(Jeff Hamilton of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra is playing the drums on this Diane Krall version of “Let It Snow.” Jeff and I grew up in the same town and we both played in the High School Band. Obviously, Jeff is a far better musician and I’m a big fan of him.)

Okay, enjoy the music! We’ve had snow Thursday of this week and even just a bit today that did not accumulate. So, careful driving or no driving is the smart thing to do here in Alabama when we’ve got snow!

Yesterday, I drove to Tuscaloosa for mediation. The snow covered icy roads had melted during the night in the rain. Before then, I stayed off the roads. The case involved a drunk driver who hit my client at about 90 mph from the rear. My client had just started moving after the stop light turned green. Unfortunately, one passenger was killed in the wreck.

The driver had the minimum amount of insurance, not enough to even pay the hospital bills. Check you insurance policy and raise the amount of coverage that you have. (I cover this in detail in my book. I’ll send you a complimentary copy.) Also make sure that you have uninsured /underinsured coverage. Tragedy can strike in a moment. For your protection and the protection of others you need insurance coverage that will cover the amount of damage that can be caused by a wreck. No one is smiling when someone has died in a wreck and others seriously injured. Being responsible means having adequate insurance coverage. Being responsible also means not driving when there is snow in Alabama. Instead stay home and remember to “Let It Snow.”

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We have had snow this Christmas.  That was followed by warm weather.  Sunday it may snow.  Changing weather means changing conditions.  Now is a good time before it gets colder again to check your tire pressure and your fluid levels in your vehicle.  Changing weather can cause a tire to lose pressure by it leaking.

Another thing to be careful about is carbon monoxide poisoning.  If you have a bad exhaust system, one that leaks, you need to immediately get it fixed.  People don’t smell carbon monoxide.  Up north where they have more snow, sometimes, people when stuck in the snow will run their engines to stay warm and not realize that they are poisoning themselves to death – quite literally!

Check your equipment before we have more changing weather conditions.  With good clear weather, it’s the perfect time before we have changing weather conditions.

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Over the holidays we enjoy seeing family and friends.  Also, children get new toys.  Ralphie, in A Christmas Story, wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun.  Everyone told him, he would shoot his eye out.  The irony is that after he got his BB Gun, he almost did shoot his eye out!

Many children get new toys and parents need to be sure that they will safely use them.  Children have a tendency to find the weak point when it comes to safe operation of things.  So, do teenagers whom I have written about concerning driving safety.  Remember also that this time of the year when it gets dark early that it’s hard to see and there is driver fatigue.

I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and remember the celebration is the birth of Jesus, Savior of the world.  Have a safe holiday.

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Not long ago the newspaper listed four tragic accidents of young people.  Sorry if I sound like a broken record – Drive Safely.  No, you can’t reverse things like you could the old Beatles Album where people played it backwards.  So, take precautions when driving.  To drive defensively, prepare for the unexpected.  In this holiday time period when everyone is out shopping, they have their minds on other things and just may not see you!  You and they are not on each others shopping lists, so if driving focus on what you are doing and pay attention.  Remember Santa knows if you have been a naughty or a nice driver.

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Today, a truck caught fire outside my office window. I called 911. Fortunately, no one was hurt. You see them along the road occasionally, but it’s not every day that you see one outside your window!

First, get away from the fire.  Get everyone out of the car or truck as fast as possible.

Second, move far away from the car.  Remember that your car or truck has gasoline in it and can explode. Don’t stand close to the vehicle watching the fire. If the car explodes from the gasoline catching fire, you won’t have time to move to cover. So, get back from the car.  You can get another car or truck.  You don’t want to take the risk of injury.    In the case of the fire outside my office window, the police  had the entire block blocked off so that  no one would get hurt.

Third,  call for emergency help.  Give them good directions on your location.  They are trained to put out fires, but can’t put it out if you don’t give them good information on where you are.

Fourth,  don’t be tempted to go back into the car or truck to try to save your possessions.  It’s not worth the risk.  Be safe and wait for the fire department.

Fifth,  don’t be surprised by all of the smoke.  Car tires on fire put out a lot of smoke.  It’s another reason to stand far back from the burning vehicle.

Firemen and police are trained to deal with this type of emergency.  Think through in you mind what you would do to protect yourself and your family if you vehicle caught fire.  No trips to the hospital are a great outcome for what is a very dangerous situation.   Thankfully, no one was hurt with the fire that occurred today.

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Vestavia Hills passed a local ordinance that makes it illegal to text while you drive.  Our Alabama Legislature did not pass the bill that had been introduced.  While there may be some issues relating to Vestavia’s ordinance, the fact of the matter is that what they are trying to do is protect you and me.  “Our ordinance recognizes the threat to public safety that is posed by electronic messaging,” said Vestavia Hills’ council president, Mary Lee Rice.  We are likely to see other cities also pass similar laws.

I’ve previously written a number of posts about the dangers of cell phone use while driving.  If you want to text,  save a life and stop driving.

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One of the things that I do as an attorney is a lot of driving. This past week I drove up to Huntsville for the  mediation of a case. Another day, I was headed to the Lovelady Center to lead the Alpha Course, a basic course on Christianity. I noticed that I saw a person checking their phone and texting while driving on the interstate during rush hour traffic. Was he nuts?

You will not see any Olympic athlete texting during their event while they are competing. We have seen some amazing performances taking place at the Olympics and the difference between winning and losing has been in many instances a split second.  Spit seconds also make the difference between someone being in an accident, someone killed in a wreck and someone avoiding a catastrophe. Drive like you are an Olympic Champion, fully focused on what you are doing.

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The weather is supposed to get bad tomorrow with predictions of 1-2 inches of snow! If it does, please don’t drive! We don’t have the roads prepared like they do in areas that normally get snow. More importantly, even if you do or think you know how to drive in snow, everyone else in Alabama (or nearly so) doesn’t know how or have much experience driving in snow. You will be a target for them to hit you. Also, remember that bridges ice quickly even if there is not snow, so be careful.

I’m assuming that you’ve already got your bread and milk – snow survival food in this state. So, stay safe by staying off the roads and enjoy the pretty scenery at home with your family. You can take a walk in it and ponder the the last time it really snowed a lot here. If it snows, please don’t drive in it.

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One of the lawyers in our office saw this and passed it on. I thought that you might like the sentiment as well. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior who was born and died for each of us.

P.S. Be sure to be safe as you enjoy time with family and friends!

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