Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog

After a recent pedestrian-vehicle accident in Oakland Park, a teen driver has been charged with leaving the scene of a deadly accident and having no driver’s license. His bond was set at nearly $18,000, according to CBS Miami. Here’s the catch: It was a hit-and-run accident. The teenage driver said he thought he hit a dog and not a person.

Accident reports reveal that the young driver was driving a four-door sedan when he slammed into a 75-year-old pedestrian at the corner of 15th Terrace and NE 45th Street in Oakland Park. According to Broward County Sheriffs, there were no skid marks on the road indicating that the driver never hit the brakes. During the teen’s hearing, the Judge told the young driver than even someone who slammed into a dog would have stopped and gotten out of the car. Detectives who were working on the accident caught the lead when they got a report from someone who reported an Altima with front-end damage just blocks from the accident scene.

Our Oakland Park accident attorneys have been talking about the risks that teenage drivers are facing on our roadways with the summer season. We’re pleading with parents and guardians to step up and to have the conversation about safe driving habits with the teen driver in their lives. It’s important to talk with these young drivers about the risks and the consequences that are associated with dangerous and irresponsible driving habits. Car accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for teens across the county. Keeping safe driving habits as a frequent topic of consideration in your household can help to decrease their risks for an accident.

To help to kick off the conversation, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is here to offer a few simple driving tips for the teen driver in your life:

-Always wear a seat belt. Seat belts decrease your chance of death in the event of an accident.

-Avoid driving with children or teens in the front passenger seat. These individuals increase the risks for accidents among teen drivers.

-Make sure the vehicle’s tires are in good condition and are always properly inflated.

-Keep the vehicle’s windshield clean to increase visibility on our roadways.

-Keep an eye on your gas tank. Never ride with less than a quarter-tank full.

-Never drink and drive and never get into a vehicle with a driver who has been drinking.

-Use your headlights during daytime driving, too.

-Figure out where you’re going and the direction on how to get there before you head out onto our roadways.

-Curb all of the distractions. Keep your eyes and mind on the road.

-Always obey speed limits and posted street signs.

-Use turn signals whenever making a move in traffic.

-Keep an eye out for vulnerable travelers, like bicyclists and pedestrians.

-Put down the cell phone, the text message device and other electronics while driving.

-Adjust your driving to road and weather conditions.
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Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys have been talking recently about the risks that teens are facing on our roadways. During this time of the year, the summer months, teens face the highest risks for car accidents. They’ll be enjoying a break away from school and will be hitting our roads in full force. The month of May is actually one of the deadliest times on our roadways for these young motorists.

Car accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere continue to be the number one killer for teens across the United States. According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, parents can help to reduce these risks for their teen by regulating the number of passengers that are allowed in their teen’s vehicle. The recent study, “Teen Driver Risk in Relation to Age and Number of Passengers,” concluded that the presence of young passengers increases a teen driver’s risk for an accident. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), teen drivers in the state of Florida have no passenger restrictions. The AAA study revealed that states with strict graduated driver’s licensing (GDL) programs typically see fewer car accidents among these young drivers than states with more relaxed laws. That’s where parents come in. We’re asking for parents to step in and to create and enforce their own passenger restrictions to help to keep our roadways safe.

The study looked at drivers that were both 16- and 17-years-old. When there was one passenger present who was under the age of 21-years-old, the risks for accidents increased by nearly 45 percent. When there were two young passengers present, the risks for accidents doubled. When there were three or more of these young passengers, risks for an accident quadrupled.

On the other hand, teen drivers who had a passenger present who was over the age of 34-years-old, saw risks for a fatal accident decrease by more than 60 percent and their risks for police-reported accident decrease by nearly 50 percent. This illustrates why it’s so important to ride along with your teen and to ride along with them often. Riding with them during their first few years behind the wheel helps them to create safe, responsible and lifelong driving habits. What these drivers do behind the wheel during their first few years with a license will largely determine their driving habits for the rest of their lives. Let’s work together to make these lifelong habits safe and responsible ones!

“These findings should send a clear message to families that parents can make their teens safer,” said President and CEO of AAA, Peter Kissinger.

Parents are urged to talk with their teen driver before the summer gets into full swing. Talk to your teen driver about the risks and the consequences that are associated with dangerous and irresponsible driving habits behind the wheel.
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There’s an unsafe driving habit that’s catching the eye of safe driving advocates nationwide. It’s not what dangerous maneuvers drivers are doing behind the wheel, but it’s what they’re not doing.

According to MSNBC, a recent study was released that concluded that about 2 million car accidents in Wellington and elsewhere a year are caused by drivers’ neglect to use a turn signal. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), drivers fail to use a blinker when changing lanes at least 48 percent of the time. They also fail to use their blinker when making turns at least 25 percent of the time. That means that drivers fail to use their turn signal nearly 800 billion times every year.

Laziness? Poor training? A lack of courtesy? Who knows why drivers fail to signal, but the truth of it is that this neglect is very dangerous and leads to about 2 million accidents every year. That’s roughly double the amount of accidents caused by distracted driving, according to Ray LaHood, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

Our Wellington car accident attorneys understand that many drivers overlook the importance of a blinker. Honestly, drivers need to make their maneuvers in traffic as predictable as possible and a blinker may be one of the most effective ways to do that. Drivers are required to use a blinker just as they’re required to follow other road laws on the books. Experts believe that drivers may be neglecting their blinkers because it’s not a top priority of enforcement for police officers and not many drivers are reprimanded for failing to use a turn signal. Safe driving advocates suggest that law enforcement officials start targeting this dangerous behavior as a way of improving compliance.

“This is a first of its kind report on a subject that amazingly, has never been studied,” said Richard Ponziani, P.E., President of RLP Engineering.

Another suggestion that experts have to help get drivers back into the habit of using turn signals is the “Smart Turn Signal.”

Researchers say that this system would be the perfect supplement to the Stability Control System. They say that this system would work much like an in-car seat belt warning. Ponziani says that the device would alert drivers if their blinker has been on for an extended amount of time. This would work when a driver has their blinker on and has not made a turn. Blinkers are already self-canceling after making turns, this would help to shut them off long after a turn has been made or is not anticipated. The system would also be able to warn drivers who aren’t using the turn signal when needed. A bell and a light in the vehicle would instruct drivers that they need to start using their signals. This technology is believed to be able to help prevent thousands of multi-car accidents every year.
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Cinco de Mayo is a popular holiday here in South Florida and if you’ve been here in the past you know this big day can get wild. It’s a big day and a big night out for residents in the area, especially for young adults. During this time of the year we need to focus on preventing alcohol-related car accidents in Davie and elsewhere.

Many party goers may think Cinco de Mayo is a time to pass around the tequila, and for many it is, but it’s also an important time to focus on safe and responsible driving. For that reason, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and our Davie accident lawyers are working to help all residents and South Florida visitors to plan for a safe holiday.

MADD is offering you with a few safety tips to help you stay out of a drunk driving car accident. Review the following and share these tips with friends and family members to help make this the safest Cinco de Mayo yet!

If you’re planning on drinking during Cinco de Mayo:

-Make sure you designate a sober driver before heading out for the evening. This isn’t something that should be planned once you’re already out. Decide before leaving your home.

-Make sure you have something in your stomach before you start your festivities. Try enjoying you favorite Mexican foods to get in the mood and to help to keep yourself from over drinking.

-If you find yourself without a sober driver, call a friend or a family member to come pick you up.

-If you can’t get a hold of anyone to come get you, call a cab, take the bus, stay at a friend’s house or get a hotel room. If you’ve been drinking, you should never get behind the wheel. Find your alternatives!

-If someone you know or love has been drinking and is reaching for their keys, intervene. You don’t want to let anyone you know get behind the wheel while intoxicated. Do your job to help save lives, step in and speak up.

If you think you spot a drunk driver on our roadways:

-Stay away from the vehicle. You don’t want to jeopardize your own safety.

-Try to jot down the license plate number, the year, make and model of the vehicle as well as a description of the driver. Don’t get too close to try to get this information.

-Make sure to take note of the location and the direction of the vehicle.

-Call your local authorities to report this information.

Your call can help to save lives during this year’s event.

For more information on what’s going on around you for this year’s Cinco de Mayo, visit SouthFlorida.com for all of the planned events. While planning for your big night, don’t forget to plan out a safe and sober way to get home. Planning is the key to a safe holiday! Fiesta!
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Our Tamarac car accident attorneys oftentimes talk about the risks and the dangers that are associated with dangerous distracted driving habits. When we discuss these kinds of dangers, we’re frequently talking about inexperienced, teenage drivers.

According to a recent survey from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teen drivers aren’t only dangerous drivers when it comes to distractions they’re dangerous passengers, too. Teen passengers are some of the least likely of passengers to speak up when riding with a driver who is engaging in distractions and endangering the vehicle’s occupants on our roadways.

Older drivers were more likely to speak up and urge a driver to curb the distractions.

To help to get our teen passengers on board regarding the risks associated with distracting, and to get them to stop engaging in these dangerous distractions behind the wheel, the NHTSA is unveiling a new contest and campaign. It’s called the Distracted Driving Design Challenge and it’s asking teens between the ages of 13- and 18-years-old to design a social network icon. The winning icon will be used throughout the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) distracted driving campaign. The icon will be used on the Department’s Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and its other social media websites.

Teens have some of the highest risks for distraction-related car accidents in Broward and elsewhere. As a matter of fact, they’ve recorded the most distraction-related accidents of all age groups in recent years. The new anti-distraction campaign is working to shed some light on these dangers and to get teens talking, talking with one another about the risks that are associated with this dangerous driving habit.

“Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roadways, and these new findings show that our youngest drivers are particularly at risk,” said Secretary LaHood.

The NHTSA’s poll took the opinions and reports of nearly 10,000 drivers. When surveyed as passengers, about 90 percent acknowledged that driving while distracted was a dangerous habit and that the risks for an accident were in fact increased during that time, Only about a third of young drivers said that they would speak up and say something when riding with a driver who was engaging in distractions. About half of all participants who were surveyed who were over the age of 64-years-old said that they would speak up if they were in the same scenario.

Drivers and passengers are asked to work together to help keep our roadways distraction-free and ultimately accident-free.
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After a recent West Palm Beach rollover accident, a man in his 50s had to be rushed to St. Mary’s Medical Center. In the accident, he was thrown out of his vehicle, according to a spokesman with the West Palm Beach Police. The accident happened at the intersection of Village Boulevard and 45th Street just before 2:00 p.m., reports The Palm Beach Post.

Officials have yet to determine the cause of the accident, but reports indicate that the man’s SUV ended up rolling over onto its roof after striking another vehicle at that intersection. Fault has not been determined. The man was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident. The two passengers of the other vehicle were transported to Columbia Hospital.

Our West Palm Beach car accident lawyers understand that more than four out of every ten Americans think they’re safer in an SUV than in a smaller passenger car, according to the National Consumer Survey. At the same time, about half of Americans don’t consider that loading contributes to the risks of rollover accidents. Sometimes, SUVs provide a false sense of security for drivers. Nearly 40 percent of surveyed drivers said that they felt more powerful behind the wheel of an SUV than behind a smaller passenger car.

Here are the hard facts:

-SUVs rollover much more easily than other kinds of vehicles. Nearly 40 percent of deadly accidents involve a rollover. Less than 20 percent of passenger cars rolled over in the event of a fatal accident.

-SUVs had the highest occupant fatality rate of any kind of vehicle in rollover accidents. The rate was roughly 8 per 100,000 registered vehicles. Pickup trucks have a rate of less than 7, vans at about 3 and passenger cars slightly over 3.

-In 2006, single-vehicle rollover accidents accounted for about 50 percent of driver fatalities in SUVs. This is compared to less than 40 percent with pickup truck drivers and roughly 20 percent in passenger car drivers.

-In 2006, there were nearly 8,100 SUV occupants who died in a motor vehicle accident.

Just last year, there were more than 8,000 people who were killed in SUV rollover accidents. Motorists oftentimes feel a sense of security in these vehicles, but the truth of it is that these vehicles are much more prone to accidents in certain scenarios than other smaller vehicles. Drivers of all vehicles are urged to be cautious on our roadways, regardless of vehicle type. Safe and responsible driving habits may be your best defense in the event of an auto accident, regardless of which vehicle you’re in. Be safe out there!
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We’re getting weather temps creeping into the 90s and the heat brings about increased risks for heatstroke, hyperthermia and other heat-related child injuries in Hallandale and elsewhere.

To help raise awareness about the problem and to help to get parents, caregivers, babysitters and other childcare providers to keep a close eye on children during this time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is launching a new campaign, “Where’s baby? Look before you lock.” These kinds of accidents are actually the number one cause of non-crash, vehicle related fatalities for kids 13-years-old and younger. In just 2011, there were more than 30 of these fatal accidents reported.

“This campaign is a call-to-action for parents and families, but also for everyone in every community that cares about the safety of children,” said Ray LaHood, the USDOT Transportation Secretary.

Our Hollandale car accident lawyers understand that drivers don’t usually consider heatstroke and hyperthermia when talking about car accidents. But the truth of the matter is that these are very real threats and take the lives of far too many children every year. These accidents are completely preventable with a little bit of awareness. During the next few weeks, the NHTSA will be launching a number of online and radio ads to push the message of the “Where’s baby? Look before you lock,” campaign. The campaign is urging adults who transport children to check the car before getting out, locking it up and walking away. These kinds of accidents happen to all walks of life. Don’t think you’re safe.

Researchers with the NHTSA will be looking into after-market products designed to help adults remember children in the vehicle. Later in the summer, the findings and the ratings of these devices will be released.

While there were more than 30 fatalities reported because these kinds of accidents in 2011, the number of injuries resulting from these incidents is unknown. Some of the injuries that can result from leaving a child in a car can be a loss of hearing, a loss of eyesight and irreversible brain damage.

To help to prevent these kinds of accidents, the NHTSA offers the following tips:

-Adults are urged to never leave a kid alone in the car. It’s even extremely unsafe to leave a kid in the car with the air conditioning on full blast and the windows cracked.

-Adults are to make it a habit of looking throughout the car, for children, before getting out, locking the door and walking away.

-Parents and guardians should ask their childcare provider, daycare center or babysitter to alert them immediately if their child does not show up when expected.

-Place things in the front seat to remind you to turn around and check the car before getting out. An easy way to remember is to keep your purse, your briefcase, your cell phone or another important object in the back seat to force yourself to turn around and view the backseat before getting out.

-Keep you household’s car keys out of sight and out of reach of children.
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