Distracted driving-related car accidents in Fort Myers are a hot topic among residents, law enforcement and government officials in our area. There’s even a Stop Distracted Driving Facebook page for the city of Fort Myers. Even with all of this awareness about this dangerous driving behavior, we still see about a third of all drivers engaged in distracting diversions.
To help to promote awareness about these dangers, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety launched the third-annual “Heads-Up Driving Week.” Our Naples car accident attorneys would like to ask all residents to join the week-long event from October 2nd through the 8th and make the pledge to curb all distractions while operating a motor vehicle. Distracted driving-related car accidents took the lives of roughly 5,500 people in 2009. All of these roadway deaths could have been prevented with better driver attention.
It’s no secret that we all have a lot to do and that multi-tasking is a regular activity. But what’s most important is the need to focus on driving while on our roadways. Every single day, there are roughly 8,000 traffic accidents in the United States alone because of distracted drivers.
Distracted driving facts:
-Drivers typically spend more than half of their time behind the wheel engaging in distractions while also navigating our roadways.
-There were more than one million people killed in car accidents over the last 25 years in the country. Roughly 33,750 people were killed in 2010 alone. Experts blame the increase on the advancements in technology and in driver distractions.
-Using a cell phone while driving makes you more than four times more likely to experience a serious crash.
-Common driver distractions include smoking, listening to music too loudly, eating, slowing down to look at traffic accident scenes, making phone calls, text messaging and interacting with passengers.
-Passenger-related distractions were reported as the number one contributor to distraction-related accidents on our roadways.
According to AAA’s Traffic Safety Culture Index, nearly 95 percent of surveyed drivers said that they view emailing and texting behind the wheel as a driving behavior that is completely unacceptable. Nearly 90 percent of these same drivers reported that they completely support laws aimed to regulate or to completely ban the behavior. Still, about a third of them report that they’ve engaged in this driving behavior at least once within the last month.
This is the “do as I say, not as I do” complex, a common behavior of some drivers. We want drivers to practice safer habits on our roadways but refuse to make the changes within ourselves first. We ask that Florida drivers give this week-long pledge a try. You might just enjoy distraction-free driving, and will be able to truly feel the safety of alert driving habits. Urge your friends, family and coworkers to take the pledge with you.
Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, have spent four decades fighting for the rights of car accident victims throughout South Florida, including Naples, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Port Charlotte, Naples and Sebring. If you or someone you love has been involved in a car accident with a distracted driver, call for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. 1-800-283-2900.
More Blog Entries:
NOYS’ 2011 Summit to Help Reduce Risks of Teen Car Accident in Cape Coral, Fort Myers
September 25, 2011
Toyota Studies Top Causes for Senior and Teen Car Accidents in Fort Myers, Nation
September 25, 2011