Broward Injury Lawyer Blog

We’re losing thousands each and every year and it’s all a result of dangerous driving habits — distracted driving in particular. While some might not think it’s dangerous, the results can be deadly.

In 2010, we lost more than 3,000 people in distracted driving accidents. Another 420,000 were injured. These numbers might actually be much higher as officials don’t think that all of the accidents are reported as involving distraction. And that’s why officials with the National Safety Council (NSC) are using the entire month of April to help to get drivers to hang up the phone.

Our Fort Launderdale accident attorneys understand National Distracted Driving Awareness Month carries a message we all need to hear. The problem is that many drivers say that they know the possible consequences of distracted driving, yet many of them aren’t willing to make the proper changes to reduce the risks.

You can start off this month by taking the pledge to drive cell free. Get your friends and family members to pledge along with you, too.

After you’ve done that, officials with the NSC have a few other tips to get your National Distracted Driving Awareness Month underway:

-Put away the cell phone when you’re behind the wheel. Turn it off, toss it in the glove compartment or throw it in the back seat.

-Get more familiar with the risks of cognitive distractions. The more you know, the less likely you’ll be to engage in this potentially dangerous driving habit.

-Talk with your friends. Let the people around you know about the dangers that are associated with distracted driving.

-If you call someone who is driving, let them know it’s no big deal to call them back once they’ve come to a safe stop.

This campaign is especially important here in the state of Florida since we are one of the last states in the country to enact any kind of distracted driving laws. Drivers in the state of Florida can take their attention off the well and place it on cell phones all they want. This is why we see so many of these kinds of accidents year after year. It’s important that drivers throughout the state understand these risks and embrace National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The safe of everyone here relies on it.

“I am on a mission to get all 50 states to pass legislation to end the dreaded epidemic of distracted driving,” said USDOT’s Ray LaHood.

But Florida doesn’t seem to be listening. Step up, sign the pledge and hang up the phone behind the wheel. We don’t need a law to tell us what’s right and wrong.

“People have to realize that it’s that message that you have to get across, that might be the last message you send,” said Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) spokesman Joe Sanchez.
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The total number of traffic accident fatalities has increased for the first time since 2005. According to preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC), there were more than 36,000 people killed in traffic accidents in the U.S. in 2012. That’s a five percent increase from the year before and the first increase since 2005.

As we sit in the heart of tourist season and we head towards Spring Break, we’re looking at some of the highest risks for accidents. This is especially prevalent in the Fort Lauderdale area, where we’ve got oodles of bicyclists and pedestrians along our roadways. They’re some of the most vulnerable travelers.

Our Fort Lauderdale injury lawyers understand that as the economy improves, the risks for accidents will increase. When residents and visitors are doing better financially, they’re more likely to spend at the pump and to travel. With more total vehicle miles traveled and more travelers along our roadways, accident risks skyrocket. That’s why it’s more important than ever to be cautious, alert and defensive out there. Safe traveling habits can help to keep the risks at bay.

According to these preliminary estimates, the cost of injury accidents that required medical attention jumped about 5 percent as well. The costs for all accidents, including property damage, administrative costs, loss in wages and productivity, employer costs and medical expenses, was more than $276 billion.

“NSC is greatly concerned with the upswing in traffic fatalities on our nation’s roads,” said the NSC’s Janet Froetscher.

The City of Fort Lauderdale offers drivers some safe traveling tips. We want to help to protect motorcyclists, pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers alike. Review the following safety tips:

-Always stay alert. Keep distractions out of the driver’s seat. You want to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road and your mind on the task at hand — driving.

-Don’t drink and drive. Not only is it dangerous, but it’s against the law. NEVER get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

-Keep an eye out for pedestrians and cyclists. There’s a lot of them along our roadways and they have rights, too. Acknowledge those rights and steer clear of these travelers.

-Keep an eye on your vehicle. Keeping up with the maintenance of your car can help to prevent accidents. Keep an eye on the fluids and on the condition of your tires to help you to maintain control out there.

-Be cautious when driving at night and during inclement weather. In both scenarios your visibility is reduced and your risks for accidents increase. Make sure you slow down and allow plenty of room between you and other travelers to maximize your time to react to any dangers.
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If you’re a frequent traveler of A1A, you might want to rethink your travels. According to the Sun Sentinel, construction crews will be working along that roadway from now through the first week of May. It’s all in an effort to correct the damage that was caused by Hurricane Sandy and the other storm we experienced last fall.

“This will be the most noticeable work that’s taken place so far,” said Barbara Kelleher with FDOT. “You may feel the vibration.”

Our Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers understand the dangers A1A presents to bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists — particularly now as we reach the height of tourist season. It’s an old road, often crowded and frequently antiquated. Add thousands of tourists, springbreakers and other revelers, and traffic collisions are commonplace.

This work is going to be taking place from Northeast 14th Court to 18th Street, north of Sunrise Boulevard. It seems a little inconvenient to do this work during this part of the year. Not only do road construction areas increase our risks for accidents, but when you add in all of the traffic that’s going to be in the area, the risks skyrocket. For this reason, we’re asking motorists to avoid the area altogether. If you must travel along this road, make sure you do so as safely as possible.

Crews will be out along our roadways from Monday through Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Sundays, they won’t start work until 9:00 a.m. and they’ll wrap up at 7:00 p.m.

This part of the road will stay open during construction. Driver are to beware of the changing speed limits — which will be reduced to 25 miles per hour.

Before we got slammed by Hurricane Sandy, there were only two lanes of travel heading in each direction. When this construction phase is over, we’re going to have more travel lanes, more turning lanes and more bike lanes. We will also get to hang on to our pedestrian sidewalk and parallel parking.

The job is going to cost about $8.5 million.

Each year, there are close to 30,000 traffic accidents that are reported in Broward County. Travelers in Miami-Dade face even worse — reporting close to 45,000 accidents each year. Many of these accidents are preventable and are caused by driver inattention and driver carelessness. Pay attention to the traffic around you and be extra cautious in areas with roadwork.

It’s going to wind up costing you if you’re not careful. When passing through areas with roadwork, you want to be on your best behavior and focus you attention on the road and on your surroundings. This isn’t a time to engage in distractions. There’s going to be a lot of traffic out there in the next month with Spring Break approaching. There’s going to be many motorists in from out of town. With their unfamiliarity of our roadways, accidents are likely. We all need to remain one step ahead of the traffic around us to help to reduce our risks for accidents and help to keep our South Florida roadways safe.
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As if it’s not bad enough to get into a traffic accident, imagine getting into one with a hit-and-run driver. That’s the case for tens of thousands of travelers in the State of Florida. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), there were roughly 70,000 hit-and-run accidents in the Sunshine State in 2012.

To help combat this problem, officials with the DHSMV are teaming up with the Florida Highway Patrol, the state’s Department of Transportation, the state’s Police of Chiefs Association (FPCA) and the state’s Sheriffs Association to help educate drivers. They want more people to know about their responsibilities in an accident and what exactly the consequences are for leaving the scene.

Our Fort Lauderdale accident attorneys understand that drivers face serious charges, fines and even jail time for leaving the scene of an accident. Still, that’s not stopping drivers. More need to be aware of these consequences to deter this irresponsible act.

“The FPCA and its members are committed to supporting and developing strategies that educate the citizens we serve on ways to make the roadways of Florida a safer place for drivers, pedestrians, motorcyclists and bicyclists,” says Chief Art Bodenheimer with the FPCA.

Do you know what to do if involved in an accident?

-Call police officers. They’re best able to assist you in these situations.

-Stay calm. There’s nothing you can change in the situation be freaking out and letting your emotions get the best of you.

-Attain vehicle, driver and witness information. Use all of your resources to get as much information as you can. This is going to help you when filing an insurance claim.

-Sketch the scene. You want to take note of vehicle crash locations as well as where vehicles are after the collision. Take note of important landmarks and obstacles surrounding the area as well.

-Help the injured. If there was someone injured in the accident, you should help to make sure that they receive the medical attention that they need.

If you leave the scene of an accident where someone is killed, you can be charged with a first-degree felony and can face up to 30 years in jail. If you leave the scene where someone is injured, you can be sentenced with a third-degree felony and can be wind up in jail for 5 years. If you run from an accident where there is only property damage, you’re looking at a misdemeanor of the second degree and you can bank on up to 60 days in jail.
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Listen up Toyota Camry owners! You might be driving one of the country’s most popular cars, but you’re not driving the safest! According to CNN Money, the Camry recently received “poor” markings on the latest safety ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

In the test, the vehicles struck a concrete wall while traveling at about 40 miles per hour. The results proved that the passenger would have likely sustained serious injuries. The bodies of the vehicles didn’t do their jobs in protecting passengers. In addition, the airbags on these vehicles didn’t do enough.

Our Broward car accident lawyers understand that there are many consumers that never even think to check out these ratings before purchasing a car. It’s super simple and there’s no reason not to do so. All you have to do is stop by SafeCar.gov. On this website, you can check out any and all vehicles’ safety ratings. Here, they are measured on a 5-star rating scale. Five stars is the highest rating while one star is the lowest ranking. You can check both new cars and used models. Tests are keeping up with vehicle advancements, too. They now look into crash avoidance technologies as well as other vehicle safety features. Overall vehicle score and frontal crash ratings should ONLY be compared to other vehicles of similar size and weight.

In the recent tests from the IISH, they looked into safety ratings of nearly 20 vehicles. Only about half of them received top marks. Many of our country’s most popular cars did poorly.

The Camry and the Prius virtually collapsed in these crashes. The occupants of these vehicles were likely to have been severely injured in these accidents.

“Toyota engineers have a lot of work to do to match the performance of their competitors,” said Institute president Adrian Lund.

Of the cars with “good” ratings were the Suzuki Kizashi and the Honda Accord. Unfortunately, you’re only able to get one of those vehicles here in the U.S. Suzuki pulled sales of this vehicle here in the U.S. because of poor consumer response. The company only sold about 500 of them in November, while the Toyota Camry sold close to 30,000 during the same month.

Most of the vehicles tested only got an “acceptable” rating. Included in this category are the Subaru Outback and Legacy, the Wolkswagen Passat, the Mazda6, the Kid Optima, the Dodge Avenger, the Nissan Maxima and Altima and the Chrysler 200.

Receiving “marginal” rankings (the second-worse one can get) were the Chevrolet Malibu, Volkswagen Jetta sedan and the Hyundai Sonata.

The Camry and the Prius did receive the IIHS’s Top Safety Pick designation but weren’t lucky enough to get the Top Safety Pick Plus award.
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