Using marijuana is often a communal experience among friends. This is legal in California, even for recreational purposes. It's a trend that has been spreading across the entire United States, with nearly two dozen states now allowing recreational use, but California was one of the first. That be...
Undercover police officers are sometimes used to infiltrate criminal organizations and gather evidence. For example, the police may think that a group of people are selling illegal drugs. An undercover officer may try to infiltrate that group in order to get direct evidence of this criminal activ...
You may think of your online activity as something that is private. But if you're using apps and platforms developed by a third party, it may not be. You're given a privacy policy that you sign, authorizing that company to do certain things with your data. In many cases, this policy will say that...
One of the most important parts of a drunk driving arrest is simply that the police need to have a reason to stop the car in the first place. Without this stipulation, officers may be tempted to pull over random vehicles in their search for impaired drivers. But they need to have a valid reason t...
Getting in a car accident can be a traumatic and painful experience. An incident that unfolds in a matter of seconds can change your life for good. Fortunately, there are aspects you can control starting at the scene of the crash and after settling your claim. After calling for help and gathering...
You may have heard that teenagers are the most dangerous drivers on the road. In some senses, the statistics do seem to support this. For instance, look at fatal accident rates. The highest rate comes from teen drivers, and the accident rate tends to drop as these drivers get older. Someone who i...
In theory, adaptive cruise control is supposed to reduce the odds of an accident. A traditional cruise control system has to be turned on and off by the driver, which means that a distracted driver may forget to disengage the cruise control and rear-end another vehicle. But adaptive cruise contro...
When asked, most people will claim that they would never intentionally break the law. But few people would say that they have never broken the law in their life or that it will never happen. Part of the reason for this is that people may accidentally break laws that they don't even realize exist....
Eyewitness testimony is no longer trusted the way that it used to be. DNA evidence has proven that it can be very inaccurate. For example, of all the convictions that have been overturned, more than 70% were originally made due in part to eyewitness testimony. People are often surprised to learn ...
Statistics make it very clear that wrongful convictions happen. It's an unfortunate reality of the justice system. In some cases, this happens because eyewitnesses make an inaccurate testimony. In other cases, there are even false confessions. This has become more clear in the last 30+ years, as ...
Just because you've been arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, that doesn't mean you have no options. There certainly are legal steps you can take to fight those charges or get them reduced. For example, some drivers will enter into a plea deal. They will plead guilty to a “wet reckless” charge...
If you're a parent who has children that play sports, you know that there are always injury risks. Kids get hurt all the time playing football, basketball, soccer, hockey and many other sports. There's just an inherent risk to these physical games. Injuries even happen in non-contact sports. But ...
Most dogs are very friendly and you're generally safe around them at any time. But there is a chance that you will encounter a dangerous dog, perhaps one that is off-leash and appears aggressive. It can be very frightening to suddenly encounter one of these animals. How you react to this encounte...
If a police officer knocks on the door and asks to come inside, you may have a lot of questions. First and foremost, you want to know why they're at your house and why they're asking your permission to enter in the first place. You may not even be opposed to the idea; you just want to know what's...
Why doesn't predictive policing work? It seems like it should. Essentially, the police enter data into a computer model. It can identify areas where crime happens and the frequency of those criminal actions, and then it can predict where future crime may occur. The police can then be dispatched t...
In California, the law says that you cannot operate a vehicle if you're under the influence. This influence often refers to the use of alcohol, but it could also refer to things like marijuana. Someone whose ability to drive has been impaired is not allowed to operate their car. But what about a ...
The “crime of passion” defense is one that is sometimes used after a violent crime. It is most often seen in situations in which one person has lost their life and the other person is being accused of murder. They will claim that they committed a crime of passion. Essentially, what this means is ...
Technology has certainly changed driving forever. In some ways, this is good, but in some ways, it makes the roads much more dangerous than they used to be. It's clear that technology is here to stay, so it's important to inform yourself about how it can be beneficial and detrimental. Many new dr...
Many different types of injuries can become infected. Dog bites are notorious for this, for instance. But cuts and lacerations suffered in a car accident could also become infected. Even broken bones could lead to infection if they don't heal properly. In some situations, the infection becomes mu...
When you get pulled over, you have to talk to the police – at least for a short time. You're required, as a driver in the state of California, to give them your identification. You'll need to provide the registration for the vehicle and proof that you have insurance. Remember that all drivers are...
The American prison system has a serious problem: It doesn't work. More and more reports are coming out about how the incarceration system simply doesn't accomplish its goals of rehabilitating people. Instead, an increasingly large number of people are simply being locked up for longer and longer...
When some people are caught breaking the law, the reasons may be clear. Maybe someone was shoplifting because they recently lost their job, so they don't have money to buy food for their family. This doesn't mean they haven't violated the law, but someone can easily understand why they did it. Th...
Victims of car crashes often act in fight or flight mode; they face injuries or are in shock and leave the scene beside themselves. While there is no way to predict what would happen if you ever got in a crash, reminders of how to follow up after a traumatic situation may help future you. Should ...
When it comes to DWI laws, California has a zero-tolerance law in place. This lowers the legal limit for underage drivers. People who are under 21 have a legal limit of 0.01%. This is even lower than the limit for commercial drivers. Why is it set so low? Essentially, the idea is that a test shou...
If you're seeking compensation after an injury, you may start with your medical bills. If the treatment has already completed, this can be a bit easier to define. You simply look at the costs stemming directly from the incident – such as a car accident caused by another driver – that you have rec...