Articles Posted in Trucking Accidents

|

A majority of Americans are on board with the idea of passing additional driving laws and would like government officials to take more actions to improve highway safety to reduce the risks of a car accident in Fort Myers and elsewhere in the United States, according to a recent survey released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The release of this survey follows the United Nations’ kick off of ‘Decade of Action on Road Safety’. Their campaign aims to reduce the total number of motor vehicle accident deaths and injuries.
921217_crashed_car.jpg

“Despite shrinking federal and state transportation budgets and a public debate over the most appropriate role of government, it’s clear that a majority of Americans want government officials to do more – not less – about highway safety,” said AAA President and CEO Bob Darbelnet. “From passing and enforcing laws about teen drivers and distracted driving to programs that improve the safety of our roadways and add safety equipment to vehicles, there are many steps government can take reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths in the U.S.”

Our Fort Myers injury attorneys understand that more laws and regulations may be needed to help increase the safety of all motorists. The United States is on board and has endorsed the Decade of Action. The campaign aims to stabilize and then reduce the number of deaths worldwide by 2020.

“At a time when more and more U.S. highway safety agencies are adopting “Toward Zero Death” goals, it is very heartening to see motorist support for more, not less action by government to make our roads safer,” added J. Peter Kissinger, President of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, that commissioned this survey.

The recently released survey reveals that:

-More than 60 percent of American citizens agree that the U.S. needs more laws to prevent people from participating in dangerous driving habits.

-Most of Americans believe that both automakers and the federal government should be doing more make cars safer.

-Nearly 90 percent of Americans think that all new drivers should have to complete a driver education course before they are able to get their driver’s license.

-More than 50 percent of Americans agree that their own state government needs to step up and do more to make their own roads safer.

-Nearly three-quarters of Americans agree that all driving safety laws need to be enforced more strictly.

“As the global community has initiated action to combat the public health crisis associated with motor vehicle crashes, the U.S. should lead by example and invest even greater resources in laws, education, technology and road design to reduce the daily highway carnage,” said Kissinger.

In the United States, more than 25,000 passenger-vehicle occupants lost their lives, and another 2.35 million were injured in traffic accidents in 2008, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That same year, Florida experienced nearly 2,000 traffic accident fatalities.

More than 1.3 million motorists are killed on roadways worldwide each year. Annually, roughly 3.5 million are injured, and many disabled as a result of car accidents worldwide.
Continue reading ›

|

think-2005_john-died-in-his-sleep_20-25
Trucking company owners are pushing their drivers to exhaustion. In the United States, driver fatigue causes up to 40% of all truck crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. To help reduce the estimated 56,000 sleep-related crashes in the USA, the federal government limits the time a trucker may drive to 10 consecutive hours. A minimum 8 hours rest is required after driving for 10 hours. The rules permit truckers to spend 16 hours driving during any 24-hour period.

Trying to circumvent the rules, however, some owners have falsified company logbooks to conceal that their drivers exceeded the maximum allowable number of daily driving hours. The crash risk doubles from the eighth to the tenth hour of driving, and doubles again from the tenth to the eleventh hour. According to one judge who sentenced a trucking company owner to a year in prison, by falsifying records he “created a conscious risk of death or serious bodily injury.” After any crash involving a truck that injures a client, Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers will examine the driver’s records to determine whether fatigue played a factor.

Whether a truck or a car, if you’re behind the wheel for long periods, combat fatigue as follows:

Continue reading ›

|

97316_mack_truck.jpg
The Collier County Sheriff’s Office opened June with a crackdown on unsafe commercial trucks in the Naples area in an effort to prevent serious and deadly trucking accidents.

Florida trucking accident lawyers and personal injury and wrongful death attorneys know getting unsafe trucks and truck drivers off our road will reduce serious trucking accidents in Southwest Florida.

We urge motorists to use extra caution around all commercial trucks. A semi or dump truck can weight 70,000 to 80,000 pounds – 20 times the weight of a passenger vehicle. At 70 mph, you don’t stand a chance.

Collier County deputies will be stopping commercial vehicles around the clock this week to inspect tires, brakes and other safety equipment in an aggressive enforcement effort of state and federal laws governing commercial vehicles.

“The road check gives law enforcement the opportunity to make sure these vehicles are safe to be out on the roads,” said Cpl. Tom Mullen, of the traffic enforcement bureau. “It also forces the owners of these trucks to keep up with the safety standards.”

Advocacy groups content 20 to 30 percent of trucks on Florida roads are running overweight at any give time — and fines in the range of $100 offer little deterrent compared to the profit to be made when large trucks run purposefully overweight.

One in every 10 fatalities is the result of a trucker-related crash — about 1,000 a year, according to federal statistics. And Florida is one of the most deadly — second only to Texas in the number of fatal trucking crashes.
Continue reading ›

|

1146423_nighttraffic.jpg
In the wake of last week’s series on https://www.injury-lawyer-florida.com about the hazards of aggressive driving, speeding and distracted and drowsy driving, Florida Injury Lawyers has found a comprehensive Internet resource to provide drivers with a refresher course of safe driving tips.

For most of us, driving has become a commonplace activity. Yet it is the only potentially deadly activity most of us engage in on a daily basis. Having written about what not to do, here is a look at 70 safe driving tips we could all benefit from reviewing.

As RoadTrip America put it in debuting its 70 Rules of Defensive Driving: “It’s not something we … like to dwell upon but about 50,000 people die each year in collisions on the roadways of the United States.”

Please click here to visit the entire list, courtesy of RoadTrip America, which provides additional information on each safety tip.
1) Pay Attention 2) Don’t Trust Nobody!
3) Yield Anyway 4) Don’t Speed 5) Don’t Drive Impaired 6) Wear Your Seat Belt 7) Buy and Use Other Safety Devices 8) Motorcyclist Protect Thyself!
9) Don’t Run Red 10) Drive Precisely 11) Chill Out 12) Look Down the Road 13) Create Space & Use the two-seconds-plus rule 14) Drive to Communicate 15) Drive Predictably 16) Always Signal Your Intentions 17) Know Your Blind Spots 18) Avoid Distractions 19) Avoid Backing Up 20) Beware of Intersections 21) Be a Freeway Pro 22) Know How to Stop 23) Know When to Use Headlights 24) Slow Down in Rain or Snow 25) Maintain Your Vehicle’s Tires
Click here for all 70 rules from RoadTrip America, complete with descriptions and other advice for each rule.
Continue reading ›

|

844621_speed_1.jpg
Speeding and traveling at speeds unsafe for road, traffic and weather conditions is the focus of Part 2 of Florida Injury Lawyer’s three-part series on the high number of traffic accidents caused by aggressive drivers, unsafe speed and distracted and sleepy drivers.

Florida injury lawyers handle hundreds of car accidents, motorcycle accidents and trucking accidents each year caused by unsafe speed throughout Southwest Florida, including Naples, Bonita Springs, Lehigh Acres, Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Venice, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda and Sebring.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration estimated 15 years ago that speeding cost society $44,193 a minute: That’s $63 million a day!

525627_speed_limit_35.jpg
In 2006, more than 50 people lost their life to traffic crashes in each of Florida’s 67 counties and speed was often a contributing factor.

Federal statistics show speed is a contributing factor in 1 out of every 3 fatal car crashes.

Speed reduces a driver’s ability to steer safely around curves or objects in the roadway and it extends the distance required to stop a vehicle in an emergency.

Crash severity also increases with speed. Inversely, the effectiveness of restraint devices like safety bags and seat belts, and vehicle construction features like crumple zones, decline as impact speed increases.

The probability of death, disfigurement or debilitating injury doubles for every 10 mph over 50 mph, according to government statistics.

Many drivers don’t consider these dangers. They slow their speed in neighborhoods or when the weather turns bad. To them, a few miles an hour over the speed limit is an acceptable risk. They believe that the worst that can happen to them is they’ll get a speeding ticket.

But the facts are clear: Driving too fast for conditions or exceeding the speed limit can kill you.

Speed facts:
* Rural roads account for over 60 percent of all speed-related fatal crashes.
* 2 of every three speed-related crashes involve a single vehicle.
* 60 percent of all speed-related fatal crashes occur at night (6 p.m. to 6 a.m.).
* Drivers involved in speed-related fatal crashes are more likely to have a history of traffic violations.
* On average, 1,000 Americans are killed every month in speed-related crashes.


Youth and Speeding:
* Of all drivers under 24 involved in fatal crashes, 32 percent were speeding.
* Of all drivers under 21 involved in fatal crashes, 38 percent of the male and 24 percent of the female drivers were speeding.

Save gas — slow down:
* Fuel consumption increases steadily above 45 mph. Cars and light trucks use 50 percent more gas traveling at 75 mph than they do at 55 mph.
Continue reading ›

|

5981_traffic_jam.jpg
This week Florida Injury Lawyers is publishing a trio of articles on https://www.injury-lawyer-florida.com focusing on behavior that frequently leads to personal injury and wrongful death in preventable car accidents: Aggressive driving, speeding and distracted and sleepy driving.

Florida accident lawyers handle hundreds of cases each year involving car accidents, trucking accidents and motorcycle accidents caused by the negligence of aggressive drivers.

This is not an abstract threat — you are either at risk or putting people at risk of a car accident or other traffic crash. Consider this: In 2006 alone, an average of more than 700 crashes occurred every day in the State of Florida — claiming 3,365 lives, or more than 50 people killed in a Florida car accident in each and every county in the state.

Aggressive drivers are some of the highest-risk drivers on the road, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They climb into the anonymity of an automobile and take out their frustrations on anybody at anytime. Their concern for fellow motorists is low.

They run stop signs and red lights, speed, tailgate, weave in an out of traffic, pass on the right, make improper and unsafe lane changes, make hand and facial gestures, scream, honk and flash their lights.

Signs you are an aggressive driver:
* You express frustration behind the wheel: Taking out frustrations on other drivers can lead to violence or a crash.
* You fail to pay attention when driving: Talking on the phone, reading, eating, drinking, applying makeup and other distractions are a major cause of traffic crashes.
* You tailgate: This is a major cause of crashes, which too often leads to serious injury or death.
* You run red lights: Do not enter an intersection on a yellow light. The several minutes you might save could cost you your life. Remember that flashing red lights should be treated as a stop sign.
*You speed: Going faster than the posted speed limit, or than road conditions or traffic will safely allow, is a frequent cause of serious car crashes.


Strategies for Safer Driving

*Concentrate: Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by anything but the task of driving.
* Relax: Tune the radio (while stopped) to your favorite station and relax. Music can calm your nerves and help you enjoy your time in the car.
* Don’t speed: Fewer crashes happen when vehicles are traveling at or about the same speed.
* Identify alternative routes: Even if it looks longer on paper, you may find it less congested.
* Use public transportation: It can give you a much-needed break from life behind the wheel.
* Just be late: If all else fails, be late. You will still arrive at your destination sooner than if you cause a serious car accident that injures you or someone else.

When confronted with aggressive drivers:
* Get out of the way.
* Put your pride aside: Do not challenge them by speeding up, becoming aggressive yourself, or trying to hold your own in your lane.
* Avoid eye contact: It sometimes enrages an aggressive driver.
* Report serious aggressive driving: You or a passenger may call police. But if you use a cell phone, pull over to a safe location.
Continue reading ›

|

1104507_texting.jpg

South Florida support for preventing serious injury and wrongful death in car accidents caused by distracted drivers could result in a new law banning cell phone use by drivers.

Florida car accident lawyers and personal injury and wrongful death attorneys in Southwest Florida represent hundreds of motorists who are injured or killed each year as a result of distracted driving.

“Stay Alive … Just Drive!” has announced a joint agreement with “Safety as Floridians Expect,” (SAFE), supporting a state and federal ban on text messaging while driving.

The partnership moves all of South Florida to the forefront in the fight against distracted driving. “Stay Alive … Just Drive,” is a driver-safety and awareness organization founded by retired Fort Myers-area paramedic Jay Anderson in Southwest Florida. SAFE is a fast-growing Southeast Florida based education and advocacy group.
sajd.jpg

Both the Florida House and the Florida Senate are debating measures that would ban text messaging and/or cell phone use by drivers.

There’s a multitude of bills in the House and the Senate,” Anderson said. “Based on what’s happened across the country, there is an increased awareness of the dangers, especially the text messaging. I think we have an opportunity to join other states and it’s long overdue.”

If adopted, Anderson said Florida would join five other states that ban cell phone use by drivers, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Washington, California and Washington, D.C.

Anderson said the time has come to get real about cell phone use by drivers.

1131636_no_cells.jpg

“Realistically, we all have to think about the times it’s just not proper to use your cell phone,” Anderson said. “Operating a motor vehicle is one of those times. A cell phone and texting ban will help protect all those who use our roads.”

SAFE Chairman Jim Smith said it is time for lawmakers to act.

“Text messaging is responsible for many unnecessary deaths on our streets and highways,” Smith said. “The only way it can be stopped is by adopting a law banning driver text messaging. It’s time for legislators to put people’s safety ahead of cell phone lobbyists’ interests.”
Continue reading ›

|

A tougher seat belt law that would allow law enforcement to stop and ticket violators is moving through Florida’s lawmaking process this month and has a better chance of becoming law than in recent years when lawmakers returned to their districts without voting for passage.

Florida auto accident and wrongful death lawyers handle hundreds of cases each year in which drivers and passengers are seriously injured or killed in car accidents, trucking accidents and other highway collisions. Florida injury lawyers urge a comprehensive approach to safe driving as the best protection — even those wearing seat belts are often seriously injured or killed as the result of a traffic collision.

House Bill 1 and its companion, Senate Bill 344, would permit officers to stop and ticket offenders. Current law allows for seat belt violations to be issued only when a driver has been stopped for another offense.

seatbelt.jpg

While only a small percentage of introduced bills become laws each year, the proposal has the support of the American Automobile Associate (AAA) and other advocates for road safety.

“We do feel like we have some momentum this year,” Amy Stracke, AAA’s managing director of member and business advocacy, told https://www.injury-lawyer-florida.com.

Stracke said the issue has passed through the House in each of the last several years but died without being heard in Senate Committee. This year’s bill is moving through the process in the Senate. To become law, both the House and the Senate must approve the measure. Any bill that does not pass before lawmakers adjourn in the spring must start the process over again the following year.

Florida would join 26 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, in making seat belt violations a primary traffic offense.

Nationally, AAA reports traffic-related injuries are the leading cause of death for people ages 4 to 34.

*29 percent of unrestrained vehicle occupants (or about one in three) are ejected from a vehicle or killed during an accident.

* Three out of four people ejected from a vehicle are killed.

* Only 1 percent of occupants wearing a seat belt are ejected.

* Safety belt usage is an average of 10 percent higher in states with primary enforcement.

In Florida, AAA reported 1,203 people who were not wearing seat belts were killed in traffic accidents in 2007.

* In 2007, more than 850 Floridians were saved by seat belts.

* Supporters estimated the improved law would save 124 lives and prevent more than 1,700 serious injuries each year in Florida.

* Supporters contend that 92 percent of the general public in Florida favors standard
enforcement for all vehicle occupants over the age of 18.

AAA and other groups pushing for the law also argue it is the fiscally responsible thing to do.

* A primary enforcement law would save Florida over $140 million in insurance, Medicaid and other related health care costs during the first year.

* Florida is eligible to receive more than $35 million from the federal government if the law passes.

* Unbuckled crash victims’ medical costs are 50 percent higher.

* A decade-long study at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center in Memphis concluded that comapred to those who were not restrained, patients who used seat belts and airbags together were 50 percent less likely to die in the hospital and treatment costs at the hospital would have been reduced by $60 million over the course of the study.
Continue reading ›

|

332864_car_accident_5.jpg
Riders and Other Advocates for Road Safety (ROARS) is mounting a community action campaign aimed at reducing road accidents in Southwest Florida.

“We stand behind any cause that seeks to reduce accidents on our roads,” said Bruce L. Scheiner, founder and senior attorney at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, which has been dedicated to fighting for the rights of accident victims in South Florida since 1971. “Groups like ROARS can make a real difference, particularly in a tough economy when local and state governments often reduce public-safety spending for education and other awareness programs.”

The group will seek to educate the public in an effort to reduce the number of car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents and bicycle and pedestrian accidents throughout Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres and Bonita Springs.

“Though there are many reasons for fatalities on our highways, it is truly the belief of this advocate that an alarming amount of these crashes can be avoided,” said Frankie Kennedy, founder and chairman of ROARS.

DSC_0014.JPG

When it comes to motorcycle fatalities, Kennedy said 85 percent are the result of a vehicle’s failure to yield the right of way.

“Most people do no see the motorcycle and, because of its size, they nearly always misjudge its speed,” Kennedy said. “Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, has supported the motorcycling community for many years and with their help, we are working very diligently to get our message out.”

Kennedy said the group will focus on all forms of road safety as it seeks to educate the public and maintain safety awareness.

ROARS also is active in educating young drivers.

“We will bring our program anywhere we can get a gathering of interested drivers,” Kennedy said. “We currently bring a motorcycle safety and driver-awareness seminar to all the local high schools in Lee County and we have touched thousands of student drivers since we started the program. It is of the utmost importance to reach as many people as possible.”

Citizens are encouraged to join with ROARS and engage in programs and activities designed to raise public awareness in their communities. The coalition strongly advocates grass roots efforts in the areas of voter registration and the development of proactive relationships with the state’s legislators to promote innovative ways to make streets, roads and highways safer for Florida residents and visitors.

ROARS recognizes the inherent dangers associated with every mode of transportation and understands the need for a purposeful and united effort by all drivers, riders and pedestrians to reduce loss due to injuries and death.

For more information about ROARS, please contact Chair and Founder Frankie Kennedy at 239-849-9065 or e-mail swchief2000@yahoo.com.
Continue reading ›

|

SCHE%20Billboard%20V3.jpg
The Florida injury lawyers at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, begin 2009 with a new toll-free phone number, 1-800-Dial-BLS.

Whether you are injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident, truck accident or are the victim of a drunk driving crash or other personal-injury or wrongful-death situation, representatives are available 24 hours a day at 1-800-Dial-BLS to review your case.

The firm has four decades of experience handling car accidents and other personal injury cases throughout Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers, Naples, Cape Coral, Arcadia, Port Charlotte, Venice and Sebring.

Started in 1971 by Bruce L. Scheiner, the family-run firm is dedicated to representing Florida residents who have been injured by the negligent or careless acts of other individuals, businesses or insurance companies.

The firm has never worked for big businesses or insurance companies and practices exclusively in the area of personal injury law. Unlike many other firms, which split their attention between personal injury cases and other types of law, like divorce, real estate and criminal cases, Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, is a team of almost 100 professionals dedicated to fighting for justice for those how have been injured or killed in Florida.

Bruce L. Scheiner still hand selects each case the firm represents. Together with his wife Cheryl, who runs the office, and son, Preston J. Scheiner, who is an associate attorney, the Scheiner team is dedicated to getting you and your loved ones the compensation you deserve.

After four decades of service in Southwest Florida, there promise to you is simple: at Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Personal Injury Lawyers, you’ll pay nothing unless we win.

Look for the new toll-free hotline throughout Southwest Florida, on billboards, on television, in the yellow pages and online.
Continue reading ›

Badge
Badge
Badge
Badge
Contact Information
Fort Myers Headquarters
4020 Evans Ave
Fort Myers, FL 33901
Phone: 239-939-2900
Cape Coral
1407 Del Prado Blvd S #11
Cape Coral, FL 33990
Phone: 239-772-0099
Naples
2650 Airport-Pulling Rd
Naples, FL 34112
Phone: 239-597-1201
Port Charlotte
2301 Tamiami Trail #E
Port Charlotte, FL 33952
Phone: 941-743-7777
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 60049
Fort Myers, FL 33906

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please do not include any confidential or sensitive information in a contact form, text message, or voicemail. The contact form sends information by non-encrypted email, which is not secure. Submitting a contact form, sending a text message, making a phone call, or leaving a voicemail does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Copyright © 2015 – 2024, Bruce L. Scheiner
JUSTIA Law Firm Blog Design