because they do not see anyone coming. While some people who think this way may just get lucky and have nothing happen, the reality is that when drivers choose to run red lights, other people are the ones who get hurt.

According to a recent report, of those who died following a driver running a red light, half were either people in the vehicle that got struck or a passenger in the car that ran through the red light. An additional 5% of victims were either pedestrians or people on bicycles.

In typical child custody cases, many experts agree that it is best when both parents have an active and significant role in their children's lives. Achieving this may require parents in Austin to set aside their differences and work hard to get along for the sake of their children, even in the midst of a divorce or other difficult breakup.

However, there are some situations, such as when one parent has perpetrated domestic violence against either the child or the other parent, in which the best interests of the child might not be best served by having both parents involved in the child's life. Indeed, the physical and emotional safety of the victims is paramount.

While there is a lot of talk about a deadly opioid epidemic impacting Texas and the rest of the country, people could also quite rightly speak of a traffic accident epidemic as well. By way of example, between 2006 and 2012, 100,000 people died in connection with the opioid epidemic, that is, from drug overdoses or other drug-related issues. However, in the same years, almost 190,500 people died from car accidents. Moreover, this number does not represent all car accidents, but just those which police attributed to drunk driving, distracted driving and speeding.

These three very bad driving habits make up a disproportionate share of fatal traffic accidents. Between 2000 and today, over 624,000 people have died because of motor vehicle accidents. Of those 624,000, 213,000 died in an accident in which at least one driver had higher than .08 blood alcohol content in his or her blood and thus was legally too drunk to drive. Additionally, over 197,000 people died because of speeding, which can include both exceeding the posted limit and just traveling too fast for the road and traffic conditions. Finally, around 78,000 people died because of some form of distracted driving.