Orlando car accident attorney Martinez Manglardi PA once again reminds us to be careful of distracted driver accidents. Florida can be a dangerous place to drive, and continuing I-4 construction makes for a lot of Orlando car accidents. Under Florida’s new texting and driving law, you’ll get a $30 ticket for texting while behind the wheel.
But face it, the law is not much of a deterrent. You can still talk on your cellphone while driving (except in school or construction zones.) A first offense won’t even mean points on your license. The relative laxity of its distracted driving laws is one of the reasons Florida gets low ratings from safety advocates. Florida drivers get into more than 1,000 car accidents every day, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring more than 150,000. In Orange County alone, there are about 30,000 car accidents a year. Last year there were nearly 7,000 distracted driver accidents in the Orlando area and Orange County has the most distracted driver accidents in Florida.
RT end_dd: Demetrius Branca started APBFoundation in his son’s memory. He teaches the dangers from distracted driver accidents, and he works with legislators. He says the latest bill to go into effect in Florida isn’t enough. https://t.co/CaH7whZQgh #DistractedDri… pic.twitter.com/AEo2hb1Wpx
— Safe Roads Alliance (@Safe_Roads) January 15, 2020
Teen Distracted Driver Accidents
Car accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in America, and distracted driving is a leading cause of car accidents. Use these Key tips for parents from AAA. First, set a good example with your own driving. Your teen pays attention to your behavior behind the wheel, and you don’t want to pass on bad habits.
- As you begin to practice driving with your teen, do not allow a cell phone to be used in the vehicle by your or your teen. Make an effort to block out other distractions. Also, before your teen starts driving solo, adopt a Parent-Teen Driving Agreement that lays out strict rules related to distraction.
- Explain to your teen driver how to minimize various potential distractions, such as eating, drinking, chatting with a passenger, reading a map, personal grooming, reaching for things in the car or looking at people or objects unrelated to the driving task. These are among the most common causes of a distracted driving car accident.
- When you are supervising your teen’s practice driving, stay off the phone and help your teen pay attention to the road. Don’t make electronic distractions an acceptable part of driving. Plus, you don’t want to cause a distracted driving car accident while trying to teach safety.
- Prohibit your teen from riding with teen drivers or transporting other teens during the learning-to-drive process. One of the most dangerous sources of distraction for teen drivers, whether due to horseplay, loud music, rowdy behavior or peer pressure, is teen passengers.
Also, check out AAA’s “StartSmart” online session to learn the best ways to teach a teenager safe driving habits. We can start to have fewer distracted driver accidents.
The Orlando car accident attorneys at Martinez Manglardi, PA have been winning personal injury settlements for accident victims for more than 30 years. If you’ve been injured in an accident, see a doctor. If you are looking for the best auto accident attorney in Orlando, consider calling 407-846-2240 for a free consultation at one of our convenient Central Florida offices.
