Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

Florida posted the largest decline in the number of fatal car accidents of any state in the nation last year, according to new information just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Nationwide, fatal accidents declined to a level not seen since 1950, lead by Florida, which reported 422 fewer fatalities, and Texas, which logged 405 fewer deaths on the road in 2009. In all, 33,808 people were killed in traffic accidents last year, compared to 37,423 in 2008.

Last week we reported on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog that the area ranked 33rd safest in a list of 200 cities. But Fort Myers car accidents and car accidents elsewhere in Florida put the Sunshine State among the nation’s most dangerous overall.

Fatal Florida car accidents declined to 2,558 from the 2,980 reported in 2008. However, only California (3,081) and Texas (3,071) recorded more traffic fatalities.

“Today’s announcement shows that America’s roads are the safest they’ve ever been,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “But they must be safer. And we will not rest until they are.”

The number of motorists injured in accidents also declined for the 10th year in a row, from 2.346 million in 2009 to 2.217 million last year.

However, advocates acknowledged there is still much work to be done.

“We are still losing more than 30,000 lives a year on our highways, and about a third of these involve drunk driving,” NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said. “We will continue to work with our state partners to strictly enforce both seat belt use and anti-drunk driving laws across this nation, every day and every night.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that car accidents remain the leading cause of death for people ages 3 to 34.
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Drivers in Cape Coral can expect to be involved in an accident about once a decade, according to a listing of safe driving cities published by Allstate Insurance –ranking the city 33rd among 200 cities with a population of over 100,000.

Fort Myers was not large enough to make the list. The insurance giant reported that Cape Coral car accidents were about 8 percent less likely to occur than the national average. We encourage motorists to be prepared; take a moment to read our tips about “What to do in the event of an accident.” The aftermath of an accident can be a confusing time. By printing out these tips and putting them in your glove compartment, you will be assured of having the information when you need it.

The safest city in America was Fort Collins, Colorado, where motorists went 14.5 years between crashes. Motorists in Washington, D.C. ranked dead last, with an accident every 5.1 years.

When it comes to auto insurance in Florida, “full coverage” can mean “mandatory minimum” coverage, which can mean “virtually no coverage.”

Our personal injury lawyers and wrongful death attorneys in Fort Myers and Cape Coral urge you to take the time to determine exactly what your auto insurance policy covers in the event of a car accident. Too often — usually, in fact — the minimum coverage is woefully inadequate. And the increasing popularity of online insurance sites has cut the agent out of the mix and eliminated the often critical advice of an insurance professional.

In other cases, uninsured or underinsured motorist protection is not selected by default on many online insurance quotes. And at least one state — Massachusetts — has accused an online insurance provider of including sky-high deductibles and eliminating emergency medical coverage for motorists who indicate they have health insurance.

The federal government has been sidetracked by the issues of distracted driving and vehicle defects and is not doing nearly enough to force automakers to incorporate new safety technologies, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Our Fort Myers car accident lawyers frequently report on steps being taken by the federal government to reduce the dangers associated with text messaging and cell phone use by drivers. Florida is one of the few states in the nation that has not passed a law aimed at reducing the threat. Recently, we reported on our Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, that the winner of a teen-driver-safety campaign would see their public service announcement played at a nationwide distracted driving summit planned for later this month in Washington, D.C.

Now the IIHS, a respected safety and advocacy organization that is funded by the insurance industry, claims the federal government needs to get its priorities straight. “There’s nothing rational about the way we set highway safety priorities,” wrote Institute President Adrian Lund in the agency’s Status Report. “You’d think from the media coverage, congressional hearings, and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s focus in recent months that separating drivers from their phones would all but solve the public-health problem of crash deaths and injuries — It won’t.”

Dogs might be man’s best friend, but there is clear and convincing evidence that they are not a driver’s best friend.

About two-thirds of dog owners surveyed by AAA said they routinely play with their dog while driving — some go so far as to feed or water their pet while maneuvering through traffic. Our Fort Myers injury lawyers continue to report on the dangers of distracted driving, which is a leading cause of Fort Myers and Cape Coral car accidents.

The increasing popularity of dogs — and particularly smaller lap dogs — could be contributing to the dangers. The Humane Society of the United States reports there are 77.5 million dogs in the United States, or one dog for every four people. Dogs are in nearly half of U.S. households. A report by the Chicago Tribune suggests that more owners are keeping small dogs in their laps while driving and are allowing bigger dogs to roam free inside the vehicle.