Bigger & Harman, APC - March 2021

Bigger & Harman, APC - March 2021

BIGGER

MARCH MADNESS ONE OF THE LEAST PRODUCTIVE MONTHS OF THE YEAR THE DAILY DRIVER Attorneys Defending Your Right to the Road March is one of the least productive months of the year. Many people attribute this to March Madness, the NCAA tournament that captures the attention of people all across the country. Many people spend March following their favorite team through livestreams, hoping it will end up in the championship. The NCAA Championship Bracket is also a fun way for fans, friends, and even family members to participate in March Madness and compete against one another. As a big March Madness fan, I was sad to miss it last year. I always enjoy filling out the current year’s brackets with a few friends and seeing which teams come out on top. With the ability to stream games live, watching a few good games at work is too much of a temptation for some to resist. Many March Madness fans are familiar with the term “Boss Button” — the little button in the corner of the CBS Sports screen that quickly turns off the game and replaces it with a spreadsheet or emails. If someone is watching a game during work hours, they will quickly push the button if their supervisor or boss walks by and make it look like they are working. The Boss Button is a long-running gag of March Madness. I look forward to checking out the latest version of it each year. What’s more, you can even find step-by-step tutorials online of how to disguise a March Madness watch party while in the office. For example, under “Find Location,” it says to “locate a windowless room in the corner of the floor no one goes to anymore” and “make friends with custodial staff and place biohazard warnings nearby.” Sound advice.

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MARCH 2021

of the least productive months of the year. Luckily, knowing this allows us March Madness fans to prepare for ways to counter this. I’ve recently been made aware of several tools to increase one’s productivity. One tool my wife uses is a website called FocusMate. FocusMate works to eliminate procrastination and increase production within a 50-minute work session. A person will log in, virtually meet with someone through video, explain their goals and first task of the day, and then get right to work. As this person works, their mic and video can be turned off. At the end of the hour, they simply report back to this person about their task. My wife says it’s an excellent way to keep her accountable and has been very helpful. Health and wellness coaches are also a great resource as they help us bring balance and meaning into our lives. Isha Tharma, a friend of mine, is one such coach, and she helps anyone bring balance into their lives. As someone who also works to help people, I wholeheartedly believe what she does is very beneficial. For anyone who would like to learn more about her services, I recommend visiting her official Facebook page to get in touch with her. At the time I’m writing this, March Madness is rumored to take place this year in a “bubble” in Indiana to ensure people are kept safe. I’ll be curious to see how that works; hopefully, we’ll all be able to enjoy March Madness again this year and stay as productive as we usually are. Regardless of our love of March Madness, you can rest assured that our team won’t be distracted.

With such things as the Boss Button, and more realistically, how passionate some people are about March Madness, I can understand how March is one

“Many March Madness fans are familiar with the term ‘Boss Button’ — the little button in the corner of the CBS Sports screen that quickly turns off the game and replaces it with a spreadsheet or email.”

–Paul Harman

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Heroes Come in All Sizes

AN AFRICAN RAT RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS GOLD MEDAL FOR SAVING LIVES

A metal detector can take anywhere from 1–4 days to detect land mines in the war-torn landscapes of Cambodia. However, a Gambian pouched rat named Magawa can detect them in 20 minutes.

certified. This program has been around since the 1990s, teaching animals how to detect land mines and tuberculosis.

Magawa only works for a half-hour during the day, but as he nears retirement age at 7 years old, Magawa has sniffed out 39 land mines and 28 unexploded munitions in his career. His tremendous work has now been recognized worldwide. In 2020, the U.K. veterinary charity PDSA gave Magawa its gold medal for “life-saving devotion to duty, in the location and clearance of deadly land mines in Cambodia.” Over 30 animals have received this award so far, but Magawa is the first rat. “To receive this medal is really an honour for us,” Apopo’s chief executive, Christophe Cox, told the Press Association news agency. “But also, it is big for the people in Cambodia, and all the people around the world who are suffering from land mines.” Now that’s a real hero if we’ve ever seen one. Thank you, Magawa, for all your hard work, and we hope you have a long and happy retirement ahead of you!

Magawa’s ability to sniff land mines has been lauded as “truly unique,” as he potentially saves hundreds of lives every day. Yet, he weighs a mere 2.75 pounds and is only 28 inches long. While that’s larger than your average rodent, Magawa is still light enough to safely step over land mines without setting them off. That’s been amazing news for Cambodians. The landmine problem began during the civil wars of the ’70s and ’80s, causing over 64,000 casualties and creating 25,000 amputees since 1979. But where did Magawa come from? A Belgium-registered charity named Apopo trained Magawa in Tanzania as part of the program HeroRATs, where after a year of training, the animals become Kern County: Resolving Overweight Truck Tickets When you get an overweight truck ticket in Kern County, you might need to appear in court in either Mojave or Lamont to resolve the ticket. The fine assessed on the ticket is set based upon how many pounds the vehicle was overweight. If the vehicle is 4,500 pounds overweight, the violation is only an infraction and the fine will be around $800. However, the fines go up quickly if you’re more than 4,500 pounds overweight. First of all, 4,501 pounds overweight is a misdemeanor offense. Second, you could be facing a hefty fee. The fines increase exponentially to several thousand dollars for misdemeanor tickets. OVERWEIGHT TRUCK LIMITS All commercial vehicles and trucks must abide by the CA Vehicle Code (CVC) weight limits. Be sure to know the limits for your truck. It’s important to make sure that you don’t violate either the total weight limit or the weight limit per axle. Either violation will result in an expensive ticket. A PERMIT Sometimes you may need to carry an unusually heavy load. In that case, look into getting a permit to do so legally. In CA, Caltrans handles transportation permits for oversized vehicles. Though most fleet managers handle getting permits for oversized vehicles, if

you are an owner-operator hauling cargo in CA or picking up an overweight container from one of the ports, it’s up to you to ensure you have a permit. Contact the Caltrans Transportation Permits office. Their website (DOT.CA.gov) has step-by-step instructions to obtain single-trip and repetitive-trip permits for novice operators. WEIGH STATIONS Drivers should also be aware of the location of weigh stations. There are at least three weigh stations in Kern County, and when they are open, commercial vehicles must stop at them unless they have a green light on their PrePass. Sometimes, a driver’s PrePass has no lights illuminated. In that case, be sure to stop at the weigh station so you don’t end up with an officer’s lights behind you! If you’ve been given an overweight truck traffic ticket, set up an appointment for a free consultation at our firm. We may be able to get the ticket dismissed or the fines significantly reduced.

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YOU NEED TO FIGHT FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE IN A COMMERCIAL VEHICLE

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION Thanks to your referrals, we were able to give $940 to fight human trafficking. To learn more about International Justice Mission, please go to IJM.org. MISSION: To protect the poor from violence by rescuing victims, bringing the criminals to justice, restoring survivors to safety and strength, and helping local law enforcement build a safe future that lasts. Our long-term vision is to rescue millions, protect half a billion, and make justice for the poor unstoppable.

Following another driver too closely, or tailgating, is dangerous. If a driver should brake suddenly, the drivers behind need enough time to judge the situation and brake accordingly to prevent an accident. Law enforcement officers (LEO) often look for these types of violations in order to prevent an accident. However, it does not mean that these tickets are issued correctly. FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE The CA Vehicle Code (CVC), under Driving, Overtaking, and Passing, states: “The driver of a motor vehicle shall not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, having due regard for the speed of such vehicle and the traffic upon, and the condition of, the roadway.” However, “reasonable and prudent” often depends on a LEO’s judgment. A LEO’S PERSPECTIVE If a commercial driver were suddenly cut off by a small car and, before they begin to slow down, were pulled over by an officer, there would be cause to fight. Unfortunately, cases like these — based on incorrect appearances — are far too common. Due to the size of commercial vehicles, they are more noticeable. Therefore, a LEO might be more focused on what the large 18-wheeler is doing rather than the much smaller car. A SERIOUS OFFENSE According to the Motor Carrier Safety Planner and Chapter 6.2.5, Disqualification of Drivers, there are two types of disqualifying offenses: a “major offense” and a “serious offense.” A conviction for a major offense typically leads to an automatic one-year commercial driving disqualification. Likewise, a conviction for a serious offense usually requires a 60-day disqualification for a second offense and 120 days for a third within three years of the first. Whether a commercial driver is given a citation for following too close after an accident or not, it is vital to fight that ticket. To do that, you will need experienced traffic attorneys. Our team at Bigger & Harman is just a call away. Reach out to us now at 661-859-1177.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS 8:38–39

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, APC HARMAN CALIFORNIA TRAFFIC DEFENSE ATTORNEYS BIGGER

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

The Reason Behind the Slack........................ PAGE 1

Meet This Life-Saving Rat From Cambodia................................................ PAGE 2

Kern County: Resolving Overweight Truck Tickets. .................................................... PAGE 2

Commercial Drivers and Tailgating Violations........................................ PAGE 3

How to Easily Increase Your Water Intake...................................................... 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!

Dehydration is a big problem. Many people don’t drink enough water each day — some reports show that 75% of adults in the United States don’t drink enough water, and over a quarter are dehydrated. Though those statistics aren’t widely agreed upon, it’s obvious that most people need more fluids.. Even if it feels like you’re drinking a lot of water, remember that water leaves your body every time you sweat, go to the bathroom, and even breathe. Not keeping up with proper water intake can lead to dehydration. Even mild dehydration can cause health problems and impact your brain, heart, skin, and other organs, which can lead to headaches, confusion, fatigue, and gastrointestinal distress. We all know the solution to dehydration is to drink more water, but exactly how much water do we need each day? The amount will differ depending on the person, but one simple way to approximate your necessary daily intake is by dividing your body weight in half and drinking that much water (in fluid ounces) each day. For An Easy Way to Drink More Water AND AVOID DEHYDRATION

example, if you weigh 175 pounds, you’d need to drink 87.5 fluid ounces — over half a gallon — of water per day.

That might seem like a lot of liquid, but you can easily drink it without trying too hard. All you have to do is be proactive: Start keeping water any place you frequent during the day. Keep a bottle in your car, at your desk, by your favorite chair, near your workout equipment, etc. Having water easily available in the places you spend the most time each day helps increase your chances of actually drinking it. An alternative approach is to purchase a giant jug that can hold all the water you need to drink in a day. Seeing it all in one place might be intimidating at first, but this method makes things very simple. Keep the jug close, and your water intake will likely increase without too much additional effort. And if you’re just not motivated to drink plain water, you can always add sugar-free flavoring or lemon to make it more enticing.

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