League and Williams Lawyers

Author: Janice Williams

  • Distracted Driving – BC’s Leading Cause of Road Fatalities

    Distracted Driving – BC’s Leading Cause of Road Fatalities

    In British Columbia, distracted driving kills more people every year than any other motor vehicle related cause of death, including impaired driving. Despite the potentially devastating consequences, many British Columbians continue to engage in risky and distracting behaviour while driving.

    Recently, several videos were released in which people are captured driving while doing things that require concentration and dexterity. A woman on Vancouver Island was recently caught curling her hair while driving on the highway at about 90 km/h, and in another shocking situation, a woman is captured playing the guitar while driving on the highway. Of course, most distracted behaviour is not quite as overt or surprising. Cellphone usage comes to mind first to most of us when we think of distracted driving.

    Notwithstanding the fact that in 2014, the B.C. Government increased the penalty for the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving to a $167 fine and three penalty points, B.C. currently has the second most lenient penalties for distracted driving in Canada. Penalties for distracted driving vary greatly throughout Canada. In Ontario, for example, the maximum fine for distracted driving is $1,000, with a minimum penalty of $300, and in Nova Scotia, the fine is $579.

    A public consultation to determine whether penalties for distracted driving should be increased has been undertaken recently by the Minister of Justice of British Columbia. Some of the specific questions asked are: Should drivers be fined higher for texting while driving, given the associated risks? Should new drivers, or repeat offenders, face different sanctions than other drivers?

    If you have a question about this topic or another legal issue, contact us for a legal consultation.  Reach us at 250-888-0002, or via email at info@leaguelaw.com.

  • Google self-driving cars – futuristic fix for unsafe driving?

    Google self-driving cars – futuristic fix for unsafe driving?

    Human beings are terrible drivers. We are easily distracted, second guess our decisions, have slow reflexes, take unnecessary risks, and suffer with exhaustion and fatigue – human beings are incredibly prone to unsafe driving. Google’s self-driving cars have been celebrated by some as a way to reduce the 1.4 million deaths worldwide per year and the many, many more injuries caused by car accidents due to unsafe driving.  But is the celebration premature?

    The Google cars use 3D laser mapping, GPS, and radar to anticipate and track hundreds of external objects, in all directions, at once. The self-driving cars are currently being tested by Google and are driving about 10,000 miles per year, which amounts to what a typical North American might drive in a full year. These Google cars have been involved in 14 collisions since the start of the project in 2009, with all 14 of those collisions being caused by human error, typically the errors of other drivers on the road.

    Although the technology is impressive, the cars are not quite ready for general use. The cars still struggle with rain, for example, as the lasers bounce of shiny surfaces. However, once the first drop of rain hits the car, a warning announces that auto-drive will soon disengage. The cars also can’t follow hand signals or hear traffic whistles. Google insists that these are simply minor glitches that will soon be resolved.

    Critics of the cars insist that, as computers, self-driving cars do not possess discretion, a trait essential to safe driving. For example, although crossing a double yellow line is prohibited, to avoid causing a collision it may be the safest course of action. Good judgment may legitimately compel us to break the law to reduce harm, but could driver-less cars exercise such dynamic judgment?

    If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, where a driver-less car is involved or otherwise, contact experienced personal injury lawyers at League and Williams Law Corporation.  We may be contacted at 250-888-0002 or via email at info@leaguelaw.com.

  • Legal Stretch: Bringing Yoga to Vic West Park for a Good Cause

    Legal Stretch: Bringing Yoga to Vic West Park for a Good Cause

    Helena Mitchell is part of the League and Williams team working as a legal assistant with our lawyers.  At work she brings a can-do attitude, an attention to detail, and a commitment to client satisfaction.  She is a talented legal assistant who cares about her colleagues and our clients.  She is also a talented yoga instructor who, when she’s not supporting our lawyers to reach legal goals, is teaching others to reach fitness goals through yoga.  So as she was passing by Victoria West Park on her way to work one day, as the cherry blossoms were blooming and the Victoria weather was getting pleasant, her mind turned to summer and wandered to how nice it would be to do yoga in the park.

    Helena was pondering how close the park was to our office and how yoga has a number of physical and psychological health benefits, when the idea of benefiting a local resource that supports many of our clients, through yoga came to mind.  The firm decided to formally support Helena’s initiative.  Knowing the profound impact an acquired brain injury has on lives, and in particular on many of the lives of the clients of League and Williams, Helena reached out to the Victoria Brain Injury Society with her idea.

    The Victoria Brain Injury Society (Twitter: @VicBrainInjury) is an organization that provides support, education and advocacy to people with acquired brain injuries on Vancouver Island.  They provide a range of services and programs to their members and work to raise awareness of acquired brain injuries in British Columbia.  As a registered charity – the Victoria Brain Injury Society depends on donations to provide funding for the programs and services it offers to those it serves.  Consequently, when Helena reached out to the Victoria Brain Injury Society with her idea to lead a series of yoga classes in the park, they welcomed the opportunity to raise awareness about brain injuries in the community and to have funds raised for the programs and services they provide.

    League and Williams is proud to announce and support “Yoga in the Park – with Helena”, a series of yoga classes on Tuesday afternoons from noon to 1:00pm starting June 2, 2015 and continuing through August 25, 2015 (weather permitting) in Victoria West Park.  The classes are lead by our legal assistant and trained yoga instructor, Helena Mitchell.  Participation is by donation with the proceeds of the events going to the Victoria Brain Injury Society – just bring your mat and a donation and enjoy!

    League and Williams (Twitter: @law_in_victoria) is a Victoria, BC law firm that provides legal services and expertise in the areas of personal injury law, estates disputes, and marine law.  We may be contacted at 250-888-0002 or at info@leaguelaw.com – we offer free consultations and handle each file with the care it needs to achieve the best result possible for the person we represent.