For the entire month of April, officials with the National Safety Council (NSC) and safe driving advocates nationwide will be pushing the importance of focused driving.
Our Fort Myers car accident lawyers understand that there were close to 3,500 people killed in distracted driving car accidents in the U.S. in 2010. In addition to these fatalities, there were another 415,000 injured. This is alarming news — especially when you consider that these accidents are completely preventable.
It’s a serious problem here in the state of Florida because we are one of the only states in the country that has yet to enact any kind of distracted driving law. Drivers in the Sunshine State are free to make phone calls, send text messages and do pretty much anything else without the fear of being ticketed. A number of bills have been introduced in the past to help to put an end to distractions behind the wheel, but all have failed.
That’s why we’re calling on drivers to step up and do what’s right.
During the month of April, safety officials are urging you to:
-Put down the phone when you’re in the driver’s seat. We’re asking this of both hand-held and hands-free devices. They’re both dangerous.
-Understand the dangers of distractions and how they affect your brain and safety.
-Tell people who call you while you’re driving that you would be happy to continue the conversation once you’ve come to a stop.
-Talk with friends, family members and others in the community about the risks associated with distracted driving and get them to join in on this month-long campaign.
-Talk with the young driver in your family. Teenage drivers are more likely than any other driver to engage in these dangerous behaviors behind the wheel and more likely to get into motor vehicle accidents.
The truth of the matter is that even talking on hands-free or handheld cell phones requires the brain to multitask – a process it cannot do safely while driving. We’re just not built to multitask behind the wheel.
Motor vehicle accidents continue to be the leading cause of death for Americans. Each year since 1994, between 32,000 and 44,000 people have been killed in these kinds of accidents. That’s nearly a million people lost since then. Most of these accidents were preventable, too.
Help to make our roadways safer not only for yourself, but for everyone else sharing the lanes with you. There is no phone call or text message that should be worth a life. Florida law may not stop you from engaging in these dangerous behaviors, but you know the right (and safe) thing to do. Put down the phone in the driver’s seat.
Call Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, if you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident. Call today for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. 1-800-283-2900.
More Blog Entries:
Sixth Traffic Fatality of the Year Recorded in Cape Coral, Florida Injury Lawyer Blog. March 21, 2013
Florida Looks to Ban Text Messaging While Driving … Again, Florida Injury Lawyer Blog. March 1, 2013