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Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español www.bakersfieldtraffictickets.com HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS , APC BIGGER
THE DAILY DRIVER Attorneys Defending Your Right to the Road
NOVEMBER 2023
FROM CHEESECAKES TO CACTI HOW BIGGER & HARMAN CLIENTS BRIGHTEN OUR LIVES
The approach of Thanksgiving has me thinking about the nature of gratitude. Those who have experienced gratitude without expecting it know how powerful it is. Bigger & Harman has incredible clients who have sent creative, unexpected “thank yous” that brought joy to our lives. One client brought us a homemade cheesecake after we helped them beat their red-light ticket. A trucker client who owned a nursery gifted us a cactus. One person we’ve represented nine times habitually sends us a large box of chocolate every year. A grateful client brought our office about $500 worth of PF Chang’s on one memorable occasion. We had so much food we had to call friends and family to eat the big feast with us! The gifts are nice, but the attached thank you notes mean the most. I was speaking to our paralegal, Haily, recently who noted that our clients hire us to perform a service, and they pay a fee to cover it. Their obligation to us is over then, so the extra gifts and notes tell us that clients see the people behind the work. We see them too! The service we provide is surprisingly personal. Our responsibility is to provide our clients with a vigorous defense, but the work isn’t just about doing a good job in court. The outcomes of our cases often determine whether our clients can keep their livelihoods and continue putting food on the table.
who have worked with other attorneys in the past are often a bit taken aback or confused. They’re used to barely interacting with their legal team not to mention receiving regular updates and a personal attorney call on every case. In contrast, we keep our clients updated throughout the entire process and put in the work necessary for the best outcome. But we get paid and yet our clients still go out of their way to thank us and refer others our way. Almost half of our clients are repeats or word of mouth from previous clients. One client has probably referred 40 or more cases to us among friends, family, and coworkers. Your willingness to recommend our services to others or leave positive reviews for us online has a tangible effect on our work and ensures we can continue doing it.
Because of you, our office has an incredible number of things to be thankful for. We appreciate the opportunity to work with our truckers
and the relationships we have built. We are grateful every day to be working with the backbone of American workers delivering the goods that keep our country going. When we get a thank you from one of our clients for fighting a case hard and (hopefully) preventing a point on their record, it goes a long way. We are so thankful to all the Bigger & Harman drivers who we have come to know and appreciate. Have a great Thanksgiving and drive safe!
Numerous truckers have told me about the increased insurance costs of going from 0 to 1.5 points on their licenses. It often results in hundreds of dollars more every month for three years and can add up
to tens of thousands of dollars. That’s a significant pay cut few can afford. Meanwhile, some employers like FedEx fire employees for getting a single violation on their license. In other words, there’s a lot at stake. That’s why we take the time to develop an individualized strategy for every case. Clients
–Mark Bigger
(661) 859-1177 | 1
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A CAT’S NOSE KNOWS
A DOG’S INTUITION: HOW BABU SAVED HER HUMAN FROM A TSUNAMI
The tsunami that struck Japan in March 2011 was unimaginable; the natural disaster killed nearly 20,000 people in minutes. But amid the chaos, there was at least one tiny miracle: an 11-year-old Shih Tzu named Babu. Tami Akanuma, an 83-year-old woman living in the coastal city of Miyako, had her typical morning interrupted by a 9.0 earthquake that shook her house roughly 200 yards from the coast. When it stopped, she breathed a sigh of relief, but Babu became extremely agitated. The small dog began frantically pacing around the living room, moaning, and jumping at the door. Though it was early for Babu’s morning walk, Akanuma decided to appease her. Sources differ on what happened next. Some say officials broadcast a tsunami warning, and Akanuma realized she must
evacuate, while others state she knew nothing of the impending disaster. But everyone agrees that Babu jumped into action. She instantly headed for a large hill near Akanuma’s home — the opposite direction of the pair’s usual walk. Akanuma did not dismiss the dog’s instincts. Babu tugged urgently at her leash, running as far as she could before turning to her owner. Akanuma said Babu seemed to be encouraging her to move faster, and the dog ran ahead every time Akanuma caught up. Akanuma later estimated they walked more than half a mile in a few minutes. Only moments after the duo finally reached the top of the hill, they watched an enormous wave wash over their home. The house was destroyed, but Akanuma and Babu escaped with their lives.
How did Babu do it? People have long suspected that animals can predict natural disasters, but the truth is elusive. Scientists agree that animals aren’t psychic but disagree on whether something else might be at play. Some attribute the supposed phenomenon to the “psychological focusing effect,” or a human tendency to emphasize one detail in our memories while discarding others. But others point to dogs’ heightened senses of hearing and smell, suggesting animals may be able to detect small atmospheric changes that humans can’t.
No matter the explanation, Akanuma credited her dog with saving her life, and the two gratefully celebrated Babu’s 12th birthday from an evacuation shelter only weeks later.
The Hidden Dangers of Illegal Lane Changes DON’T LET A MINOR INFRACTION END YOUR CAREER
Everyone slips up on the road, and commercial drivers have much
Though unsafe lane changes may only be a “minor infraction” in California, the Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (DOT FMCSA) considers it a “serious offense.” A second offense within three years can lead to a commercial driver’s license (CDL) holder being disqualified for 60 days. Further, the California DMV adds 1.5 points to an operator’s driving record for an unsafe lane change. These penalties seriously risk a commercial driver’s ability to stay employed or find new work. Even when employment is not affected, take-home pay might be due to increased insurance costs. That’s why every commercial driver facing any driving infraction should hire a qualified traffic attorney to work on their case. The right representation can make all the difference in the outcome of any charge. The legal landscape around traffic violations is often confusing and difficult to navigate alone, so Bigger & Harman is here to help. As your law firm, we are here to help. If you ever have any questions about an illegal lane change, call us at (661) 859-1177. We’ve got you covered!
more opportunity to make a mistake than most. An
illegal lane change may not seem like a big deal; California considers it a minor infraction and imposes a fine of only
$238. But the other consequences are
much more significant and can risk a driver’s ability to work.
Every truck driver knows unsafe lane changes pose a variety of hazards. They put other drivers on the road at risk and disrupt traffic. In the worst cases, they also
cause collisions. Car crashes are particularly devastating when a large truck connects with a smaller passenger vehicle, so driving authorities take it particularly seriously.
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How RADAR and LIDAR Technologies Work BEHIND THE SPEEDING TICKET
Your Referrals Make a Difference! Thanks to your 91 referrals in October, we were able to donate $1,320 to help fight human trafficking and lead medical missions. INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION To learn more about International Justice Mission and their mission to protect half a billion vulnerable people from exploitation, please go to IJM.org . MEDICAL MISSIONS OUTREACH To learn more about showing God’s love by providing quality medical treatment to some of the poorest people in the world, visit the Medical Missions Outreach home page at Medical-Outreach.com .
A speeding ticket generally rests on more than the driver’s word against the officer’s. RADAR and LIDAR both use technology to calculate how fast a vehicle moves. But how do they work? RADAR stands for radio detection and ranging, and the technology uses radio waves to calculate a vehicle’s speed. The RADAR gun sends radio waves to oncoming traffic, which bounce back at a shifted frequency thanks to the Doppler effect. How much change occurred reflects how fast the targeted vehicle was traveling. LIDAR, or light detection and ranging, works off the same principle as RADAR but uses light instead of radio waves. A LIDAR gun shoots a laser at a moving vehicle and then returns to the device. The car’s speed will determine how long the laser takes to reflect, and the LIDAR can calculate this information precisely. But there are many reasons these technologies might give inaccurate readings. The devices could be miscalibrated, or the operator may make an error. Weather patterns or other driver behavior could also affect how RADAR or LIDAR records your speed. Fortunately, drivers do not need to face these potential mishaps and complications alone. An experienced traffic attorney will know how to appropriately challenge a reading and the officer’s protocol when recording it. Further, California’s speeding laws’ flexibility means there are other ways to beat a ticket. What speed is “reasonable and prudent” is in the eye of the beholder. Using this standard, drivers could receive a speeding ticket even if they go under the speed limit during poor driving conditions. However, a judge might consider light traffic and clear weather a reasonable excuse to drive faster if they are in a VC 22350 zone. We strongly recommend against representing yourself in speeding ticket cases, especially if you are a commercial driver. Proper legal training can significantly increase your chances of a successful defense. That matters because a speeding ticket is more than just a fine — it can also affect your driving record, insurance rates, and ability to work. Call Bigger & Harman today so an attorney can review your case in detail and improve your odds of prevailing in court.
“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
MARK 1:35
(661) 859-1177 | 3
, APC HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS BIGGER
Toll-Free (661) 859-1177 Se Habla Español www.bakersfieldtraffictickets.com
PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
1701 Westwind Drive Suite 203 Bakersfield, CA 93301
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
How Bigger & Harman Clients Brighten Our Lives................................................................ PAGE 1
The Heroic Hound Who Saved a Life in Japan’s Tsunami............................................... PAGE 2
Effect of Minor Traffic Infractions for Commercial Drivers............................................. PAGE 2
How Do RADAR and LIDAR Work?.................. PAGE 3
The Ultimate Sleep Aid Is in Your Pocket....... PAGE 4
Have a ticket in California? Give us a call, and we’ll help you out! Regardless of the location, we can point you in the right direction free of charge!
YOUR PHONE’S HIDDEN SLEEP SOLUTION
HOW TO ACTIVATE ITS WHITE NOISE FEATURE
Falling asleep is often easier said than done. While we might feel exhausted when crawling into bed, that doesn’t always translate to drifting off quickly. This frustrating problem can be due to many things like racing thoughts, caffeine consumption too late in the day, or nearby noises that keep us awake. If your sleeping problems result from the last item on that list, white noise can help. According to the Sleep Foundation, white noise is “a noise that contains all frequencies across the spectrum of audible sound in equal measure.” Due to its unique sound, it’s been proven to “reduce crying in infants, improve work performance, potentially counteract symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and help people sleep.”
best guess is that since it contains the sounds of all frequencies equally, it does an excellent job of masking any background noises behind it — like, for example, your neighbor’s stereo system, passing cars, or whatever else is going on around you when you’re trying to drift off. So, you’re probably wondering how or where you can acquire this magical “white noise.” You’ll be happy to learn that if you own a smartphone, you already have it! iPhone and Android users have built-in features that create white noise, so the only thing standing between you and a peaceful night’s sleep is turning it on. Here’s how.
5. Switch the “Background Sounds” option to “On.” 6. Choose from the selections of background noises. The default sound will be “Rain,” but if you click on “Sound,” you can select “Balanced Noise,” which is Apple’s name for white noise. FOR ANDROID USERS: 1. Ask your Digital Assistant to “play white noise.” (You can do this by holding the Home button or saying, “Hey, Google” before “play white noise.”) And that’s it! If you try simple white noise and find it isn’t your thing, both iPhones and Androids have many options. If you have an iPhone, you’ll see the other options when you select “Balanced Noise,” but if you have an Android, you can ask your Assistant, “What are your ambient sound options?” Sweet dreams!
FOR IPHONE USERS: 1. Open your Settings. 2. Tap on “Accessibility.” 3. Select “Audio/Visual.” 4. Tap on “Background Sounds.”
Scientists aren’t exactly sure how white noise does all of these things, but their
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