Belgrade, Montana Personal Injury Blog

With many consumer goods, purchasing an item pre-owned or used can be infinitely more affordable than purchasing an item brand new. People often think of vehicles when thinking of product depreciation before resale, but firearms may also be subject to a notable loss of value after purchase by the initial consumer. Consumers can and do pay a premium for a brand new firearm directly from the manufacturer.

Much like vehicles, firearms have a base price below which they are unlikely to dip, even in secondhand sales or at auction. Buyers will probably pay between 50-75% of the original retail price when purchasing a used firearm. In other words, buying used firearms can make gun ownership much more affordable for Montana residents on a budget.

Driving at night is challenging and even frightening for many people. Older people in particular experience problems because of changes in vision due to aging. No matter what your age and extent of driving experience, if you've been the victim of a car crash, particularly one that occurred at night, being behind the wheel after dark can be a terrifying thing.

However, for many people, night driving -- especially during the winter months -- is necessary. Below are some tips to help you stay safer.

This time of year, most people are spending a lot of time driving around in parking lots. Whether you're at the local shopping center, a neighborhood grocery store, your children's school or your office building, it's essential not to let your guard down just because you're not on the road.

About a fifth of all crashes happen in parking lots. In many cases, they occur because a driver is distracted or just not sufficiently looking around to see who's behind or to the side of them.

Sleep apnea is considered such a potential threat to driving safety that professional truck drivers who are found to have a moderate to severe form of the condition will lose their commercial driver's license (CDL) if they don't undergo treatment. It's no wonder that many drivers won't take a test to determine whether they have sleep apnea if they don't have to.

Currently, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) doesn't require companies to test their drivers. Doctors who examine drivers to assess their fitness for a CDL can determine on a case-by-case basis whether to test someone. They may test people who are at greater risk for sleep apnea because they're overweight, they're smokers or are older. However, anyone can suffer from the condition. Businesses can determine whether they will require drivers to undergo testing before they hire them or at intervals after they've been hired.