Month: August 2013

Driver’s Ed Failing Today’s Kids?

Teen driver - Martinson & Beason, P.C.Remember the excitement and anxiety that came with your sixteenth birthday? For most of us, that birthday meant receiving our driver’s license—a milestone for which there was no equal (at least in our teenage minds). Yet few of us realized the responsibility that comes with driving several tons of metal capable of causing fatal injury. Driver’s ed may have done a good job teaching the ins and outs of how to drive a car legally and carefully but didn’t always properly impart the serious ramifications of a car accident—the injuries sustained, lives lost, property damaged, and more.

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Alabama Crimson Tide Picked as Preseason No. 1

Alabama Crimson Tide - Martinson & Beason, P.C.It’s no secret that the SEC is the best college football conference in the world. Don’t believe us? In the past seven seasons, the BCS Championship has remained in the possession of one conference—we’ll let you guess who. As a Huntsville, Alabama business, we’re proud to announce that one team has risen to the top once again, even with a brutal schedule.

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Put your Facebook account in your estate plan. No, seriously.

Online accounts - Martinson & Beason, P.C.Including online accounts in your last will and testament seems laughable to some people. After all, they don’t seem important, do they? At least not in comparison with possessions like your house, your vehicles, your antique furniture, and other valuables. But leaving out your “online assets” can cause hassles and even heartache for your heirs after your passing.

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Alcohol and young drivers: a fatal combination

Alcohol - Martinson & Beason, P.C.There has been quite a lot of debate recently regarding the National Transportation Safety Board’s recommendation to lower the legal limit for blood alcohol content (BAC) to 0.05 from its current 0.08 in all states, including Alabama. Proponents say that it will help keep impaired drivers off the road and save lives. Critics argue that most of the drunk drivers that cause auto accidents have, on average, a BAC much higher than 0.05. However, a recent article in The New York Times may encourage some who were on the fence about this issue to support a lower legal BAC limit.

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Despite underride guards on semi trucks, drivers vulnerable

Semi truck - Martinson & Beason, P.C.Accidents involving semi trucks and 18-wheelers are devastating, particularly because of the size and weight of trucks. But a heavy semi doesn’t have to hit a smaller car for the crash to be deadly: often, crashes in which a car smashes into the back of a semi can be fatal to the car’s occupants. This is because the car slides underneath the semi, causing the back of the semi to go through the front windshield of the car, crushing the driver and occupant compartments.

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Huntsville Restaurant Week This August

Huntsville, AL Restaurant - Martinson & Beason, P.C.Besides having the distinction of being America’s Rocket City, Huntsville is also known for its exciting cultural and culinary offerings. Huntsville’s Restaurant Week, in conjunction with Alabama Restaurant Week, seeks to celebrate our community’s amazing local restaurants. To participate in Restaurant Week, a restaurant must be locally owned and operated, which disqualifies most chain restaurants. That puts the spotlight where it belongs: on the hardworking Huntsville locals who have helped craft our city’s unique culinary history. Enjoying Huntsville’s Restaurant Week couldn’t be simpler: there are no forms to fill out, no coupons to print, and no gift cards to redeem.

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