Articles Posted in Car Accidents

According to a newly-released study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), American drivers are still using electronic devices behind the wheel — and it’s compromising the safety of everyone out there.

Even with the new information officials have released — news about the risks involving accidents, injuries and death — drivers are still continuing this dangerous driving habit.

Safe driving advocates aren’t ready to throw in the towel. They’re releasing this new data to coincide with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, which we recently discussed on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog.

In the new data, drivers get a fresh look at the dangerous and alarming statistics. Researchers included numbers from the 2012 Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors Survey, the 2011 Distraction Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) as well as the 2011 National Occupant Protection Use Survey on Driver Electronics Use. Our Fort Myers car accident lawyers understand that, at any given moment, there are close to 1 million drivers who are on their cell phone or using an electronic device behind the wheel. That’s a number that’s been steadily on the rise since 2010. Looking at the most recent NHTSA accident information, there were close to 3,500 people who were killed in an accident that involved a distracted driver. Close to 400,000 people were injured in these accidents as well.

“Powering down your cell phone when you’re behind the wheel can save lives – maybe even your own,” said Ray LaHood with the USDOT.

Officials with the NHTSA have released these startling statistics in the first issue of “Safety 1n Numb3rs.”

Study Findings:

-Close to half of all drivers report that they answer the phone while driving.

-About a quarter of all drivers say that they place phone calls in the driver’s seat.

-Less than half of drivers say that they never make calls while they’re driving.

When you take those findings and understand that there are more than 210 million licensed drivers in the U.S., that means that more than 100 million are answering calls behind the wheel and about 50 million are making calls. When you break that all down, more than 660,000 drivers, at any given moment, are using a cell phone in some way while in the driver’s seat.

Until we can get drivers off the phone, there’s no telling how many more thousands of lives we’re going to lose. The problem isn’t that drivers don’t understand the dangers that are associated, it’s just that they’re not willing to hang up the phone. Many drivers believe that they’re skilled enough to handle more than one task behind the wheel. And that’s not possible. Our brains are wired to handle driving or cell phone use.

Not both.

Hang up, pay attention and save lives.
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As we recently reported on our South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, April is “National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.”

Unfortunately, many drivers think that the solution to the distracted driving problem is to turn to hands-free devices. According to recent studies, that method is no safer.

That’s why officials have release a white paper, “Understanding the distracted brain: Why driving while talking on hands-free phones is risky behavior.” It’s providing drivers with an in-depth look into why hands-free cell phone use is just as dangerous.

It’s also being used to help to provide background and context for lawmakers and employers considering legislation and policies.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: Car accidents continue to be a top killer of Americans. Our Naples car accident lawyers know that motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of work-related fatalities. In addition to the thousands of fatalities, many more suffer serious life-changing injuries in car accidents each year. There were more than 2.2 million injuries resulting from vehicle crashes in 2010.

Cell phones seem to be more of a serious problem on our roadways even though texting behind the wheel is more dangerous. According to the NSC, an estimated minimum of 160,000 accidents involved texting or emailing happened in 2010, versus 1.1 million crashes involving drivers talking on cell phones. Virtually all of these accidents could have been prevented.

Why haven’t tougher laws been passed to ban these behaviors?

-Unfortunately, almost all legislation focuses on prohibiting hand-held phones or only text messaging. Lawmakers are not understanding that hands-free usage is just as dangerous.

-All state laws and most employer policies allow hands-free cell phone use. According to recent studies, your risks are the same with hand-held and hands-free devices.

-According to public opinion polls, people understand the risks that are involved with driving and talking on a hand-held cell phone and of texting behind the wheel. Fewer understand the risks associated with hands-free device usage.

It’s important to remember that we all can’t multi-task as well as we think. The brain isn’t designed to do so. Brains can juggle tasks very rapidly, which leads us to erroneously believe we are doing two tasks at the same time. In reality, the brain is switching attention between tasks – performing only one task at a time.

When you’re behind the wheel, it’s important that all of your attention is on the task at hand — driving. Your safety and your well-being relies on it. Florida law may not require you to put down the phone or the text messaging device when you’re in the driver’s seat, but you know right from wrong. When you text or talk on the phone behind the wheel, not only are you putting your own life at risk, but you’re risking the lives of others.
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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.
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A recent Cape Coral accident marked the 6th traffic accident fatality of the year.

According to the Fort Myers Beach Observer, the accident happened just after 7:00 a.m. on Hancock Bridge. The woman was driving in a minivan when an SUV heading in the opposite direction jumped over the cemented median. The woman swerved to miss the oncoming SUV, but instead slammed right into a commercial truck.

The driver of the SUV was transported to Lee Memorial and was lastlisted in fair condition. The truck driver involved in the accident was not injured. The driver of that minivan was pronounced dead on scene.

Our Cape Coral accident lawyers understand that March is the most dangerous month of the year on the roads of Southwest Florida. Students are on spring break and residents are ready to take that much-needed spring vacation. In addition to the locals, we’re still dealing with the increase in traffic volume from out-of-towners. With all of these drivers on our roadways, we see an unfortunate increase in the number of accidents during this time of the year.

And it’s not just the vehicular traffic that we’re worried about. We’ve also got all of the travelers on their bikes and walking in the area. Florida is one of the most dangerous states in the country for these kinds of accidents — especially during this time of the year.

We wish that we could help reduce these risks by simply asking drivers to be more responsible out there, but we understand it’s an uphill battle. Unfortunately, drivers continue to engage in dangerous activities behind the wheel and their risks reflect the choices they make.

Drivers need to keep their eyes on the road and their hands on the wheel. Lives depend on it. Some simple safety tips can help to keep you out of a potentially fatal car accident during this busy time of year.

Safe Driving Tips from the Florida DMV:

-Make sure you keep your distance from other vehicles. Following too closely reduces the time you have to react to dangers. You never know when the car in front of you is going to slam on the brakes for an animal crossing the road or some other reason. You can avoid accidents by driving a safe distance behind vehicles.

-Never drink and drive. Not only is it costly if you’re busted — you can serve jail time and have your license suspended — but doing so could turn out to be a fatal decision.

-Never drive aggressively. Stay one step ahead of the traffic around you and drive on the defense.

-Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. Avoid engaging in distractions, like phone calls, text messages, eating, smoking or drinking, while in operation of a motor vehicle.
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A Lee County school bus was t-boned in a recent accident after authorities say a driver ran a red light.

According to The News-Press, the school bus was full of children when the accident happened. Cape Coral police officers report that the driver of the U-Haul that collided with the school bus was under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the accident happened. The driver of the U-Haul and two students were transported to the hospital. There were 27 students from Hector A. Cafferata Junior Elementary School on the bus when the accident happened on Southeast Eight Street and Santa Barbara Boulevard.

Witnesses reported that the U-Haul had a red light when proceeding through the intersection. He reportedly tried to brake but was not able to stop in time.

Our Cape Coral car accident lawyers understand that unfortunately, traffic and other drivers can be unpredictable. Sometimes drivers do things that we can’t understand or don’t foresee. As we all know, no one should ever run a red light. The truth of the matter is that Florida roadways are already ranked as some of the country’s most dangerous. Irresponsible drivers only serve to further exacerbate the risk. Unfortunately, car accidents at intersections, which are often high-speed collisions, are amongst the most dangerous type of auto accidents.

Even if you’re an alert and aware driver that abides by all road laws and regulations, both the negligence of other drivers and insufficient traffic signs can cause a car accident at an intersection. Too many serious injuries result.

Common Causes of Intersection Accidents:

-Drivers’ neglect to abide by traffic signals.

-Failure to fully stop at red lights before making right-hand turns.

-Making a turn when lights indicate there are “No Turn on Red.”

-Running red lights or stop signs.

-Ignoring yield signs.

-Neglect to abide by other driver’s right-of-way.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 1 million intersection accidents in the nation in 2009. Another 1,135,000 were considered to be intersection-related.

-Close to 200,000 had no traffic control device.

-More than 475,000 had a traffic signal.

-More than 360,000 had a stop sign.

-More than 45,000 had other or unknown traffic devices.

-Close to 700,000 were property-damage only accidents.

-Nearly 410,000 caused injury to travelers.

-Close to 6,000 were killed.

When traveling near an intersection, whether with stop signs or traffic lights, we ask that you remain on your best behavior. In these areas, there’s traffic coming in different directions. While we take them for granted, they are traffic-conflict points. It’s important to stay one step ahead of the travelers around you and to be ready for anything. Your safe, alert and defensive driving habits can help to keep you alive out there. Remember, traffic control devices are there to keep you safe, not to slow you down.
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A Florida Senate committee is taking The first steps in getting drivers to put down the text messaging devices behind the wheel. It’s yet another attempt at an anti-texting law.

A Florida father has made this ban his personal crusade, reports My Fox Tampa Bay. His name is Steve Augello.

Augello says that his daughter was doing what she was supposed to do behind the wheel when she was involved in an accident. But the woman who slammed into and killed her back in 2008 allegedly wasn’t paying attention. She made one move that cost his daughter’s life. She took her eyes of the road for mere seconds to text message and was unable to avoid the accident. He’s now looking to state lawmakers to help to make sure that no one else has to feel that pain.

“I miss my daughter,” Augello said. “I miss having the chance to walk her down the aisle.”

Our Naples car accident attorneys understand that texting and driving is a deadly combination. As a matter of fact, you’re about 25 times more likely to get into an accident while text messaging. Text messaging in the driver’s seat is dangerous and many drivers know this, yet they’re hesitant to put down the phone — thinking that an accident won’t happen to them.

Augello’s daughter died at the age of 17 because of the carelessness of another driver. And for that, he drove to Tallahassee to support a statewide ban to put an end to this dangerous behavior.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that some Florida lawmakers have tried to get this kind of bill passed. The first efforts started about 10 years ago. But still Florida remains one of only six states that has yet to outlaw this dangerous behavior. Critics of these kinds of laws say that the government should stay out of Floridian’s vehicles. It’s an argument for freedom and privacy with which many disagree.

According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, it’s tough to determine just how many people text behind the wheel. However, these individuals are more likely to get into an accident than those who only talk on cell phones behind the wheel. This is why it’s so important to focus our efforts on stopping this behavior. These kinds of accidents are completely preventable. While it may not be law here in the Sunshine State, drivers are asked to keep cell phones and text messaging devices out of the driver’s seat.

The dangers involved with the habit have encouraged a number of large-scale companies, including Darden and Disney, to enact company policies to keep workers off the phone and away from text messages while driving.

AAA reports that distracted driving accounts for more than 15 percent of all fatal accidents and takes the lives of roughly 5,000 lives each and every year.
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If you hate driving at night — you’re not alone.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 70 percent of drivers in the U.S. say that they fear driving at night because they can’t see as well. About 40 percent of drivers say that they worry about hitting someone or even an animal and about 25 percent say that they fear they won’t see the road markings.

Our Cape Coral car accident lawyers understand that there is about 60 percent less traffic on the roadways at night, but still more than 40 percent of all fatal accidents happen during nighttime hours. Drivers base 90 percent of their driving maneuvers on what they can see. When you take that away, we’re driving nearly blind. Because of this, drivers must take extra precautions to avoid an auto accident at night.

Consider these safe nighttime driving tips:

-Preparation. Before heading out, make sure that all of your visual tools are ready. Check your mirrors. Is there a dimming feature on your rearview mirror? Check your headlights and your taillights to make sure they’re working.

-Adjust. If there’s an oncoming car with headlights that are too bright, move to a lane that’s not in direct view of them. If the vehicle’s headlights behind you are too bright, safely pull over and let it pass, or you can just move over to the right-hand lane.

-Clean. Make sure your windshield is clear and clean and that your windshield wiper blades are working properly. Check your windshield washer fluid and make sure it’s clean and full.

-Alert. You want to keep your eyes moving. Make sure you’re keeping an eye out for pedestrians, reflectors, the reflection in animal’s eyes, road debris and other obstacles. Staying alert and looking for these dangers can help to allow yourself with more reaction time should you encounter one.

-Slow. You never want to outdrive your headlights. This means that you always want to be able to stop in the area that’s illuminated in front of you. Slowing down your speed is your best bet in staying safe at night.

Another serious danger, aside from visibility, when driving at night is drowsy driving. You never want to drive when your body would normally be sleep. If you have to, it’s critical that you get plenty of rest before setting out.

If you start to feel drowsy behind the wheel, it’s important that you pull over and get some rest. You never want to fight sleep in the driver’s seat. It’s a battle you’re likely to lose. If you start to feel tires behind the wheel, stop in a safe area and take a nap. Fighting through sleepiness with caffeine, open windows and loud music is only a temporary fix that won’t get your very far and will keep you in the line of danger.
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It’s bad enough to get into an accident. But it’s even worse when you’re involved in an accident with a hit-and-run driver. According to officials with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV), law enforcement officers throughout the state are teaming up and working to help raise awareness and educate motorists about this problem and about what to do in the event of one of these tragedies.

“Hit and run crashes are a growing problem in Florida,” said FHP Director, Col. David Breirton.

Our Fort Myers personal injury attorneys understand that there were more than 70,000 hit-and-run car accidents in the state of Florida last year. These accidents can leave victims without any insurance to help cover the damages and no justice brought upon the culprits. In many cases, a motorist must pursue a claim through the uninsured motorist coverage of his own insurance policy.

Authorities do not forgive and forget. You can see on the map of Active Hit & Run Cases that law enforcement officials aren’t stopping until they find the fleeing drivers.

Do you know what to do in the event of an accident? You want to make sure that you get all of the information you can and that everyone is okay. Traffic collisions are going to occur. It’s how we deal with them that’s going to help the outcome. Stay calm and consider the following.

Just remember CRASH:

Call law enforcement officials.

Remain calm and stay at the scene.

Attain all information you can. Get driver, witness and vehicle information.

Sketch out the accident scene. Make note of where and how the accident happened.

Help anyone who was injured in the accident.

Under Florida law, drivers are required to remain at the scene of an accident, exchange information with others involved and render reasonable help to anyone who is injured in the incident. If you’re busted leaving the scene of an accident, you could face some pretty serious consequences. For leaving the scene where someone has died, you could be slapped with a first-degree felony, which carries a penalty of $10,000 in fines and up to 30 years in prison. If you’re busted leaving the scene of an accident where someone was injured, you’re facing a third-degree felony. You’re also looking at a fine of up to $5,000 and up to 5 years behind bars. If you leave a property-only accident, you can still be slapped with a $500 fine and up to 60 days behind bars.

You might think it could never happen to you, but that’s entirely not the case. In 2012, there were 168 hit-and-run fatalities reported in the state of Florida. That’s 6 more than were reported the previous. Overall, there were close to 70,000 hit-and-run accidents reported throughout the entire year. What makes it even more alarming is that 3 out of every 5 fatalities that were recorded in 2012 were pedestrians who were involved in a hit-and-run accident.
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Six children were recently injured in a Cape Coral traffic collision after their car left the road and struck a tree.

It happened just after 6:00 p.m. along Southwest 18th Street in Cape Coral. The woman was heading south on Nott Road traveling at 45 miles per hour with a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour, according to authorities, when she veered off of the road and into a ditch. The vehicle sideswiped a tree and then drove head on into another tree. The driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to Lee Memorial Hospital. Three of the six children in the vehicle sustained life-threatening injuries. They were trauma-alerted to the hospital. The other three children in the vehicle were also taken to the hospital with injuries.

Our Cape Coral injury lawyers understand that children are the most vulnerable travelers on our roads. Their bodies aren’t always able to sustain the impact of a collision as well as an adult. This is why it’s critical to remember that every child is properly buckled into the correct car seat during each and every car ride.

The result from a blood test of the driver are currently pending in the investigation into the Cape Coral accident is ongoing.

“Typically, an investigation lasts about 60 days,” said DCF spokeswoman Terri Durdaller.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car accidents are the number one cause of death for Americans under the age of 12. The best way to protect our children is to make sure they’re properly seated and buckled.

There are so many car seat types and models. You want to make sure you’ve got the right one for you child. The right car seat or booster fits your child and your car, and is one you will use correctly every time you travel.

When choosing the proper seat for you child, you want to make sure that it’s designed for their age, size and weight. You also want to be familiar with the manufacturer’s instructions. Read the owner’s manual for the vehicle too to make sure you’re installing the seat correctly. To help to improve safety, you should keep your child in the car seat only as long as they fit. If they exceed the manufacturer’s weight, height and age limits — it’s time to get a new one. Lastly, you want to make sure that your child remains seated in the back seat through the age of 12. They’re best protected in the event of an accident back there away from the airbags.
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Officials with the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety are breaking down accident statistics across the country for 2011 and they’re taking a deeper look into where we need to improve to help to save lives on the road. Still, car accidents continue to be the number one cause of death for Americans.

The truth of the matter is that we’ve lost the lives of more than 1 million people in traffic accidents in the United States in the last 25 years. In 2011, there were close to 32,500 killed on U.S. roadways. Although 2011 served up the lowest number of traffic-accident fatalities in one year since 1949, it still represents an average of about 90 lives lost each day.

Our Naples car accident attorneys understand that there’s a common trend. The most alarming thing about these causes is that each of them are preventable. Among the most common causes for crashes are drunk driving, cell phone use by drivers, speeding, red-light running, drowsy driving and the lack of seat belt and helmet use.

Let’s break it down:

-About one out of every five drivers has been involved in a serious accident.

-About one out of every eight drivers have been seriously injured in an accident.

-About one out of every three drivers has had a close friend or a relative seriously injured or killed in a traffic accident.

Drivers must keep in mind there’s no acceptable amount of alcohol for a person to drink before getting behind the wheel. Although nearly 100 percent of drivers disapprove of the dangerous act, about 15 percent admit that they’ve been or have been over the legal alcohol limit behind the wheel in the last year.

Cell phone use behind the wheel is just as bad. Still, about 70 percent of all drivers admit that they’ve been on the phone behind the wheel at least once in the last 30 days. It’s even worse when it comes to text messages. A text-messaging driver is about 23 times more likely to get into an accident.

It’s also important to remember that we have speed limits for a reason. They’re not there to slow you down, but rather to help keep you safe. Still, about half of all drivers report that they’ve driven 15 miles per hour over the speed limit at least once in the last 30 days.

Drowsy driving is a more difficult issue to address. There’s no true way to keep these statistics. There’s no test to see if a driver is drowsy, as there’s a breathalyzer to test if a driver is drunk. Try not to drive when you’d normally be sleeping. If you’re getting tired behind the wheel — get off of the roadway. It’s so bad that about half of all drivers reported falling asleep or nodding off while driving at least once in their lives. About 3 percent report doing it at least once in the last month.
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