Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
Young drivers are easily distracted when they get behind the wheel. But Spring Break brings out the worst in driving behaviors. Being alert could help motorists avoid a Fort Lauderdale car accident involving a drunk or distracted driver. As part of a series, Spring Break 2011, we are focusing on several topics which include distracted and drunk driving, teen driving accidents and premise liability accidents.
Our West Palm Beach accident attorneys are familiar with the high volume of traffic during the next few weeks as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach are considered Spring Break hot spots. The inexperience of young drivers during Spring Break week, not to mention their ability to get easily distracted, is a concern for motorists who are going about their daily routine. Young drivers showing some responsible driving behavior on Florida’s roadways would go a long way toward making all of us safer.
In a recent post on our Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog we reported that distracted driving is a killer during high traffic season, more specifically Spring Break weeks. In 2009, March and April were two of the three most dangerous months for fatal crashes in Florida. There were 224 fatal crashes in March of 2009. Florida also reported a total of 1,500 injuries in crashes where the driver was distracted while driving.
Spring Break week is known as a week of wild binge-behaviors. Yahoo News recently reported that it hasn’t always been this way:
-It is believed that Spring Break originated in ancient Greece and Rome when young people celebrated the “rite of spring” and would play outside in the warm water, relax, and enjoy their free time.
-Colgate University, located in New York, was the first to observe “spring break week” when the swim coach took his athletes down to Fort Lauderdale in 1936 for a week of practice in the warm weather.
-In 1938, other colleges began to participate in Spring Break week when 300 swimmers competed in the first College Coaches’ Swim Forum in Fort Lauderdale.
-Finally in 1959, national media coverage got involved when Time reported about the 20,000 college students who controlled the city with drinking and partying. Total population in Fort Lauderdale was 63,000 at that time — and most of those were senior citizens.
-It was estimated that in 1985, over 350,000 people visited Fort Lauderdale in the spring.
-In 1986, MTV produced their first spring break special.
-Today, certain Spring Break hot spots can entertain over 400,000 people in the short six-week span from March to mid-April that is considered Spring Break for high schools and colleges throughout the country.
Whether taking a road trip with a group of friends or renting a car for the week, young drivers are reminded to drive responsibly. It is easy to get distracted while driving with friends in the car, parties on your mind, or setting your GPS to the correct address. Young drivers can minimize the risk of a serious car accident by focusing on the road and not the distractions in the car.
If you or a friend has been injured in a West Palm Beach, Miami or Fort Lauderdale car accident, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC. Someone is on your side so call for a free consultation at 1-800-529-2368.