Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog

Our Coral Springs car accident attorneys recently told you about Drowsy Driving Prevention Week, which took place from November 6th through the 12th. Awareness of drowsy driving should never end though. As we recently set our clocks back for Daylight Saving Time, the risks for car accidents increased. A majority of car accidents occur during the evening hours. Nighttime accidents happen because people fail to adjust their driving skills, fail to recognize driving hazards and they’re more likely to be sleepy during this time.

As we recently blogged, more than 95 percent of drivers find drowsy driving to be an unacceptable driving habit, but nearly a third of drivers admit to doing it themselves, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Driving at night provides enough strain on our eyes, but when drivers are sleepy, the risks for a car accident in Coral Springs increases.

Drowsy driving car accidents account for nearly 20 percent of all fatal accidents on our roadways. They also account for more than 10 percent of all injury accidents.

“Drowsy driving kills, just as sure as drunk, drugged and distracted driving does,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger. “Drivers have a tendency to underestimate the impact being tired has on their driving ability.”

Just as the number of drunk-driving accidents increases during evening hours, so does the number of drowsy driving car accidents. Sometimes sleep pulls in drivers and there’s virtually nothing you can do about it. For this reason, it is important to stay off of the roadway during times when you’d normally be sleeping. If you’ll be venturing out on a long road trip, be sure to get plenty of sleep before you head out. The worst thing a driver can do is push though the sleepiness while they’re behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

Drivers are urged to pull over and rest if they are having trouble keeping their eyes open, yawning excessively, daydreaming a lot, having a hard time keeping their eyes open, swerving in and out of lanes, or having a hard time remembering the last few miles traveled.

2010 drowsy driving statistics:

-Drivers who are accompanied by a passenger are half as likely to be involved in a drowsy driving-related accident.

-Nearly 70 percent of drowsy driving accidents involved male drivers.

-Most drowsy driving accidents occur at night.

-Drivers age 16- to 24-years-old are most likely to be involved in a drowsy driving accident.

-More than half of drivers who have admitted to having fallen asleep while driving say they did it on a high-speed divided highway.

-Men are more likely to fall asleep at the wheel than women.
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While Daylight Saving Time’s “fall back” earlier this month gave us an extra hour, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says we are now in a time period of increased risks for pedestrian accidents in Pembroke Pines and elsewhere.

The NHTSA reports that there were more than 4,000 pedestrian fatalities and nearly 60,000 pedestrian injuries in 2009. About a quarter of these fatal pedestrian accidents happened between 4 and 8 p.m, and nearly 15 percent happened between 4 and 8 a.m.

Our Pembroke Pines car accident attorneys remind drivers to keep a heads-up for pedestrians on our roadways. Since night falls upon us much earlier in the evening now, pedestrians are harder to see this time of year. Adjusting to the new low-light environment can take a little while. We also ask motorists and pedestrians to curb the distractions. Everyone traveling along our roadways needs to put their full attention on the traffic around them.

Since it gets darker much earlier now, pedestrians are urged to carry a flashlight with them to help motorists to see them more easily. If you don’t want to carry a flashlight, you’re urged to wear reflective gear. Being visible to motorists may be one of the best ways to prevent an accident from dusk to dawn.

Here are some additional safety tips for motorists and pedestrians:

Motorists

-Be sure to travel slowly in residential areas during the evening hours. It takes more alertness to see a pedestrian when it’s dark.

-Remember that pedestrians could be wearing headphones (although this is not a safe practice). These devices block out traffic noise and may prevent a pedestrian from hearing your vehicle approach.

-It’s a good idea to keep your mirrors, windows and windshield clean. This helps to increase visibility when it’s dark out. You should frequently check to make sure that your windshield wiper fluid is full, your wipers are in good-working condition and that your defrosters are working properly.

Pedestrians

-You should always carry a flashlight or attach reflective materials to your clothing. Try fluorescent tape. You can adhere this tape to your clothes, purse, briefcase, bike, shoes or backpack.

-Traffic signals won’t always protect you. Unfortunately, drivers run red lights and turn when they’re supposed to yield. This could be because they’re distracted or because they haven’t fully adjusted to the darker setting. Always travel defensively.

-Never jaywalk, especially from between two parked cars. It’s best for pedestrians to cross at crosswalks or at street corners.

-Always use the sidewalk when one is available. If you have to walk along the street, do so facing oncoming traffic.

As the darkness falls upon us much sooner since we’ve set our clocks back, be sure to exercise caution on our roadways. Nighttime serves as a popular backdrop for serious accidents. Help to prevent one by driving cautiously, alertly and defensively.
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According to CNN Money, Rolls-Royce Motors Inc. is now recalling nearly 600 Ghost sedans in the U.S. They’re being recalled because of a potential fire hazard. The circuit board could overheat and cause the car to go up in flames. This recall has been issued to prevent any injury in West Palm Beach and elsewhere caused by a manufacturer’s defect.

This recall is just like the one that affected more than 30,000 BMW vehicles that came with both 8- and 12-cylinder turbocharged engines. The recalled Rolls-Royce vehicle is built just like the 7-series BMW sedan and is powered by a V-12, 563 horsepower 6.6-liter twin-turbo BMW-built motor.

Our West Palm Beach car accident attorneys understand that the price of the vehicle has nothing to do with recalls and potential defects. Even the most expensive vehicles can be manufactured with defects. The Rolls-Royce Ghost is the company’s cheapest model, running about $250,000.

Still, with such expensive cars, nearly 2,000 are being recalled. Nearly 600 of these recalls are in the U.S. Motorists are urged to look into safety ratings and other car information before considering purchasing a vehicle. A safe car may be one of you best defenses against injury in the event of a car accident.

What can happen is the circuit board that controls the vehicle’s water pump can overheat. This pump is used to cool off the turbocharger. Overheating can lead to smoldering of the water pump and, ultimately, to a fire.

“This may also lead to an engine compartment or vehicle fire,” said Rolls-Royce in a recent release.

When the car begins to overheat, the driver should be alerted by a warning light located in the vehicle’s gauge cluster.

Since late October, there have been more than 100 incidents where water pumps have failed in BMW vehicles. Two of these reports resulted in fires. If you own one of these defective vehicles, you’re asked to take your car into a BMW or a Rolls-Royce dealer to have the water pump replaced for free.

Typically during the fall season, new-model vehicles are released. This is when residents perk up to look into getting a new car. This year, the sales of General Motors Co. in the U.S. have increased by about 2 percent. The sales were headed by the Equinox crossover and the Chevrolet Cruze.

GM sold about 200,000 vehicles in October alone. The sales of cars have spiked by nearly 5 percent among passenger cars and about 2 percent among trucks during the month. Its sales of crossover sport utility vehicles dropped by about 1 percent though.

“There are still are some underlying consumer confidence issues,” said Jonathan Browning, chief executive of Volkswagen Group of America.

Despite the increase in sales, some car companies have spent fewer hours perfecting their vehicles and making sure they go through rigorous enough testing. They have mandates to hit, but should go the extra mile to ensure their customers are safe.

Before purchasing a vehicle, you’re urged to check our safety ratings on http://www.safercar.gov/. Consumers should always keep safety in mind when looking at a new car.
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City Council members are looking into enacting a new ban in Port St. Lucie. The new ordinance could potentially stop people, including charitable organizations and newspaper vendors, from using the medians on popular roadways to collect contributions and to sell newspapers from passing motorists, according to TC Palm.

The Council says that these roadside activities are impeding the flow of traffic, endangering the public and increasing the risks of Port St. Lucie car accidents.

Mayor JoAnn Faiella says that the Police Department will be monitoring these popular intersections for six months. He’ll direct the officers to return to the area if the soliciting continues to be a problem.

Our Port St. Lucie car accident attorneys understand that the ban was first brought to discussion after a number of resident complaints. Drivers voiced their concern about these solicitors and the distractions they’re providing. These distractions can drastically increase the risk of injury to drivers or the people themselves, who are unguarded from traffic. These solicitors or the companies they work for may be liable for these types of accidents.

The Port St. Lucie Police Department and many departments in the surrounding areas have agreed that a ban is needed to help ensure the safety of both motorists and these solicitors.

According to the Port St Lucie Police Chief Brian Reuther, there’s no data supporting the claim that roadside solicitations contribute to accidents. These roadside businessmen are a relatively new trend. He still agrees though that no one should be standing on the side of the road, especially at some of our busiest intersections.

The St. Lucie County Commission is also considering a ban like this one, only it would solely affect its unincorporated areas. The ban would be enforced on every day but Sunday. This would allow vendors to distribute newspapers and organizations to collect charitable donations.

“It’s an accident waiting to happen. If there’s a death, it’ll be penned on us,” said Councilman Jack Kelly.

A similar discussion is taking place in Cape Coral, where city officials are looking into banning sign shakers in their city. If you drive down any main roadway in the Cape, you’re sure to see tons of sign shakers. These workers are holding these signs in an attempt to grab your attention. Unfortunately, when these signs have your attention, the road doesn’t.

To help prevent distracted driving and to reduce the risks of accidents on those Southwest Florida roadways, Cape Coral City Council is looking into completely banning these sign shakers.

“You hate to take a job from anybody but you don’t want to put them in harm’s way,” said John Jacobsen, Community Redevelopment Agency Executive Director.

For many local companies, this is about the only form of advertisement they can afford right now to lure in the customers. One Cash for Gold location in the Cape currently employs 25 sign shakers and reports the investment is paying off.

There’s one problem with the ban though, carrying a sign along our roadways is a First Amendment right, so there’s only so much the Council is able to do.
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Earlier this month, Gov. Rick Scott declared a week in October as “Register Your Emergency Contact Information Week,” according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. In submitting a contact name and number, law enforcement officials will know who to contact if a motorist is involved in a serious or fatal car accident in Hollywood, Sunrise, Tamarac or elsewhere in the state.

Port St. Lucie car accident lawyers know that providing a contact number in case of an emergency could be crucial to saving a life in the critical stages following a severe car crash. Sometimes life-saving decisions need to be made in a split second, so notifying a loved one can play an important role in making the right decisions about medical conditions, especially if the accident victim is unconscious.

The Emergency Contact Information Program originated a few years ago when a mother was unable to say her last goodbyes to her failing daughter who was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash. It took several hours for the victim’s mother to be contacted after the accident — time in which she could have spent with her daughter before she died. As a result, the mother pushed state officials to allow emergency information to be placed on a driver’s license or identification card. Instead, authorities conceded by creating a program that emergency contact information could be documented and saved in the Driver and Vehicle Information Database (D.A.V.I.D.)

Florida residents are encouraged to register emergency contacts with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, if you aren’t one of the 5 million licensed drivers who have already done so. The Emergency Contact Information Program permits identification card holders and licensed drivers to submit two names and contact information to be notified in case of an emergency. The information will be accessed only by law enforcement officers in the event of a tragedy or an emergency.

We posted previously on our Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog about another program that could be beneficial in saving lives in the crucial moments following a car crash. Though Florida still has not adopted the program, the Yellow Dot Program helps first responders know of any medical conditions or other pertinent information that they should know before treating a victim who may be severely injured or unconscious following a car accident or other tragedy on our roadways. Obtaining medical information along with emergency contact information is an important step, and may play a key role in saving a victim in the first few minutes or hours after a crash.

Registering emergency contacts is free and easy. You can register online or visit any driver license office throughout the state and ask about the Emergency Contact Information Program. To register online, visit FLHSMV and fill in a few boxes with simple information.
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National Teen Driver Safety Week will be held in the state of Florida during the third week of October, according to MSNBC. Officials, law enforcement agencies and safe driving advocates will be using this time to help educate our teens and parents about safe teen driving habits. Car accidents in Weston and elsewhere continue to be the number one cause of death for teens in the United States. The risks of these accidents can be greatly reduced with more teen driver education and supervision.

The campaign urges moms, dads, and even older siblings to ride along with teens to help them to make smart and safe decisions behind the wheel. According to recent studies, including the most recent one released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, teens who live in households that have clear driving rules and supportive parents are less likely to get into a car accident.

Our Davie car accident attorneys understand how important it is to make sure that parents provide supervised driving practice to their teens in a number of driving conditions. Exposing them to various driving conditions will help to prepare them for the unexpected when they’re driving alone. Parents should also continue on the discussion of safe driving habits long after their teen receives an unrestricted license. Keeping these habits fresh in their mind will help them to make safe driving decisions and will help to reduce their risks of a car accident.

“The first six months after getting your license are the most important,” said Vincent Payne of the Florida car insurance provider AGIC Insurance, Inc.

AAA’s recent teen driving study examined the habits of teen drivers in North Carolina to determine which dangers were the most likely scenarios for a teen to be involved in a car accident. These drivers had in-vehicle cameras installed into their cars to record their every move. The study concluded that speeding, passenger distractions and failing to yield were the three most common causes of accidents for these teens in which they were determined to be at least partially at fault.

“We know that young drivers’ crash rates decrease quickly as they gain experience,” said AAA Foundation President and CEO Peter Kissinger.

Teens are most likely to be involved in an accident during their first 30 days of obtaining an unrestricted license, according to the study. With more experience comes decreased risks. Teens are 50 percent less likely to get into an accident with a year of unrestricted driving and two times less likely with two years of unrestricted driving.

AAA recommends that parents consider the following for their teen driver who no longer requires their supervision:

-Never enough practice. Try to ride with your teen driver whenever possible to monitor their driving habits.

-Limit passengers. The more passengers in the vehicle the higher the risks are for an accident.

-Set a curfew. Limit the amount of nighttime driving that your child does. Their risks for an accident greatly increase during this time.

-Consider creating a parent-teen driving contract to help to solidify these rules and to lay out the consequences for breaking them.
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According to Insurance Information Institute, the average annual cost of automobile insurance in our state is $1,055, which ranks Florida fourth highest among all states.

Automobile insurance can be costly but motorists who drive on a regular basis need to bite the bullet because you won’t discover how important a policy’s coverage is until you have been involved in a severe or near fatal car accident in Lake Worth, Margate, Fort Pierce or elsewhere in the state.

Port St. Lucie car accident attorneys want to reiterate the importance of understanding what is included in your automobile policy because trying to cut costs on monthly premiums could have severe consequences later.

Medical costs for injuries sustained in a car accident can be astronomical so it is important to know your coverage and not to fear going after an insurer to get the compensation needed to recover from serious injuries. If you are involved in a serious car accident, you do have options and should contact an experienced attorney to explore what avenues can be taken to receive the compensation you deserve.

Victims in accidents may not be able to solely depend on compensation from the at-fault driver. You may need to consider collecting from your own policy or filing against policies held by other drivers in the household.

A victim in a 2006 motorcycle accident was recently awarded almost a million dollars in restitution but may never see a penny of it. Marco News reports a drunk driver, who was driving three times over the legal limit, has spent three years in prison and has now been ordered by a Collier County court judge to pay the victim. The at-fault driver claims she has no income or assets following the tragedy that severely injured the motorcyclist.

In a recent restitution hearing the victim testified to the accumulation of medical bills in excess of $1 million and over $200,000 in lost wages over the last five years since the accident. The victim before the accident enjoyed athletic activities and was known to bench 350 pounds and squat 500 pounds in the weight room. Following the accident, the victim suffered a shattered pelvis, collapsed lung and kidney failure and lives in constant pain managed by painkillers. The last surgery performed on his leg caused permanent damage and the victim is forced to now walk with a cane.

The victim’s insurance coverage was for $1 million, of which he blew through in two months’ time following the accident; he was forced to leave the hospital. By being kicked out of the hospital prematurely, his pelvis was not able to heal properly. To make matters worse, his insurance company cut him off with almost $35,000 remaining in medical bills. The victim can’t work and by the time he reaches the age to collect social security he will lose in excess of $500,000 in annual income that he would have earned in salary before the accident happened.

The charged drunk driver is now serving probation and must pay $52 a month. The victim has the option of hiring an attorney in a civil action case that would garnish the at-fault driver’s wages among other things to finally get the compensation he deserves.

This is a prime example and a lesson to be learned that it only takes a split second for your life to change forever. If you are the victim of a car accident that changes your life forever, don’t be short-changed. Contact an experienced attorney to help you get the compensation you deserve.

If you have questions about auto insurance or need clarification about Florida coverage, visit Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles online.
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A recent article in St. Petersburg Times reports that fewer drivers are using the roadways because of the economic turmoil facing many families.

Weston car accident attorneys know that times are rough, but we are approaching the busiest travel time of the year with extra caution. Tourist season and holiday travel always makes Florida roadways more congested and therefore more dangerous for everyone who travels.

Roadways are less populated in Hillsborough County, according to the article and more importantly, citations for bad driving fell dramatically in 2010. Noncriminal moving violations, which include speeding, running red lights and careless driving decreased by 43 percent in Hillsborough County in 2010 when compared to 2007. Drivers arrested for driving under the influence dropped by 18 percent.

According to the 2010 crash statistics report by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the mileage death rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled decreased by more than 4 percent statewide but the daily average of car accidents in Sunrise, Tamarac, Riviera Beach and throughout Florida essentially remained unchanged, reporting 1 fewer a day when compared to the 2009 daily average.

The Florida Department of Transportation surveyed different locations between 2007 and 2010 to determine if traffic congestion was more or less compared to previous years. The survey indicated that congestion in the bay area decreased by 5 percent in 19 of the 21 locations surveyed.

Florida Highway Patrol reportedly logged the same amount of DUI and traffic patrols in 2010 as they did in 2009. The decline in citations is supported by the suggestion that fines have increased, policy strategies have changed, and driver education programs are improving with stricter graduated driver licensing laws for young drivers. According to the 2010 crash statistics, there were fewer teen crashes in 2010 but the same number of teen drivers killed compared to 2009. No law has been passed as of yet in Florida to eliminate texting, the most dangerous behavior exhibited behind the wheel so how much have policies changed to really make an impact on crashes occurring throughout the state.

Authorities may be optimistic about the future given the fact that crashes were reportedly less for 2010 but Florida remains one of the nation’s deadliest states.

We all hope that the economy improves so that jobs will once again be plentiful and families can get back on their feet. One thing we probably can’t rely on is the price of gas ever plummeting to $2 a gallon again. Is the high price of fuel a saving grace to reducing roadway fatalities? The Congressional Budget Office conducted a study on the impact that gasoline prices have on driving behavior. Researchers found that higher gas prices resulted in freeway motorists driving at lower rates of speed and making less frequent trips, especially in areas where rail or commuter transportation was available for travel.

Motorists driving at lower speeds in order to save money on fuel should have a positive impact on the number of deaths and injuries occurring on roadways.

Florida motorists may reduce the number of trips to the supermarket each week or outings with friends to help cut fuel costs and traffic congestion but nothing keeps motorists more safe than being responsible and attentive behind the wheel.
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