Lawmakers could reduce the number of vehicle crashes in Florida through tougher legislation designed to encourage safer driving habits according to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (AHAS).
A coalition of public health and safety organizations, (AHAS) lobbies state governments to enact a list of 16 “Life-Saving Laws,” which it says are critical to reducing the number of car accident deaths and injuries in America. Then it rates each state according to how many of those laws they enact.
Even though Florida enacted a law that makes texting while driving a primary offense, the group’s latest report still ranks Florida as a dangerous place to drive. Every year in America, vehicle crashes claim nearly 37,000 lives and injure more than 4.5 million people.
In Florida, there are nearly 1,000 car accidents every day, killing nearly 3,000 people and injuring more than 165,000. In Orange County alone, there were 30,000 vehicle crashes last year. Experts say an increase in distracted driving over the past ten years has helped reverse a decades-long downward trend in highway death and injury across the country.
Florida Motorcycle Accidents
According to the AHAS report, motorcycle accidents make biking prone to fatal vehicle crashes. Motorcycles make up only 3% of registered vehicles in America, but deaths from motorcycle accidents account for 14% of traffic accident fatalities. There are about 9,000 Florida motorcycle accidents every year, killing more than 500 people and injuring nearly 8,000.
Despite overwhelming evidence that helmet laws save lives, Florida is one of 31 states that do not require helmets. One reason Florida is at the bottom of the legislative action ratings is that the AHAS includes an all-rider motorcycle helmet law in the package of legislation recommended to state lawmakers.
Florida Laws to Reduce Vehicle Crashes
The AHAA divides its program into five sections:
Occupant Protection:
- Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Law
- Front Seat Occupants
- Rear Seat Occupants
- All-Rider Motorcycle Helmet Law
Child Passenger Safety:
- Rear-Facing through Age 2 Law
- Booster Seat Law
Teen Driving (GDL):
- Minimum Age 16 for Learner’s Permit
- 6-Month Holding Period Provision
- 50 Hours of Supervised Driving Provision
- Nighttime Driving Restriction Provision
- Passenger Restriction Provision
- Age 18 for Unrestricted License
Impaired Driving:
- Ignition Interlock Devices (IIDs) for All Offenders
- Child Endangerment Law
- Open Container Law
Distracted Driving:
- All-Driver Text Messaging Restriction
- GDL Cell Phone Restriction
Florida Vehicle Crashes and Personal Injury Lawsuits
The Sunshine State has only 6 of those 16 safe driving laws on the books, despite the rising number of Florida vehicle crashes. In addition, the state ranks in the top 20 for states with the most aggressive drivers. Aggressive driving, distracted driving, and driving while impaired are acts of negligence. In fact, carelessness behind the wheel is the driving factor in most personal injury claims.
Tragically, sometimes car accident injuries lead to pain, suffering, medical expenses, and loss of income. Of course, if someone’s careless act injures you, you’ll want the best car accident attorney you can find.
The Orlando car accident attorneys at the Martinez Manglardi Personal Injury Law Firm will represent you before the insurance companies for injuries from car and motorcycle accidents. Prior to speaking with your attorney, wait to contact the insurance provider for the other party. Talk to no insurance investigator, and never sign anything, and don’t accept a settlement before speaking with your own personal injury auto accident lawyer. Insurance companies sometimes downplay the long-term effects of automobile accident injuries. In any event, a skilled personal injury lawyer knows how to pressure insurance providers to act ethically. We know that what is best for you is also best for the community as a whole.
Consider the Orlando personal injury attorneys at the Martinez Manglardi car accident law firm. We’ve been winning personal injury settlements in Central Florida for nearly 35 years. If you would like to set up a free case review at one of our convenient Central Florida locations, call 407-846-2240