Articles Posted in Car Accident

Local governments were expecting big payoffs with the red-light cameras in the area.

Unfortunately for them, these devices haven’t met the expectations of officials in West Palm Beach and in Palm Bach County, according to the Palm Beach Post. Not every municipality is sharing in the disappointment, however, as three other county municipalities have made a profit from the same camera company. According to County administrators, the cameras haven’t generated enough income to even cover the fees that are now owed to the camera company, American Traffic Solutions of Arizona.

Our county’s 10 cameras may have generated about $308,000 in revenue, but that’s not going to cover the close to $457,000 bill. It’s not all bad news for county officials though as the contract says that they’re not required to pay back the difference until the cameras make a profit.

“We aren’t making any money off of this process either, because we aren’t generating the citations that were expected,” said County Administrator Bob Weisman.

Our West Palm Beach car accident lawyers understand the debate that’s been revolving around these cameras from the beginning. County officials say that they were installed to help to reduce intersections accidents and not to make a profit. Counter arguments claim the cameras are meant to make a quick buck, with no regards for traffic safety. Still, there’s no profit and the number of accidents at intersections has not really fluctuated because of the eye in the sky. Now, our county owes the Arizona camera company close to $200,000 once the cameras break even. Only one of the city’s intersection red-light cameras was actually able to make a profit since being installed in 2010.

Now, officials in West Palm Beach are taking another look at these cameras and discussing where changes may be needed. One of the possible changes is changing the timing of the yellow light, making it shorter so that more drivers will likely run the light. In turn, this will allow for more citations to be issued, more fines to be paid and more profit for officials.

Juno Beach, Palm Springs and Boynton Beach all made a profit with their cameras this year. And they too are contracted with American Traffic Solutions.

Boynton Beach has 11 red-light cameras. They’ve been able to generate close to $365,000 this year alone. Because they’ve brought in so much money, officials have decided to add five more cameras to some of the city’s busiest intersections.

Juno Beach has 7 cameras and they’ve been able to produce close to $422,000 this year.

Palm Springs has only 4 cameras, but has able to collect close to $200,000 over the last year.

The cameras in Palm Beach County would have to hand out close to 65 tickets each month to cover the fees, the $4,750 fee for each camera. Two of the lights in the county haven’t even come close to hitting that number.
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If you got into a serious car accident, would emergency responders know who to contact? Well, now they might be able to. It’s the Emergency Contact Information (ECI) program through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV). It allows drivers to register up to two people who they would want to be contacted in the event of an emergency. This information is only available to emergency responders when needed.

Currently, there are close to 17 million people who hold a driver’s license or an identification card in the state of Florida. Unfortunately, only about 6 million of them have their emergency contact information on file with the department. To get more people in Florida to join, officials are holding “Register Your Emergency Contact Information Week.” It’s going on through the first week of October.

Our Davie car accident lawyers are urging residents to get involved and to get their emergency contact information on file. If you’re not participating in this program, there’s a chance that it could be hours before your loved ones are notified of an accident, like in the case of Tiffany Olson who the program was named after. She was involved in an accident back in 2005 and it took officials six hours to contact her mother because this information was not readily available. Following the accident, Tiffany’s mother, Christine, and State Representative Bill Galvano worked to create this database.

Unfortunately, not every car accident is a fender bender. There are times in which these accidents leave a motorist incapacitated and unable to help emergency personnel contact family. That’s where the program comes in. It takes a lot of the guess work out of determining who needs to know about your condition.

It’s such a beneficial program that it has been nationally recognized. We were the first state to put this kind of system in place, although many other states have since follwed. Back in March of 2009, the program was recognized as one of the 50 most innovative government programs.

If you would like to join the program and register your information, all you have to do is visit a driver’s license office. You can also do it online.

“Our troopers and other law enforcement agencies handle more than 200,000 crashes per year. A portion of those involve fatalities and serious injuries,” says Julie L. Jones with the DHSMV.

In 2010, there was an average of 650 car accidents in the state of Florida each and every day. In these accidents, there were close to 2,500 people who died. That’s the families of 2,500 people who needed to be contacted after the accident. There were also more than 195,000 people who were injured, some of them seriously injured. Make sure officers and other emergency responders know who you would want contacted in the event of a serious accident. Register your information today!
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Florida is only one of six states that has yet to enact a law to stop drivers from text messaging behind the wheel. However, there are a number of employers in the state that are taking matters into their own hands. According to Hispanic Business, some companies are taking it upon themselves to implement rules banning drivers from talking on phones or text messaging while driving.

And with good reason. These accidents can leave both the driver and the company liable for the serious and fatal injuries that result.
For example, one company based out of Fort Lauderdale, AutoNation, has distributed magnets to its workers that say “TXTRIP.” AutoNation is the country’s biggest auto retailer and now its offering a discount to all of their employees who pledge not to text behind the wheel.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand the risks associated with distracted driving. In just 2010, there were more than 3,000 people who were killed in car crashes that involved a distracted driver. According to Distraction.gov, another 416,000 people were injured in these kinds of accidents. Many of them happened in company vehicles while workers were trying to multitask behind the wheel.

AutoNation officials, like chief executive Mike Jackson, have even tried to take it a step further and propose laws against text messaging and driving, but nothing has been successful yet.

Office Depot, based out of Boca Raton, also has a company-wide policy that bans drivers from this dangerous behavior. It’s been on the books since 2009. Employees have been banned from reading, composing or sending text message whenever their vehicle is moving. This policy includes company phones and personal phones. Even business calls are a no-go behind the wheel.

“We want to do this whether there is a law or not. Common sense should tell you that texting or reading email while driving is dangerous,” said Kathy Schroeder of Office Depot.

Ryder System, based out of Miami, says that the company currently bans driving workers from texting, but has always allowed them to talk on the phone while on the job and behind the wheel. That changed back in 2010 when the company decided that all of the safety research concluded that drivers were safer when neither activity was allowed.

Sandford Hodes, the vice president of Ryder System says that drivers should just let their phone ring if it’s going off while they’re driving. They can turn it off when they get off of the road and stop safely.

Under all of these policies, drivers are held accountable via the “honor system.” Ryder runs a campaign twice a year to enforce this policy. Within the company, there are about 5,000 workers who drive company vehicles. In about 100 of these vehicles, there are in-cab cameras to monitor the driving habits of workers.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety, there were more than 25,000 accidents in 2011 that were caused by distracted drivers. Close to 200 of them were solely attributed to text messaging drivers.
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As you age, you might find that it’s becoming a little more difficult to check your blind spots. And, overall, we’re just not as good behind the wheel as we were when we were younger.

Elderly driving safety is an issue of particular importance in Broward and elsewhere in South Florida, where so many retirees make their home. According to the Associated Press, there are no set ground rules regulating these elderly drivers. That’s why it’s up to the driver, their friends and their families to know when it’s time to make adjustments to an elderly loved one’s driving habits, or to speak with them about a time to give up the keys for good. It’s not about giving up your independence, but it’s about hanging on to life.

Our Palm City car accident lawyers know there are a number of programs out there to help keep these elderly drivers safe behind the wheel. As we head into the busy winter holiday, travel and tourist season, we encourage friends and family members to look after older loved ones.

Based out of Florida Atlantic University (FAU), the Florida Grand Driver program offers driver evaluations in an office and out on the road. These kinds of programs help to offer an outside perspective and also help families to approach the topic with a parent or older family member.

According to the Republican Herald, there are 30 states that have certain requirements for elderly driver’s licenses. Some of these states require these drivers to get their licenses renewed more often than younger drivers. In the state of Florida, drivers only have to undergo a vision test once they turn 80-years-old. There are no other special requirements, according to Caring.com.

On the other hand, drivers can be required to take a written test if they have a poor driving history or if they show any signs of physical or mental impairment. These tests can be requested for a driver by an officer, a family member, a friend or another driver. Drivers can also be subjected to a road test under the same conditions.

According to the NHTSA, more than 15 percent of traffic accident fatalities in 2010 were people who were 65-years-old or older. That means that close to 5,500 of our elderly loved ones are killed in traffic accidents each year. Another 190,000 are injured.

In the state of Florida, there were close to 510 elderly drivers involved in fatal accidents in 2010.

There have been quite a few car accidents involving elderly drivers in recent weeks and it’s drawing the attention of transportation officials and lawmakers. Recently, the federal government made a proposal for all states to take the necessary steps to make sure that elderly drivers are monitored. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calls this epidemic “the real and growing problem of older driver safety.”
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It’s a quick way to land behind bars — road rage. Each and every day, more and more drivers are letting their emotions get the best of them behind the wheel and they’re endangering innocent motorists because of it.

Officials estimate that about 90 percent of drivers have at one point witnessed another driver engaging in road rage or they’ve actually been the victim of road rage themselves in the last year. In the ’90s, there were nearly 220 people who were killed and another 12,000 people who were injured because of the actions of enraged drivers, according to US News.

In some of these cases, firearms were pulled. And the reason behind the anger is often trivial, like an altercation over a parking spot or over a horn being honked or even from the frustration of a driver going “too slow.”

Our Broward County personal injury lawyers understand that drivers don’t always keep their calm behind the wheel. Everyone’s got somewhere to be and they’re running on a tight schedule.

Unfortunately, drivers forget to recognize that we’re all in this together and teamwork behind the wheel is the only way for all of us to get their safely. While road rage might be the extreme end of the spectrum, we do have a problem with aggressive driving on our roadways. It’s these habits that can quickly turn to road rage. These behaviors include behaviors that are deliberately unsafe and threatening, including illegally passing other drivers, sending rude hand gestures, tailgating, yelling at other travelers, changing lanes erratically or any other unsafe or illegal maneuvers behind the wheel. It’s these behaviors that can quickly turn into physical assault and other types of violence.

“Road rage is driving under the influence of impaired emotions,” says Leon James, professor of traffic psychology at the University of Hawaii.

Road rage isn’t discriminatory either. It can happen to anyone! Males, females, parents, teens and even the elderly are susceptible to road rage. Certainly any of could be a victim. For some drivers it’s an everyday occurrence. It’s dangerous for obvious reasons and can cause serious damage, including injuries and fatalities. Road rage can be avoided by planning and by taking a deep breath at the wheel! Make sure you allow yourself plenty of time to get to where you need to be, avoid any negative interactions with other drivers and obey all traffic laws.

Even if you make it home alive, road rage is still very unhealthy. According to experts, road rage works to increase your stress hormones and increases your heart rate and your blood pressure. It’s equivalent to suffering from chronic stress and can ultimately lead to a weak immune system, severe headaches and even infertility.

Keep your cool behind the wheel. Keep our roadways safe. Keep your health in check.
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You’re always hearing about eating right, exercising and staying in shape. But did you know that one of the best things that you can do is to keep your mind in shape?

It may even help you avoid a serious or even a potentially fatal car accident. According to The Reminder, brain exercise should also be a part of your weekly workout regimen.

According to Posit Science Corporation of San Francisco, Calif., there’s a new product on the market that is getting the brain cells going. It’s called DriveSharp and it has been through a number of studies that have shown that it can cut your risks for car accidents in half. The program, designed by Posit Science, can keep your driving skills sharp at any age and can improve your stopping distance, says the company. This software has been tested for nearly 20 years and is even promoted by some AAA offices.

Our Fort Lauderdale accident attorneys understand that you’ve got to be top notch behind the wheel to stay out of car accidents. There are some scary drivers out there and defensive and alert driving habits are your best defense against these accidents. A program might be able to enhance your brain activity, but the truth of the matter is that it’s blocking out all of the distractions behind the wheel that will help you to stay safe. You’ve got one thing to do behind the wheel, and that’s to drive safely. Focus on that!

You should never allow your mind to wander when you’re behind the wheel. You should keep electronics out of the driver’s seat, minimize interactions with your passengers and you should clear your head of all negative emotions. Stress and depression can hinder your ability to drive. It’s a life or death matter and you need to focus on staying alive — by focusing on safe driving habits.

“Part of making our nation’s roads safer is helping mature drivers who wish to stay active — a quickly growing population — maintain or improve their driving safety,” said Peter Kissinger with AAA

Sandra Marsian with AAA adds that tackling the driver’s mind is the main concern of safety advocates. She supports the research of members assessing driving risks and then making a proactive move to improve them. Exercising your brain function is doing just that!

According to some of the studies into this program, merely 10 hours of this training will help drivers to stay on the road longer and safer.

Originally, this program was designed to assist the Baby Boomer generation with driving and aging, but with the results they’ve received, they’ve decided to promote it to drivers of all ages.
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According to a recent study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 35 percent of drivers admit to falling asleep behind the wheel. This is a common danger that is overlooked by drivers, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV).

The truth of the matter is that sleepiness of any degree by a driver slows reaction time, impairs judgment, decreases awareness and increases the risks for a car accident.

For this reason, officials in the state recently decided to dedicate an entire week to preventing this dangerous behavior. It’s Drowsy Driving Prevention week and it takes place from the 1st through the 7th of September. Governor Scott signed the formal proclamation for this awareness week to coincide with the Labor Day holiday, especially because this is such a heavily-traveled holiday with close to 3 percent of Floridians taking a long-weekend vacation during this time.

Our Lauderhill car accident lawyers understand that officials estimate that there are about 100,000 drowsy driving car accidents that happen in the United States each and every year. They go on to estimate that about 1,600 people die and another 70,000 are injured in these accidents. They’re awfully costly accidents too as officials with drowsydriving.org guess that they cost the country more than $12 billion annually.

During this week-long campaign, officials with the DHSMV will be teaming up with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), safe driving advocates and lawmakers statewide to help to spread the word about the dangers of drowsy driving.

“Being alert behind the wheel is critical to highway safety. Studies show the fatality rate is higher for crashes where a driver falls asleep,” said Julie L. Jones, the Executive Director of the DHSMV.

In many cases, drowsy driving can be as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than drunk driving.

Who is most at risk for drowsy driving?

-Drivers between the ages of 18 and 29 are most likely to drive while feeling the effects of drowsiness.

-Males are more likely than females to drive while drowsy.

-Men are about twice as likely to fall asleep behind the wheel as women.

-Drivers who have children are more likely to fall asleep than those who don’t.

-Drivers who are shift workers are more likely to fall asleep as drivers who have regular daytime work schedules.

-People who sleep six to seven hours every night are about twice as likely to get into a drowsy driving car accident as those who sleep 8 hours a night on a regular basis.

-If you’ve been awake for 18 consecutive hours, you’ve got the same reaction time behind the wheel as a driver who is legally drunk.

Before you get behind the wheel, make sure that you’re well rested. Never think that you can simply push through the effects of being drowsy. That may be one of the most dangerous and deadly mistakes you can make.
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Officials are predicting that there’s going to be more than 1.5 million travelers over the Labor Day holiday weekend in the state of Florida alone. According to the Sun Sentinel, the number of Florida travelers this year is up more than 2.5 percent from last year, but a little lower than the national average of 2.9 percent.

According to statewide statistics, approximately 87 percent of these travelers will be traveling by car. Nationwide, only 85 percent will be using their vehicle to get to and from their vacation destination. Gas is going to cost these drivers a little more, too. The average cost of a gallon of gas in the Fort Lauderdale area is currently sitting at $3,76. That’s up nearly 30 cents from the cost during this time in 2011.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand that the roadways are going to be congested and they’re going to be dangerous. According to officials with the National Safety Council (NSC), there will be approximately 410 people who will die in car accidents over the long holiday weekend. They also estimate that another 41,000 people are going to get injured in these incidents. Drivers are asked to be cautious behind the wheel over the holiday, whether you’re driving 5 miles or 500 miles from your home.

Officials consider the Labor Day weekend to be the time from Friday afternoon to midnight on Monday. During this time, your risks for a car accident skyrocket. All drivers are asked to be extremely cautious and alert behind the wheel to help to avoid one of these accidents. The NSC offers you some safe driving tips.

Safe Driving Tips for your Labor Day Weekend:

-Make sure that you’re always buckled in. You want to make sure that everyone in your vehicle is wearing their seat belt.

-Make sure that you check out your vehicle before you head out. Make sure that your fluids are fresh and full and that your tires are properly inflated.

-Keep the distractions away from the driver.

-If you’re planning on drinking, make sure that you have a sober way to get home. Never get behind the wheel if you’ve been drinking or if you are under the influence of drugs.

-Make sure that you allow plenty of travel time to avoid frustration and diminish the impulse to speed or engage in other dangerous driving habits.

-Check weather and traffic conditions before you head out. Adjust you driving to accommodate these conditions if you can’t avoid them altogether.

-Try to avoid driving at night. This is when you’re most likely to get into a drowsy driving car accident.
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There’s going to be millions up for grabs, but states need to do what they can to make sure that drivers are safe behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is putting nearly $18 million up for grabs for states that have laws in effect during the 2013 fiscal year that prohibit drivers from texting behind the wheel, according to TruckingInfo.com.

Florida has steadfastly refused to pass legislation — even for young drivers. Even school bus drivers can text and drive here in Florida. No sweat. Now it will start costing the state millions of dollars in grant funds.

“Distracted driving is a persistent and growing epidemic on America’s roads-but there has also been incredible momentum in the states in recent years to pass laws that tackle the problem head on,” said U.S. DOT Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Our Martin County accident lawyers understand that there were more than 3,000 people who died in distracted-driving accidents in 2010. There were another 420,000 people injured in these incidents. What might be most alarming about these kinds of accidents is that they’re completely preventable yet drivers continue to take their hands off of the wheel and their eyes off the road and engage in distractions involving their cell phone or text messaging device.

This first batch of money has been made available through the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. States will be able to get some of these funds if they have a comprehensive and primary law enacted during the 2013 fiscal year that is designed to stop drivers from text messaging while driving. It’s important that this law is primary, meaning that officers are able to pull over and write a ticket to a driver for doing nothing more than texting behind the wheel.

The state of Florida is one of the few states left that has absolutely no laws on the books that stops drivers from talking on a cell phone or text messaging behind the wheel. Like the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act says, states that don’t have these laws will not be eligible for the money.

States are going to have 45 days to apply for this money upon publication in the Federal Register.

Drivers in the state of Florida may not be banned from these kinds of dangerous and distracting behaviors behind the wheel. But we’re asking drivers to do what’s right and to keep their attention on the road. There should never be a text message or a phone call that’s worth risking your life. Keep your phone in the glove compartment or in the back seat so that you’re not tempted to use it. Have a passenger deal with your phone calls and text messages or pull over to a safe spot before you do. Safe driving habits can save your life.
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The South Florida area recently launched a new way for parents and guardians to keep an eye on their teen drivers. A local resident has developed the “PUSH TEXT” app and it’s gaining a lot of attention across the nation.

According to the Examiner, purchasing the app includes registration of your teen’s car in a database and a bumper sticker that says, “How is my kid driving.co PUSH TEXT myTAG#.”

Other drivers who have the app, are able to submit anonymous text messages regarding your teen driver. These messages go straight to you. The app only costs $15 for the first year and then just $10 per year thereafter. It’s like getting a report card on your kid’s driving.

Our Hollywood injury lawyers understand that car accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for this young age group. During the first few years that these youngsters have their driver’s license, they face the highest risks for car accidents that they’re ever going to experience. It’s important as a parent or guardian that you help your teen along with this learning experience.

The app is causing quite a stir though. Safe driving advocates say that it’s a bad idea because it’s urging other drivers to pull out their cell phone while they’re driving and start texting about another driver’s habits. As a matter of fact, texting while driving is one of the top causes of car accidents nationwide. Officials estimate that there are more than 1.5 million car accidents that happen every year because of driver’s usage of cell phones and text messaging devices.

There are no distracted driving laws in the state of Florida, so drivers are free to make phone calls and text message behind the wheel as they wish. Florida state Representative Irving Slosberg is trying to change it. He lost his teenage daughter in a 1996 car accident involving a distracted driver.

“What you’re asking people to do is text while driving. I applaud this father for doing something about teen driving, but I think it can be dangerous,” said Slosberg.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, texting while driving increases the probability of a car accident by about eight times.

While the sentiment may be approved by many, critics say the creator was off target with this idea. Regardless, it’s important that we know how our teens are doing behind the wheel. In the state of Florida, teenagers make up about 5 percent of the total driving population, yet they account for about 10 percent of drivers involved in fatal crashes. Make sure you sit down with your teen and talk with them about their driving habits. Talk with them about the risks and the consequences that are associated with dangerous driving. Your talk could help to one day save their life.
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