Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog

It’s “Heads Up Driving Week!” and every day this week the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is campaigning to raise awareness about the risks of distracted driving. This is the third year for the event as it continues to push to find ways to eliminate this dangerous habit for drivers. Residents are asked to make the pledge to put away all diversions for the week to reduce the risks of distracted driving-related car accidents in Boca Raton and elsewhere.

Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys understand that we’ve all got a lot of responsibilities and obligations, but using driving time to complete these tasks is a dangerous decision. This campaign week aims to remind drivers about the number one task at hand in the vehicle — driving!

We see about 8,000 distracted driving-related accidents every day in the United States. These are accidents that are completely preventable with a little bit of responsibility and prioritizing.

Distracted driving accident statistics:

-Car accidents have taken the lives of more than a million people in the U.S. throughout the last 25 years. In 2010 alone, more than 33,500 people died on our roadways. Researchers believe the increase is attributable directly to advancements in technology.

-Passengers are the most frequent report of accident-causing distractions.

-Distractions refer to a plethora of activities, including using a cell phone, text messaging, interacting with other passengers, eating, smoking, applying makeup, reaching for radio controls or playing with web-surfing device.

-Recent statistics reveal that drivers spend about half of their time in a vehicle trying to drive while distracted.

-Drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a serious traffic accident when using a cell phone behind the wheel.

In a recent survey, the AAA Foundation’s 2011 Traffic Safety Culture Index, more than 90 percent of drivers stated that using a cell phone, texting or surfing the web while driving was completely unacceptable. Nearly 90 percent of these individuals said that they support laws banning the activities. Ironically, more than a third of these drivers reported that they had engaged in the dangerous driving behavior at least once within the last 30 days.

This proves a common theory that has recently been examined by these researchers. It’s a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude. This means that drivers are quick to lecture about the dangers of this behavior, but won’t make changes themselves to correct the situation.

We ask that you take the opportunity during “Heads Up Driving Week” to review your driving habits, and talk about the risks associated with distracted-driving with friends and family members. Curb all distractions, just for a few days, to see how much your driving skills improve. The Foundation offers you 10 quick and easy ways to minimize distractions while driving. Good luck and happy safe driving!
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AT&T and the National Organizations for Youth Safety (NOYS) are joining together to fund the 2011 Distracted Driving Summit. On October 17th, the event is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about distraction-related incidents such as teen car accidents in Delray Beach and elsewhere. This has been a popular topic of discussion among many safety experts as the number of distraction-related accidents continues to climb.

Our Tamarac car accident attorneys understand how beneficial this event can be. Teens are more likely than any other drivers to be involved in a distracted-driving car accident. With the new school year in full swing, this is a good time to bring up the importance of safe driving skills among newly-licensed drivers. It is important to keep safe driving skills as a frequent topic of conversation in your household because let’s face it, driving skills aren’t on the top of our teen’s priority list.

According to distraction.gov, there were more than 5,000 individuals killed on U.S. roadways because of distraction-related car accidents in 2009. Approximately 448,000 additional injuries were sustained because of distracted drivers on our roadways. About 20 percent of all accidents nowadays involve a distracted driver. Cell phones were the most commonly reported source of distraction in fatal accidents. Cell phone-using drivers contributed to nearly 1,000 roadway fatalities in 2009. Teens under the age of 21-years-old are most likely to be involved in a fatal accident with reports of distracted driving.

Recent studies have concluded that drivers who use a cell phone behind the wheel have the same reaction time as a driver who is legally drunk with a blood alcohol concentration of .08. Drivers who use a hand-held device while driving are four times more likely to get into an accident resulting in a serious injury.

The 2011 Distracted Driving Summit will include the following:

-The commencement of the new NOYS Teen Distracted Driving Prevention Team (TDDPT). This team will consist of 10 advisers and 40 youth members.

-Numerous sponsorship opportunities.

-Presentations from national organizations including the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

-TDDPT training sessions and workshops will be conducted by some of the top safety companies and organizations.

-Opportunities for companies and organizations to showcase products, programs and resources related to distracted driving.

Through this seminar, teens will also be taught important tips to keep their vehicle running smoothly. These tips include:

-Keep your coolant, transmission, brake, engine and power steering fluids fresh and filled. All of this information can be found in the vehicle’s owner’s manual.

-How to properly check and maintain the vehicle’s battery.

-How to properly change a tire.

-How to check the tire’s air pressure.
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More than 200 employees died in 2010 because of work accidents in Margate and elsewhere throughout the state of Florida. While this is a decrease in the number of fatal work accidents by about 30 deaths from the previous year, transportation accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for workers in Florida, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 100 workers in Florida died in 2010 of transportation-related work accidents. These types of accidents took the lives of more workers than falls, explosions, fires, violent acts, assaults, equipment-related accidents and harmful exposure accidents.

To help to reduce the risks of work-related car accidents in Miami, we invite you to participate in Drive Safely Work Week. This awareness campaign is taking place this week through Oct. 7. The event is used to encourage employers to push for safer driving habits among workers, which includes addressing the dangers of distracted driving. This year’s campaign has been titled “Focus 360°: Getting there safely is everyone’s business.” It is being presented by Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The 2011 campaign affects everyone on our roadways. Officials are reaching passengers, drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to discuss the little things we all can do to help prevent distraction-related car accidents. Employers have the ability to share the message with nearly half of U.S. residents. Employer support in this campaign is critical to spread the word and to help prevent these accidents.

NETS suggests your company follows one of the following paths this year:

-If you don’t have a policy in place already, create and enforce a cell phone policy in your workplace. Drivers should refrain from using their cell phones while driving on the job.

-If you already have a policy, share safety tips and conduct activities that can help reinforce your plan.

-If you don’t wish to enact some sort of cell phone policy, you are still urged to talk with your employees about the dangers, consequences and risks associated with distracted driving.

The 2010 Drive Safely Work Week recruited the participation of approximately 5,000 organizations. Since then, nearly 90 percent of them have enacted some sort of cell phone policy kit at their workplace.

In 2009, there were approximately 5,500 people killed on U.S. roadways because of traffic accidents that involved a distracted driver. Another 448,000 people were injured in these incidents. These types of accidents account for roughly 20 percent of all reported fatal accidents in the country. Drivers who use a cell phone while driving have the same reaction time as a driver who is legally drunk. These accidents are completely preventable with a little knowledge and responsibility.

As technology continues to advance, unfortunately so do in-car distractions. Drivers are urged to get involved in this year’s campaign and help the push for safer roadways. Drivers should be focused on one thing and one thing only — driving!
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We tend to post frequently about teen drivers on our Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog because we want parents and teens to stay informed. We are also hopeful we can be of help to you in making smart decisions and reducing the risks of teen car accidents in Weston, Sunrise and elsewhere.

Now that school is back in session, Boynton Beach car accident lawyers worry about young drivers because they can get distracted easily with school, friends, extracurricular activities and events. Losing focus for even a second while driving can change a life forever.

According to the traffic crash statistics recently released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there was no change in the number of teen drivers killed in crashes in 2010 compared to 2009. Nearly seven teen drivers died every month in 2010 on average. There were nine fewer teen passengers killed in crashes in 2010 compared to the previous year. Teen drivers injured in a crash in 2010 remained about the same as the previous year: 10,563. In the same year, teenage passengers injured in a crash decreased by almost 8 percent from the previous year. There were 2,637 fewer teen car crashes in 2010 than the 29,485 reported in 2009. Teen drivers between the ages of 15-19 had the highest rate of involvement in crashes per 10,000 licensed drivers than any other age group.

Our Broward County car accident lawyers are compiling a county comparison of crash statistics in our area to determine which cities appear to be safer for motorists. We have been examining 2010 crash statistics recently released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The report covers crash information related to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, teen drivers and drivers under the influence. We understand that driving behaviors have a lot to do with the number of fatal crashes that occur on Florida roadways, but want to compare which counties appear to be safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.

Overall, the number of car accidents in Palm Beach County and Broward County increased from 2009 statistics, compared to a slight decrease in traffic crashes reported in St. Lucie County from 2009 to 2010. Broward County reported the second highest number of crashes of any county at 26,233, behind only Miami-Dade County. Similarly, Broward County reported the second most number of injuries related to car crashes in 2010, at 20,540, more than any other county in the state except Miami-Dade. St. Lucie County’s reported 2,210 crashes in 2010 is the fewest it has had in any of the last five years.

Broward County, Palm Beach County, and St. Lucie County all reported fewer alcohol-related crashes compared to 2009, with a total of 1,424, 1,123 and 183, respectively. Of the three counties, Broward reported the most drunk-driver crashes in 2010 compared to Palm Beach, which reported the most alcohol-related crashes of the three counties in 2009 at 1,715. Thus, Palm Beach County showed the biggest decrease in alcohol-related crashes from 2009 to 2010 in the three-county comparison.

You may remember earlier this year when we reported on our Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog that Toyota Motor Corporation lost millions of dollars for failing to report vehicles that were mass-produced with faulty floor mats and accelerator pedals. Defective vehicles can cause serious injury in a St. Lucie car accident so recalled vehicles should always be taken to the dealer for proper inspections and repair.

Greenacres car accident attorneys know that Toyota has been in the news recently but in a positive manner this time. CNN reports that Toyota will fund comprehensive research studies that will look at drivers’ attention and behavior rather than examining the vehicle itself. Under much scrutiny for producing malfunctioning vehicles, NASA scientists actually discovered that driver error was more to blame than defective parts in Toyota models involved in accidents.

This study may be especially insightful for younger drivers, who seem to have an illusive superiority when it comes to their attitudes about driving, according to recent surveys. They reportedly overvalue positive abilities and devalue the negatives when it comes to many aspects of their lives, including roadway behaviors.

Toyota Motor Corporation will place distracted driving at the top of the research priority list and will target the behavior of the two most critical problem populations: older drivers and newly licensed drivers. Toyota will fund $50 million dollars over the next five years for 10 new research projects that will take place at six top-notch universities or research institutions. The six new safety technology partners are Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Transportation Active Safety Institute, Virginia Polytech Institute and State University, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Washtenaw Area Transportation Study and Wayne State University School of Medicine.

We all know that driver distraction is a hot topic right now. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) has been trying to get an inkling on how driver distraction affects driving behavior in a naturalistic study. Researchers have been examining footage from drivers who have a camera installed in their vehicle. Findings have suggested that teens are quite oblivious to their surroundings until they are shaken back to reality by a collision. Toyota’s answer is to offer a free defensive driving program to 90 teens and their parents, and then monitor the teens for six months to judge the program’s effectivness.

VTTI will also use funds provided by Toyota to launch a three-year project that looks at brain fitness training for older adults and whether there is any benefit to improve their field of vision. Researchers have found that a person’s field of vision and the amount of information they can take in at a glance reduces with age by as much as 30 percent. The new study will examine elder drivers’ field of vision when performing lane changes, at intersections, as well as speed-related behaviors.

Other funded projects will include a two-year study at MIT Age Lab that will look at in-vehicle command systems and what effect they have on driver distraction. A separate study at Wayne State University will develop crash dummies with different body types to determine how body makeup effects injuries sustained in crashes. The goal is to determine how injuries can be reduced for all occupants no matter how old or what body type they are.
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Driver’s education courses may prepare young drivers for the rules of the road but a recent survey indicates teens are pretty clueless when it comes to car maintenance and safety checks on their vehicles. Failing to take care of a vehicle properly can increase the chances of being involved in a car accident in Miami, Fort Pierce, Weston or elsewhere in the state. Losing control of a vehicle from a tire blowout, brake failure or faulty system can lead to serious injury.

AutoMD released the results of a recent survey that indicated more than 65 percent of parents say their children have basic or average knowledge of general car maintenance. This concerns our car accident attorneys in Sunrise and Oakland Park because there’s probably some 35 percent of teenage drivers who don’t know much about basic vehicle maintenance, and they should. This segment of drivers typically turns to parents, who probably don’t have much more than basic knowledge of vehicle maintenance and inspection techniques.

The National Organizations for Youth Safety has tried to simplify car maintenance for teens by establishing a back-to-school car care checklist. The onus is on parents to ensure their teen driver is riding in a safe, reliable model car, but the teen should be responsible for routine maintenance. The following are some pointers emphasized in the checklist:

-Review the owner’s manual to learn what indicators and warning lights mean. If a light remains illuminated on the dashboard, a mechanic should take a look at the vehicle as soon as possible.

-Learn how to check fluid levels and check the battery in your vehicle. If the date code stamp located on top of the battery indicates it is more than 3 years old, have the battery tested by a repair shop to see if it needs to be replaced.

-While you have your hood open, turn on the vehicle with the fans running and listen for strange noises. If you hear screeching or odd sounds, have the car checked. A belt or a fan may need to be replaced.

-Check the tire treads and pressure monthly. Make sure the spare tire has sufficient air, and that a lug wrench and jack are available in the trunk in case you get a flat tire.

-Remove any garbage inside the vehicle to avoid an empty can or bag from impeding brake or acceleration action.

In response to teens needing to gain more knowledge about car maintenance and repair based on the results of the survey, AutoMD created a Teen Driver Car Maintenance and Repair Guide . Teen drivers can download it to help learn more about how to keep their vehicle running smoothly and be safer on roadways. The guide provides drivers with a vehicle diagram that can be used in conjunction with the owner’s manual. It also provides do-it-yourself repair instructions and maintenance checklist. The guide will also teach teens some nifty tricks and tips on repairing the vehicle, as well as car repair safety sto help avoid being injured. The guide also discusses roadside safety tips in case of a break down on the road.

Teens who become book smart about car maintenance and repair are encouraged to take the car maintenance quiz to earn a certificate of commitment. Knowing what to do and what to look for can give teen drivers and their family some peace of mind.
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Car accident attorneys in Hollywood, Port St. Lucie and Pompano Beach want to remind parents that next week is a good time to ask questions about the proper use of your child’s safety seat. That’s because the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is holding its annual Child Passenger Safety Week from Sept. 18 through the 24th. Parents can make arrangements during this awareness campaign to ensure their children’s restraint seats meet all applicable standards.

The Palm Beach Post wrote a story featuring a parent who is thankful she took the initiative to change her children’s safety seats because a month later she was involved in a car accident in Boynton Beach. Knowing her child restraint seats were outdated, she placed a call to Safe Kids Palm Beach County in hopes of replacing them. In exchange for a donation, she received two new car seats that she believes saved her children’s lives in the tragic accident that left her a quadriplegic. A spokeswoman from Safe Kids presented the mother with the ‘Saved by the Belt Award’ for knowing that a change needed to be made, which ultimately saved her children lives.

Her two children were 2 years old and 7 months at the time of the accident, and thankfully avoided injuries despite the Ford Explorer they were riding was hit several times. A 15-year-old unlicensed driver allegedly side-swiped the Ford Explorer a little over a year ago causing several other vehicles and objects to make impact during the accident.

On National Seat Check Day, Saturday, Sept. 24, parents throughout the country can visit a child-seat inspection station free of charge to determine if their child’s car seat meets standards, and that it is properly fastened into the vehicle. Parents can also ask safety technicians for advice about child safety while riding in a car. To locate a child car-seat inspection station near you, click here for a map.

In other child car seat safety news, the National Safety Commission reports that there is a growing problem with children unbuckling themselves in their child-restraint seat while the car is in motion. Children as young as 12 months are unbuckling themselves, putting them at risk of being injured at a rate three times greater than a child who is properly restrained in a car seat. The study revealed that boys were more likely to unbuckle than girls, and that 75 percent of children who unfastened their safety restraint were age 3 and under. Researchers also found that 29 percent of children who unbuckle are restrained in a five-point seat and typically unbuckle from the chest restraint.

If your child has learned to unbuckle his or her child restraint or booster seat, don’t try to fix the problem while you are driving. Instead, pull over to a safe place to re-fasten the belt, and if the child is old enough to understand, talk to him or her about the importance of staying buckled up.

To find a child safety coalition in your area, visit Safe Kids Florida. This website can also help you find a car seat check-up event or inspection station near you.
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