Divorce Lawyers, Bad Drug Lawyers, Now Pothole Lawyers ?

Are There Millions Awaiting Victims of Pothole Neglect ?

If you have been injured in an accident in Michigan involving a pothole, please contact us by phone at ... a Michigan law firm.

You can imagine my surprise when in my regular perusal of the Internet for information of interest to this blog, I came across a page advertising a "Pothole Accident Attorney". Well maybe no so surprised since I have been a victim of bad Michigan roads myself - $$$.

The attorney who has the web page is no small time operator. The firm regularly advertises on TV obviously spending a lot of money on all kinds of advertising. So I assume that advertising for pothole accident cases must mean that there is money to be made on them. But what are the chances of winning a pothole claim in court? Is this something the state of Michigan should be worried about? Could it take a chunk out of the money to fix roads?

In the page advertisement it states the following:

"If you can prove the city had notice of the pothole, and they should have corrected the problem before your injury, you can sue the city for your injuries. There is no cap on damages since you are suing a governmental agency. Since you are suing a non-automotive defendant, the injured person does not need to prove that they suffered a serious impairment of a body function." (italics mine)

There is even a button to click to see if you have a case. There is also some references to Michigan laws relating to accident claims against government agencies. But what about that 'thirty days notice' required about a pothole problem before a person can file a claim? Again the page states:

"This does NOT mean that if a pothole was only there for a few days that the agency would not be liable. 30 days makes it a per se violation, but that does not mean that an agency can wait 30 days to repair a pothole. "

And there is a lot more there to make someone think that making a claim against a city, county or the state of Michigan might be worth the time and effort. Especially if the amount of out of pocket money needed to fix a vehicle damaged by a pothole or other road issue is considerable (like in my case).

Hit a Pothole? Call Today !

The bottom line is this. There is no getting around the fact that the government agency responsible for the upkeep and repair of our roads must KEEP them in good repair or pay for damages to our vehicles caused by bad roads. Maintaining our roads in “reasonable repair” is what we pay taxes for. So, fix the roads or face lawsuits. And if a case is won and a judgement has to be paid don't cry that there is less money to fix the roads.

Message to Michigan Lawmakers:

Do Your Job - Fix Our Roads !

Oh, and if you want a Great Bumper Sticker to get the message out, just click on the "Bumper Stickers" tab at the top of the page.

Drive Careful,
Will

Michigan Lawmakers Have No Guts !!

What is Wrong With Them?

Gutless In Lansing

 

Well my wife hit the nail on the head when it comes to making decisions, the tough decisions about our roads in Michigan. She said that those Hot Dogs in the Michigan legislature don't have it in them. The haven't the guts !

We all know that before the midterm elections, those wimps in Lansing we're too afraid to do anything about the roads because in order to get re-elected they didn't want to raise taxes or take money from anybody or any other program. That wouldn't get them votes. Now everyone thinks they have come up with this wonderful plan to raise money and finally get our roads fixed. The truth is all they have done is figure out a way to be able to continue to say "I never raised your taxes", and instead, put the onus on you and me. To put it on a ballot. That means come re-election time again they can say "I didn't raise taxes. You did, you people, you raised the taxes !!. And by the same token they can say, if the ballot initiative does not pass, "It's all Your Fault. You people didn't have it in You !!"

That will be their story if the ballot initiative does not pass;  "Well the roads aren't fixed because you people didn't want to do anything about them."

So once again, they will have done nothing and will continue to do nothing to fix our roads. Nothing that we hire them to do. They're all a bunch of wimps. We should fire them all. Or better yet, let's just get enough money to buy the concrete and asphalt, put reflective vest and hard hats on them (actually their heads are hard enough as it is) and have Them go out and fix the roads themselves. That's what we're already paying them to do. Oh, and we'll let them take their brand new chairs along, that way when they get tired they will have a nice comfy place to sit down and rest.

Come to think of it, the truth is,

A Michigan hot dog has more guts in it than these wimps in Lansing.

So if you think that there's good news in Lansing and yours and my roads are going to be fixed soon, thank again. The fat lady hasn't sung yet.

Drive careful,

Will

Michigan Gas Taxes: A Primer

Well, I have not posted in a while. At first it was because before the Michigan Mid-Term elections, I was hearing Next to Nothing about what the Career and Wanna-be Career Politicians had in mind for fixing Michigan roads. The silence on the subject during campaigning was deafening indeed. So I decided to wait until after the elections (corporate hiring) was finished. It just seemed to make no sense.

Now I have just seen something and I want to write about it...

Anyway, just wanted to highlight a great video which I highly encourage any and all Michigan drivers to look at. It's just a few minutes and is very informative. After all, we face the reality of gas tax increases in Michigan if the roads will ever get better.

See the video on the Just Fix The Roads website:

Michigan Gas Taxes: A Primer 

So with my Michigan Road Warrior juices flowing again it is time to post about potholes anew. The Pothole Paradise - Michigan.

As always Drive Careful,
Will

Michigans Bad Roads Don't Just Suck - They Cost Us Money

When a Sign is Worth a Thousand Words

The only thing I can say about this sign is; It's Not Big Enough and there are Not Enough of Them.

Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association (MITA) released a calculator that tallies how much legislative inaction on road funding is costing Michigan taxpayers.

The calculator demonstrates the cost per second of inaction by the Michigan Legislature starting on June 12, when they left on summer break.

It appeared on one of my favorite web sites (Pothole Paradise is my absolute fave) JustFixTheRoads.com , and it keeps updating, working, even though Michigan lawmakers do not.

I encourage you to click on it below and check out the article.

Lots of good information and links on the site. If you know of any other good sites, informational or blogs, that talk about Michigan's lousy roads, and what we can do to get them fixed like other states, PLEASE let me know. Leave a comment or drop an email.

And as always, I encourage you to get a Bumper Sticker and let Michigan lawmakers know they have a job to do FIX OUR ROADS !

Just click on the Tab at the Top of the Page.  Thanks!

Drive Careful
Will

Fix Our Roads : News On Michigan Roads

Been away for a week or so. And what's new about the shape of Michigan's Roads and the prospect of getting them fixed? Well, one more bent rim on Miley (by trusty Volvo). Huge pothole at an intersection right on the edge of the pavement. WHAM! What more can I say.

In other Michigan Road News: Links

Road Salt will cost more this winter.
That's right. According to MIlive.com...

Like many Michigan cities and road commissions, Ottawa County buys road salt through a state-run bidding program. An “unusually harsh winter” has changed the market for road salt this year, according to the program, and “vendors have not sufficiently rebuilt their stockpiles which has resulted in scarce supply and significantly higher prices.”

There is also a neat database to see how much your city is spending on Road Salt.


State Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville needs ideas on how to Fix Michigan Roads!

"...quite frankly, we’re looking at all ideas now – newer ideas,” said Richardville. “And we’re not afraid to entertain anything from anyone.”

State Rep says 'Give me your ideas on how to fix the roads' !?! WTF ??  Apparently he doesn't know how to do the job he's being paid for... I guess that's really not news.

Farmers Almanac says this winter will be as bad or worse than last.
Article mentions southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois and guess what.  We're right next to them.

I'll be back soon. Until then...


Drive Careful,
Will

Crude Numbers: What It Won't Cost To Fix Michigan Roads

A couple of times on in this blog, I have mentioned either friends and relatives or my own pothole related car repairs. Thousands of dollars between just a half dozen or so people. 

The Michigan legislature agrees it will take about 1.4 Billion dollars to just get a start on Really fixing Michigan roads. And then about that much each year for the next 5-10 years to get them up to national standards. They have historically been spending only a small fraction of that, neglecting one of the jobs we hired them to do.

And they continue to arrogantly refuse to fund a fix to this huge problem in spite of the proof that Michigan citizens want and are willing to pay for road repairs. To have what people in other states have. Good Roads.

Lawmakers here say we don't want higher taxes (translation: 'If I raise your taxes you wont vote for me and I'll lose my job.'). Yet polls say we ARE willing to pay for better roads. That would mean among other things, lower auto repairs. So what would that get us?

Let's say each of us pays on average about $100.00 less a year on bad road related repairs to our cars, and take a portion of that savings if we get good roads and put it back into road repairs. Is that a reasonable number? Well consider this: Several well researched reports have stated that Michigan drivers pay an annual average of $538.96 in bad-road-related repairs, the highest among motorists in the Great Lakes States. But get this; One report I found, a TRIP report by the National Transportation Research Group released in January of this year stated in it's summary "Deficient roadways cost Detroit area drivers $1,600 annually, Lansing area drivers $1032 annually, and Grand Rapids area drivers $1,027 annually for a total of $7.7 billion statewide. Costs will rise and transportation woes will worsen without a significant funding boost.". The full report can be found here.

That is a crap load of money! Just look at MY bad road related repairs in the last 6 months, just about all front end parts busted by bad roads -

PLEASE MAKE IT STOP !!

What would we get if we took just a portion of that money, less NORMAL wear and tear related repairs and put it toward repairing and improving Michigan roads?

Here's what I read in an article by Rick Haglund titled A Tale of Two States: The Road To Prosperity.

 

        "In fiscal year 2013, Minnesota spent $502 per capita on transportation from state taxes, more than double the $223 per capita Michigan spent that year."

What's that got to do with car repairs? Again in the article Mr. Haglund said:

"What about Minnesota? You guessed it. Motorists there pay an average of $369.25 in repairing damage caused by poor roads, the lowest in the Great Lakes region, according to a White House report."

So, it won't cost us As Much in car repairs if we Fix Our Roads. And we can take some of that savings and put it back into fixing and maintaining our roads, something most of us in Michigan want to do. It just makes sense. In the end we all save money, improve business (businesses save on vehicle repairs too and tourism benefits), have less stress and plain feel better about our Great State of Michigan. Something I can not say right now about our negligent - self-serving legislators (my good opinion).

To sum it up. It won't cost us as much to Fix Our Roads as it does now to keep fixing our cars! Period.

Just sayin'

Drive Careful,
Will

A Pothole Filled Road Trip: So What's New?

Took a road trip to Southfield for business last week. Something happened I knew was just a matter of time. While I am quite experienced at avoiding potholes, cracks and chunks of broken pavement in the road (all without cops stopping me for suspected drunk driving) I realized after a particularly bad bunch of holes that some significant damage had been done to my Volvo. Incidentally, my beloved Volvo is called "Miley", get it?

So here are some shots of what I experienced. Miles of crappy roads. Nothing new for Michigan of course, except for the expen$ive damage to Miley.

Nice Start Entering Southfield

Southfields Master Traffic Plan: Don't fix the intersections and traffic will naturally slow down !

Lots of these. Placed right where Both Wheels will hit it's own hole.

Some work at Ten Mile & Evergreen

Above is the only real work I saw being done in Southfield on the trip. While it's good to see something, it's really only a drop in the bucket and the vast majority of Southfield's roads are deplorable.

Every major intersection in Southfield was a repeat. More of the same. Uggh!

Well the whole trip wasn't just jarring jolts and bangs. Even though I did leave the city with significant damage to Miley, on the way home there was something pretty and relaxing to view and it was not a roadway....

Just the thing to calm my nerves after the awful roads. 

"Hi Guy. Enjoy the Clover."

That's it. Next time my road trip to Dexter, Michigan and do things change? Come back and see.

Don't forget to get your All New

"Fix Our Roads" Bumper Sticker

Just $5.00 w/free shipping for one. Our 10" X 3", 4mil vinyl stickers are easy to apply and created to withstand outdoor use. Stick them to your car, truck, or any smooth surface.

Just Go to the Bumper Stickers tab at the top of the page to order yours today!

Let the last thing a Michigan Lawmaker sees before he rear ends you, 

"FIX OUR ROADS" 

 
Drive Careful,
Will

Royal Oak To Consider Road Repair Tax

If your constituents said they are willing to pay for fixing roads, what would you do?

The city of Royal Oak, Michigan, is considering a road tax to repair some of its 200+ miles of roads. Why? Because the roads there are in desperate need of repair and when asked in a recent city-wide survey if residents would support a modest tax increase dedicated to maintain and reconstruct local roads, the response was "yes". To be exact, 57% yes. So, City Manager Don Johnson, in a letter to city commissioners, recommended a ballot proposal asking voters to approve a 2.5-mills tax hike for roads for a period of 10 years. Good for you Mr. Johnson. You are doing you job admirably. And so it looks like a tax proposal will be on the ballot in Royal Oak for the people to decide.

|The city manager (of Royal Oak) said he doesn’t expect the state Legislature to offer any relief for local road funding.|

What about Michigan roads? When a poll commissioned by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce showed Michigan motorists are willing to pay the price of fixing the state’s crumbling roads, it seemed like a 'no brainer' for Lansing lawmakers. Right. Did I say 'no brainer' and Lansing lawmakers in the same sentence? Well you get my drift don't you? In spite of what the people in Michigan said they wanted the hired help in Lansing to do, nothing was done. No vote on road taxes, no roads repaired and a multi-billion road repair situation unaddressed and getting worse every day.

Well good for you Royal Oak by choosing to take matters into your own hands and asking voters in November to support a 10-year tax increase of 2.5 mills to repair the rough road terrain around Royal Oak. Let the voters do what Lansing will not do for you. And just a suggestion: How about the following sign...

 

Hey Lansing - Get It?

Look, doing your job is not always easy, just ask any parent etc. Even the question of raising money to fix Michigan roads is hard to raise. But if Royal Oak has the balls to raise the question and put it to voters, why can't our employees in Lansing do it? Guess they are just afraid of the voters. Wait 'till we fire them in November. Just say'n.


Drive Careful,
Will

Michigan Will Hire Lame Ducks To Fix Our Roads

New plan was hinted at by Top State House Democrat.

While searching for articles on the web yesterday, about Michigan road conditions and what is being done to achieve a fix, I came across one with a surprising new and innovative idea on how to tackle the problem. One that Michigan lawmakers do not have the backbone to do themselves.

Michigan Lame Ducks Off To Fix Roads

Apparently it is going to take a bunch of lame ducks to finally fix our roads. According to State House Minority Leader Tim Greimel 'a vote on road funding likely won't come until the Legislature's lame duck session'. The good news is that lame ducks work for 'chicken feed' and good health care. That we can offer them.


“I think there’s a very high likelihood that it doesn’t occur until lame duck, unfortunately,” said Greimel, D-Auburn Hills. He appeared on the Michigan Public Television program Off the Record. You can see the program here...

It's good to hear that somebody with something sensible to say in Lansing is finally being honest about what is needed to address Michigan's lousy road issues. Hell, nothing else has worked, why NOT think outside the box? Although if you ask me, and as far as I'm concerned you did, this plan has about as much a chance of working as a Michigan Legislator on summer recess. May as well try the ducks!

Give a Duck a Brake

Do you think I am joking? Michigan roads are a joke. What I am serious about is that from my point of view, NOTHING is being done to Fix Our Roads.

 
So, just to warn you, better be looking out for signs like these this fall. Seems only Lame Ducks have the balls to do the job. How sad.

Drive Careful,

Will