What to Do Right After a Car Accident

Regardless of how careful a person is, accidents happen. When a person is involved in a car accident, adrenaline tends to surge through their body. At this time, they must remain calm and take certain steps to ensure the accident is properly documented and the party responsible for the accident is held accountable. What steps should they take at this time?

Injuries

Always check for injuries first after a car accident. Call 911 for help and make certain people don’t move unless they need to. Any movement can exacerbate injuries, so it’s best to stay put until you can be checked by medical professionals.

Move to a Safer Area

If possible, move the vehicles out of the road. This reduces the risk of another accident occurring. If emergency warning devices are available, use them to alert other drivers. When an explosion seems likely, try to move everyone away from the accident scene. It is acceptable to move injured parties in this situation. However, try to keep this movement to a minimum to prevent further damage to an injured party.

Document the Accident

Collect as much information as possible about the accident and the parties involved. Furthermore, get contact information from any witnesses. Most states only require the parties to exchange names and insurance information. Don’t make a statement at the scene because anything said at this time may be used in legal proceedings. Even something as innocent as saying you are fine can cause problems as the case moves forward.

Take pictures of the vehicles and the surrounding area. Many insurance companies now offer apps for smartphones to make the process of documenting all aspects of the crash easy. If this app isn’t available through your insurer, download WreckCheck, a product of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. This app makes it easy to document the time of the accident and other information before emailing it to yourself or your insurance agent. If no app is available, use pencil and paper to complete this step. Likewise, if the police files the report, you will afterwards be able to find your crash report online so that you can connect with service providers if needed.

File an Insurance Claim

An insurance claim is needed to get reimbursed for any property damage, medical bills, and other expenses related to the accident. The insurance company to file this claim with depends on who was at fault in the accident. If the responsible party doesn’t have insurance, uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage becomes of great help in obtaining this compensation.

At times, it may not seem necessary to file a claim. However, Consumer Reports states even low-speed crashes can lead to damages running in the thousands of dollars. Keep this in mind and collect insurance information from the other party.

It’s best to file a claim regardless of the severity of the accident. This allows you to feel confident knowing you won’t be held liable for any damages to your vehicle if another person was at fault. That’s why drivers have insurance. They need to know they are protected when they get behind the wheel, and this type of coverage ensures they are.

Regardless of how safe a person tries to be when behind the wheel of a car, accidents will happen. They may occur when an animal runs in front of the vehicle, another driver cuts them off, or weather conditions make driving impossible. Know what to do when a crash occurs, so you can resolve the matter quickly and easily. By taking these steps, you’ll have the information needed to achieve this goal.

Moving to a New City? Follow These 5 Tips

Sometimes life calls you to a different part of the world. You might be moving to a new city to follow a loved one or start a new job. Even if you’re staying in the same state, things can feel overwhelming.

Planning each step of the way makes every move more manageable. It’s much easier to follow a proper moving checklist so that nothing is forgotten or left behind. Whether you’re relocating with your family or branching out on your own, here’s how to figure everything out.

Save Some Extra Money

No matter where you move, the process is expensive. You’ll likely pay a moving team to load up all your belongings and drive them to your new living space. The last thing you want to hear is that you should save some extra money, but it’s the smart thing to do. Don’t forget to take into account whether you should get in touch with local or long distance movers, as this can also affect your budget.

Spare pocket change could save the day in your new destination. You may need to drive further for groceries or sit in traffic longer than where you previously lived. When you go to a new restaurant, you might have to pay for parking.

The new city could also have higher property taxes, making your monthly household bills higher. You won’t know the exact amount until you get there, so don’t get caught by surprise when bills come due or while you’re out in town.

Tipping your movers after they unload your belongings is also a common courtesy. Find out how many movers will help you and estimate $20-$50 tips for each person, handed in cash or paid with your bill. Their time and physical labor made your life easier, so show them a little generosity that many in the industry expect from satisfied customers.

 

Call Around for Supplies

Paying for boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap might not seem too costly at first, but they add up quickly. If you want to save a trip to the store and keep your spending low, call around for supplies. People can give you old boxes from online orders and newspapers for free. You’ll also get an excuse to see loved ones one last time before your big move.

Local stores may also have boxes they’d like to give away. Call grocers and retailers to ask if you could pick up boxes after their next big restock. They’ll likely let you select however many you want because it prevents their team from making a trip to the recycling plant.

 

Check Your Moving Truck

Trucks from rental companies will pass inspection before a moving company shows up at your house. You’ll also get proof of this if you rent one and drive it yourself. Still, people experience issues with their vehicles in both scenarios, so keep an eye out for these specific problems.

After loading your boxes and furniture, step back from the truck to see if it’s back-slouched. Large trucks use a design that keeps them tilted toward the front when full to avoid sagging backward and potentially spilling the contents. If your vehicle drops toward the rear when full, it likely needs leaf spring replacements before it’s safe to drive.

You should also double-check for a lock on your truck’s rolling door. Most won’t come with a padlock, which keeps your belongings safe if you need to leave them in the vehicle overnight. Pick up a padlock at any local store to secure your things during travel and before unloading.

 

Explore the Area

Most people feel isolated and lonely after moving to a new city because the area feels unfamiliar. After unloading your boxes, explore different parts of town. Scout out your preferred grocery store, where you can go shopping and any restaurants you might want to try. Take notes on any place that looks interesting, like museums or family activities, so you can go back when you get a free moment in your schedule.

 

Find Group Activities

Living in a new city means you get to meet new friends. Look around online to find social media groups designed for your interests, like playing disk golf or skiing. You can also read those coffee shop posters to find group guitar lessons or a monthly knitting club. Even discovering annual events on your city’s website gives you opportunities to connect with people and form relationships that make your town feel like home.

 

Don’t Sweat Moving to a New City

Moving to a new city is much easier if you follow tips like these. Strategize every part of your move to make the next chapter of your life begin without extra stress. Then, you can settle in and make yourself at home.

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About The Author

Oscar Collins is the managing editor at Modded. He writes about cars, fitness, the outdoors, and more. Follow @TModded on Twitter for more articles from the Modded team.

15 Pieces of Advice I Wish I Had Been Given at Sixteen

1) Not everyone is going to be your friend.

There are people out there who will use your friendship to their advantage, and then drop you like a bad habit when they’re through with you. There are few people you will actually encounter who will be genuinely true friends to you, but when you find them, hold on to them.

 

2) Boys are jerks.

Though I probably did hear this tidbit of advice before, I wish they had said it a little firmer. Boys at sixteen don’t think with their head – at least not the one attached to their neck. They care about one thing, and they don’t care if they hurt you as long as they’re satisfied.

 

3) You do not owe anyone in this world anything.

There are people who will come in your life and make you feel like you owe them for things they have done for you. You don’t owe anyone a damned thing. You are in control of your own life.

 

Why It’s Totally Normal To Be Lost As F*ck In Your 20’s

 

Twenties

It seems like there’s a universal mantra that we should all have our sh*t together by the time we get in our 20s: and that we should graduate college and know what we want to do with our lives and our careers; that we should fall in love and have our fairy tale wedding planned out; and that we should have our solid group of girlfriends to fall on and have our list of bridesmaids ready and mapped out; that we should have our 5 year plan stapled to our foreheads; and that we should know what we want to do with our lives and how we’re going to do it.

 

To be honest, it’s all just bullsh*t.

I’m 24-years-old, and I have absolutely no idea what I’m doing with my life. Sure, I have a plan – I have a job, I’m in graduate school, etc. But, for a while, I was freaking out about it. I’m still freaking out about it most days – but I’m slowly starting to realize that not having it all together is okay – actually, it’s normal.

 

Why do we feel such immense pressure to have our lives all sorted and figured out in a neat and picture perfect timeline? Why do we feel like we’re never doing enough and we’re not good enough at this stage in our lives?

 

Social media perhaps?

People spend more time on social networks and social media than they do doing anything else during the day – eating, working, going to the bathroom. It’s no wonder that we’re always pinning ourselves up against other people – destined for failure in the self-worth department.

 

If I Can’t Have Perfect, Then Perfectly Imperfect

Planning

I vividly remember laying in bed, and thinking, planning is the more accurate word, my life out, the night after I graduated high school. It wasn’t a plan I had just thought about that night, no it was one that I had thought about all junior and senior year. I thought about it every second until I left my parents house that summer to go to school.

I was set on what I was going to do- major in journalism, become a reporter, get married, have a family, live happily ever after. That was my plan and at 18, I knew that’s what I was going to do. Then, I went off to school, hated journalism. I hate it. I spent way to much time partying, and not near enough time hitting the books, and figuring out Part B of the plan, since Part A clearly wasn’t working.

 

I refused to give up on Part A.

I refused to seek other avenues, admit there were other options for me, even attempt to look at them, because I had been so set on journalism and that course since I was 18. And I started dating a boy, let him distract me even more. Because I was head over hills for him. And I let all/any of the first part of my plan, slip through my fingers, because I refused to acknowledge that there was a way to amend my perfect little plan.

 

 

Mom Drags Critics Who Judge Her For Letting Son Wear Dresses And Bows

Kids dress up as all kinds of things—real people, superheroes, animals. And for some reason, people seem to think that there’s something wrong with allowing boys to dress like girls and vice versa. A boy dressing as Wonder Woman is no more likely to turn out gay than a kid pretending to be a dog is going to identify later as canine. There’s not a thing wrong with being gay either, it’s just that one has nothing to do with the other.

Instagram star and YouTuber mom Jessica Ballinger posts a lot about her kids online. And one thing she gets questions about is her 5-year-old son’s predilection for wearing dresses and tutus and bows in his hair.

The tweet said, simply, “Apparently this needs to be said again. Xoxo.” Along with a picture of her son Parker in a dress, Ballinger included a note that read:

“This is my son. He loves lots of things. He loves dressing up and dancing and science and gymnastics and his family and @itsjojosiwa and Mickey Mouse and makeup and Peter Pan and drawing and math and he currently plans to marry his best friend and loves to play family with her and laments that his body can’t carry babies, but he dresses up like he’s pregnant anyway.

I frequently see questions online asking if he’s gay or trans or why does he dress like a GIRL??? My answer is that he is five and he loves a lot of things. If you see a boy in a dress, or playing in a traditionally female role, ask yourself—”if the roles were reversed, would I question it?” When you see a little girl playing fireman/policeman/soldier/any previously male-only role or wearing pants or dressing like a favorite super hero or male celebrity, do you question it? Do you ask if she is gay or trans or imply that she is wrong for having the interests she has? NO, we rightfully celebrate their desire to be and do ANYTHING. We call girls strong and celebrate it. Why don’t we do that for boys?

We limit boys by only allowing them to love what we think boys should love. I do not know what the future holds for our child. I will love him however he identifies. But right now, he has heroes who are girls. I celebrate that. And I think it means a lot for women. We SHOULD be heroes to our little boys. By not allowing boys to dress like the women they admire, you are telling them that being a boy is BETTER. That it doesn’t matter if that girl is brilliant, fierce, and his hero—it will make him “less” to idolize her. It doesn’t make him less to admire women. It makes him MORE. More willing to express what he is passionate about, more respectful of the women in his life and more open to believing women can be heroes.”

She’s right—aside from stunting their own personal development, limiting what boys can wear and telling them they shouldn’t pretend to be girls or women really does give them the impression that women are not worth imitating.

People on Twitter agreed wholeheartedly, but many stated that they were sad Ballinger had to send this message again.


Another woman tweeted a picture of her own young son, dressed as Maleficent, to which Ballinger replied, saying he looked “fierce.”

And someone else claimed that Parker was braver than she was.

Ballinger seems like a great mom and her son Parker is obviously a joy!

Touching Story Explains Why Most Couples Fail To Understand Each Other

Many times in relationships, we don’t always see eye-to-eye with our partners. For whatever reason, we can’t seem to put ourselves in their shoes and see things from their point-of-view. This is the reason that many relationships end in failure—an inability to compromise, communicate and truly understand.

One short story shares an insightful, deep, and honest take on why couples struggle to understand each other. As with many short stories, the underlying message is one that truly hits home.

The story is about a man being crushed by a stone, and the woman being bitten by a snake. Both the man and the woman are screaming in pain and agony, but neither is in a position in which they can see the true reason behind each other’s pain.

In all honesty, this could not be any more perfect. We don’t live in our SO’s shoes and follow them around all day, every day. There are many moments, pressures, and stresses that our partner will be under that we will never see nor know. We can’t always expect to know everything, and instead, should be more patient and understanding—and, allow for moments of communication and honesty, to truly make our relationship work.

h/t: BoredPanda.

25 Life Lessons You Only Learn When You’re A “Real” Adult

Adulting is hard. Anyone who says otherwise is either full of it or in complete denial. No matter how ready you might feel, there’s nothing that quite prepares you for the nonstop rollercoaster of responsibility and exhaustion.

It isn’t until you become a “real” adult that you learn just how difficult it is to balance careers, relationships, social lives, health, diet, fitness, etc. all while maintaining your sanity and getting some sleep. Fortunately, you also begin to realize that no one knows what the hell they’re doing and everyone is just as clueless as you.

These are just a few lessons people learned as they struggled through the crazy world of adulthood and tbh, we can totally relate.

1. Everything is expensive.

2. Eat your produce right away.

3. You have to actually answer phone calls.

4. You’ll try to stay healthy at all costs.

5. Bad things happen to good people.

6. Maintaining adult friendships is difficult.

7. You can’t use your mom as an excuse anymore.

8. You will always be tired.

9. You’ll get excited by little things.

10. There are lots of perks.

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11. You might become obsessed with interior decorating.

12. You start enjoying grocery shopping.

13. Your life is just the time in between laundry cycles.

14. Everyone around you is reproducing.

15. School didn’t teach you the important things.

16. You’ll start to savor every penny.

17. And try to avoid eating out.

18. Those rhymes your dad taught you start to come in handy.

19. There’s no better feeling than an empty inbox.

20. Google is your daily crutch.

21. You have to find a rhythm and stick with it.

22. You realize that no one actually knows what they’re doing.

23. You start to really understand your parents.

24. Kitchen appliances excite you.

25. Punishments become hobbies.

17 People Share The Most Hilarious Life Advice They Got From Their Dads

    Every dad has his own true and tried life advice that he one day passes on to younger generations. Whether it’s about maintaining relationships or his secrets to success at work or even how to get out of a speeding ticket, father’s are notorious for sharing their words of wisdom.

    But in my opinion, the best guidance is the kind that seems most ridiculous. Just take it from these people who are sharing the funniest life advice they ever received from their dads.

    1. Keep to yourself.

    2. It’s just a scratch.

    3. Write this one down.

    4. Embrace your demons.

    5. Self-preservation is key.

    6. A solid piece of dad advice.

    7. He knows from experience.

    8. Follow your heart.

    9. You’ll always be a kid in his eyes.

    10. Work hard.

    11. Keep those boys away.

    12. Never be afraid to ask.

    13. Play to your strengths.

    14. Watch those allergies.

    15. He was a boy once.

    16. Don’t get sloppy.

    17. He’ll always be there to protect you.

Woman’s Twitter Post Shows The Important Difference Between A Healthy Relationship And Emotional Abuse

Sometimes we find ourselves in relationships with a partner who can be jealous and overprotective. While a little jealousy is okay in relationships, there are times when the jealousy can manifest into something completely toxic and unhealthy–emotional abuse.
Continue reading Woman’s Twitter Post Shows The Important Difference Between A Healthy Relationship And Emotional Abuse

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