How to keep yourself and your family safe this Christmas
The holidays are fast approaching and it’s time for people to celebrate the end of the year with office parties, Christmas catch-ups and New Years celebrations. There are plenty of parties, days without work, vacation trips with the family and the like. Unfortunately, the celebrations are paired with road accidents as well. If you’re not careful, you or your loved ones can get caught up in the holiday haze. Be prepared and read these tips. Don’t drink and drive. Always be alert on the road no matter what time of the day it is. If the other driver, or a pedestrian, is drunk while you’re driving, you can at least control the situation more and avert possible accidents. During the holidays, sometimes it’s impossible to refuse drinks from friends and family members. If you must drink, be sensible and ensure you’re sober before taking the wheel. Better yet, spend the night at the host’s place and drive the next day when your senses are okay again. Condition your car for long trips. If you are planning a trip to the beach or to see the family interstate, make sure your vehicle is in perfect condition. Check all the tyres, the brake pads, and the engine. Make sure you’re keeping yourself and all the passengers in your car as safe as possible. You might also want to check out the possible routes you can take for this trip. Choose the shortest, and the safest one. Minimise the risk, and if possible, update your insurance and make sure a trusted insurance company covers you just in case things head for an unexpected turn. Have your vehicle serviced before the trip just to be on the safe side. Never let your guard down. Accidents usually happen when one lets his/her guard down. These accidents can take one or two seconds to take place. You might be fumbling for something on the car’s floor, or admiring the scenery and not paying any attention to the road. An animal might be crossing the road and you just happen to be driving too fast. Pay attention to your speedometer and make sure you’re not distracted while driving. It’s better to be cautious than sorry.
Emergency Phone Numbers in Brisbane
We thought we’d give you a list of emergency phone numbers for you to have on hand should something unforeseen happen. Here is our list that you can easily print out: Service Contact Number Ambulance 000 Police 000 Fire Brigade 000 Lifeline 131 114 Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 Rape Crisis Centre 1800 010 120 Centre Against Sexual Assault 1800 806 292 Domestic Violence Line 1800 656 463 (24 hours) Child Protection 132 111 Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 Translating & Interpreting 131 450
Emergency Phone Numbers in Perth
We can’t always predict what the day will bring. When accidents and emergencies happen, it helps to be prepared. By printing this helpful list of emergency phone numbers in Western Australia, you can have peace of mind knowing you have the essential numbers ready to go. These are your must-know numbers spanning the Perth region, so you can take action without losing valuable time. Service Contact Number Ambulance 000 Police 000 Fire Brigade 000 Lifeline 131 114 Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 Sexual Assault Resource Centre 1800 199 888 Women’s Domestic Violence Helpline 1800 007 339 Child Protection 1800 622 258 Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 Translating & Interpreting 131 450
Emergency Phone Numbers in Sydney
Sometimes things out of our control happen. When they do, it’s handy to have a list of emergency phone numbers ready to go. Here’s our printable list of emergency numbers for the Sydney region so you’ve got all the essential digits ready no matter what you encounter. Service Contact Number Ambulance 000 Police 000 Fire Brigade 000 Lifeline 131 114 Kids Help Line 1800 55 1800 Rape Crisis Centre 1800 424 017 Centre Against Sexual Assault 1800 806 292 Domestic Violence Line 1800 656 463 (24 hours) Child Protection 132 111 Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 Translating & Interpreting 131 450 NSW Traffic Incident Reporting Line 131 700
Family vehicle rego freeze
Queensland registration fees will be frozen for three years from 1 July 2012 for more than 2.5 million family vehicles. Eligible vehicles must be used for private purposes and include cars (sedans, wagons, convertibles), light commercial vehicles not over 4.5 tonne (panel vans, utilities, dual cabs, campervans) and minibuses. The freeze will apply to eligible vehicles due for renewal from 1 July 2012. It will also cover eligible vehicles being registered, or interstate vehicles being transferred to Queensland from 1 July 2012. This initiative will assist thousands of families struggling with the rising cost of living. For more information visit the registration webpage. We think this is great news for families, struggling with the cost of living. Sinnamon Lawyers is committed to keeping you up to date with everything to do with road safety and family-friendly topics. Contact us today to learn more.
Legal Speak – We Break Down the Jargon
Working with lawyers can be tricky if you don’t understand all the terminology they use. We want you to feel confident when you chat with our legal team, so we’ve compiled an easy-to-read glossary of common terms. Action – An action is a judicial proceeding started by one party against another. One party brings an action against another for a wrong done. An action can also be made for protection of a right or prevention of a wrong. Cause of action – A cause of action is the reason you would file a claim against another party. This will generally be linked back to the legal term this relates to, such as negligence or malpractice. Claim – We use the word claim a lot, but what does it mean? A claim is a demand for money or property. It is an assertion that you are entitled to that money or property. Compensatory damages – These are damages paid to a party to rectify a loss, a detriment or an injury. This provides the party with an amount equivalent to what they lost, and not anything extra. Contract – A contract is an agreement between 2 parties. While contracts can be written or verbal, in order to be enforceable by law, there must be certain elements in place. These elements include an offer, acceptance, intent, consideration (payment), legal capacity of the parties involved, consent and legality of the agreement. If any of those are not fulfilled, a legal contract is not formed. Depose – To testify or give under oath or sworn affidavit. This is often a written statement. Diligence – This is the degree of care or attention that can reasonably be expected from a party. Letter of demand – A letter of demand is a letter sent from one party to another when the first party wishes to claim money they believe is owing to them. The letter typically states the following: Punitive damages – These are damages awarded that exceed compensatory damages. Punitive damages are often awarded in order to punish the party in the wrong. Tort – A tort is a civil wrong. It results in a party suffering loss or harm, and that party then has grounds to take legal action. The area of law that surrounds this is known as tort law. Tribunal – A tribunal is an assembly of people with special knowledge about a subject. These people are brought together to resolve a dispute. It is usually both less formal and faster than a judge and jury trial. If there is anything in here you would like further clarification on, or if you would like us to add more definitions to the list, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our friendly team of legal experts.
Manufacturing health and safety compensation information
When you work in the manufacturing industry, the first thing that you, as a worker, should know is your entitlement to Workers’ Compensation in the event of a work-related accident. Though companies and organisations try their best to keep their workplace as safe as possible, there are times when accidents happen. If you do work in the manufacturing industry, you’ll know that you are often surrounded by heavy machinery, complicated equipment and sometimes, even dangerous and hazardous materials. If you consider the statistics, there were approximately 21,000 injury case claims filed by workers in the manufacturing sector for the period 2009-10. The majority of these serious injury cases involved muscular stress from repetitive movement, being hit by moving objects and falls, trips and slips. There are also fatalities in the manufacturing sector caused by vehicular accidents, being hit by objects and even exposure and/or long-term contact with chemicals or substances. Under the law, a worker is entitled to compensation provided that (1) he is an employee of the company where the accident took place, (2) his medical condition was diagnosed by a qualified doctor and happened during the course of his employment, and (3) the worker has suffered a financial loss (either loss of income or has incurred medical costs). What type of compensation will a worker be entitled to? An injured worker who has filed a claim may receive income replacement while recovering from his injury. His medical treatment may be reimbursed. In the case of a fatality, death benefits will be provided including special provisions for children and funeral costs. There may also be lump sum compensation for permanent impairment. This usually involves a loss of limb, loss of function, disfigurement, reduction in life expectancy and pain and suffering. Sinnamon Lawyers has offices across Queensland. We can come to you if you are struggling with mobility, and can’t get to one of our offices. See our office locations. Call us today toll free on 1800 007 277 to arrange an obligation free appointment or seek our expert advice about your legal position following an accident.
Misunderstood Road Rules (New South Wales edition)
When was the last time you studied the road rules? Was it when you applied for your licence? A lot of rules may have changed slightly or drastically since then so it is time to refresh your knowledge. The New South Wales government Department of Transport, Roads & Maritime Services have published a pamphlet about the Top 10 misunderstood road rules in NSW. You can download your own copy of this pamphlet HERE. We think that the rules that warrant special attention in that list are Merging, Safe Following distances, Roundabouts and U-Turns as we frequently observe drivers disobeying these rules while out on our roads. One road rule we have singled out is about carrying animals on a motor bike. We thought this would be common sense, however maybe this is a more common occurrence than we thought. Carrying animals on a motor bike Animals are not permitted to be carried on a motor bike between a rider and the handlebars, or in any otherposition that would interfere with the rider’s ability to control the motor bike. Penalty: 3 demerit points (4 in a school zone) and $397 ($496 in a school zone) The Practice Driver Knowledge Test is available online HERE for you to be able to test your refreshed knowledge. How did you do?
Misunderstood Road Rules (Queensland edition)
We often encounter circumstances where our client has been injured in an accident caused by another driver’s lack of understanding of the road rules. The Department of Transport and Main Roads has published a Road Rules Refresher pamphlet which clarifies the Top 10 Misunderstood Road Rules. You can download your own copy of the pamphlet HERE We think special attention should be given to the sections on Merging, Roundabouts, Safe Following Distances and U-turns because we frequently observe drivers disobeying these rules. One road rule that we find interesting that you might not come across often is in relation to giving way to horses… Giving way to horses When a person in charge of a horse that appears to be hard to control gives a signal – by raising a hand and pointing to the horse – you must give way. You should drive to the side of the road, stop your vehicle and turn off the engine. Keep the engine off and the car stopped until there is no reasonable chance that the noise of the engine or movement of your vehicle will further upset the horse. Perhaps it is not as relevant if your daily commute is on the major arterial roads, but certainly, take note if you frequent semi-rural areas. Once you have read the refresher you should test your newly polished knowledge by taking the practice road rules test HERE on the Transport and Main Roads website. The answers may just surprise you, although we expect our wonderful readers may just get every question right!
Misunderstood Road Rules: Western Australia Edition
Accidents happen on the road every day. Many of our clients have been injured in accidents that have occurred as a result of another driver disobeying, or misunderstanding, the road rules. By improving your understanding of the road rules, you can help to reduce the number of road accidents. The most commonly misunderstood road rules in Western Australia involve roundabouts, merging, mobile phones, overtaking and more. The Government of Western Australia and the Road Safety Commission shed light on the 12 most asked-about road rules to help you brush up on your knowledge here. Their Drive Safe booklet has everything you need to know about road rules and penalties in Western Australia. Some other common offences include: While some road rules may seem like common sense, you might be surprised by some of the more interesting (or unusual) ones. Did you know it’s illegal to have more than 50kg of potatoes in your vehicle in Western Australia? Help make the roads in Western Australia safer by challenging your skills with this test. You might be surprised by what laws you’ve forgotten since you got your licence.
