A report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that auto accidents kill more than 40,000 people every year in the United States. Among them, people who drive for a living – truckers, school bus drivers, and cab drivers – are the most exposed to injury and death. Here we take a look at some alarming statistics regarding fatal work injuries caused by transportation incidents.
Because cell phones and other mobile devices have become so well-integrated into our daily routines, we’ve grown accustomed to using them every chance we get—even behind the wheel. Whether out of reflex or a feeling of need to continue a conversation occurring via text, we do it all too often.
But the risk of texting or checking a phone while driving is too high. In fact, the time it takes for someone to glance down at their phone or text a reply is approximately 4.6 seconds, which is commonly compared to driving the length of a football field. That’s like putting a blindfold on when you’re behind the wheel for almost five seconds. Most people wouldn’t dream of doing that, but for some reason using a phone while driving is seen as perfectly okay by many.
According to studies conducted by experts, you are 23 times more likely to be in an accident if you are texting while driving compared to driving while not distracted. Today, 39 states in the U.S. have banned sending texts while driving. According to the National Safety Council, approximately 1,600,000 accidents per year are caused by texting while driving, in addition to 330,000 injuries per year and about 11 teen deaths every day. In fact, 25% of all car accidents that occur are texting-while-driving related.
That is why big cellphone companies such as Verizon and AT&T have created numerous awareness campaigns and educational programs in order to get people, especially teens, to pledge never to text while driving. Some companies have also invented apps that claim to prevent distracted driving accidents from occurring.
Verizon’s new app, for example, called Safely Go, automatically receives and responds to calls and texts so that the driver can remain focused and responsible while on the road. AT&T’s Drive Mode limits the extra features on your phone and automatically sends pre-set replies to incoming texts,letting people know that you are driving. Additionally, the app blocks you from reading or typing anything and further silences all calls, texts, and emails. But these innovations go beyond cellphone companies trying to fix a problem they had a hand in creating – lots of other companies are getting involved as well:
DriveSafe.ly actually reads your texts, calls, or emails aloud and responds to them either by voice or with pre-set responses.
Textecution uses a GPS to determine speed and will automatically disable texting if you are traveling more than 10 mph.
Text-STARalso senses motion and disables texting when going above 10 mph, but goes above and beyond this by allowing you to schedule auto-reply texts in advance if you plan to be driving at a later time.
tXtBlocker allows users to go a different route by customizing the locations and times of day (such as typical commuting or driving times) when they don’t want texts and phone calls to be accepted.
The Verizon website states, “Experience teaches us that technology innovation will provide more opportunities to address public safety issues like texting and driving.” However, it’s important to remember that the effectiveness of these apps rely mostly on the drivers’ willing and effective use of them as tools to keep themselves focused on the road. Nevertheless, there will always be distracted people on the road, and if one of them hits you, it’s vital that you get the expert legal help you need as soon as possible to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
About the Author:
Jeffrey Braxton is a trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale who has devoted his 22-year career to the practice of personal injury law. As lead trial attorney for The South Florida Injury Law Firm, Jeff has litigated thousands of cases and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of attorneys who have resolved cases in excess of one million dollars.
Anything that takes a driver’s attention off the road is dangerous, but with more and more Americans owning and relying on cell phones, texting while driving has become a particularly pervasive problem. And with an estimated 350,000 distracted driving-related deaths per year, it’s a problem that our country has finally started noticing and trying to prevent.
41 states now ban texting while driving, with the Florida ban finally going into effect in October 2013. While making it against the law to text and drive is a good starting point, that act alone isn’t enough. In Florida, for example, texting while driving is only a secondary offense, which means that a police officer has to pull you over for something else—like speeding or driving erratically—rather than just asking you to stop because they’ve spotted you using your phone. And those people who do get cited for texting while driving only face a $30 fine—hardly a significant incentive for someone who’s determined to multitask behind the wheel.
So if distracted driving laws aren’t enough, what’s really going to stop people from texting while driving? The only truly effective way to stop this behavior is if we have a nationwide shift in the way we think about this dangerous activity.
Most drivers probably recognize on some level that they can’t fully concentrate on their surroundings while texting, and that sending a message while driving puts them at a greater risk for being in an accident. However, far too many people weigh the costs and benefits of texting while driving and decide that the risk is worth the immediate satisfaction of sending and receiving messages. They think that accidents only happen to other people, and that they’re more capable of safely multitasking than the general population. Teen drivers, who have not yet fully developed the part of their brain involved in problem-solving, are at a particularly high risk for this kind of flawed thinking.
To address the logical fallacy that “texting while driving isn’t that dangerous for me,” many government organizations and private companies have launched campaigns aimed at emphasizing the risks of distracted driving. Notable recent campaigns include:
These types of campaigns are beginning to raise awareness about the distracted driving issue, but in order for the idea to really take hold, we need to make texting while driving culturally unacceptable in our society.
Image Source- http://1.usa.gov/1da7164
If we’re looking for ways to change the way our society views texting while driving, the designated driver campaign launched in 1988 provides some good examples. Before the campaign was launched, the idea of having someone stay sober to drive their friends home wasn’t something that had ever really caught on in the US. However, the campaign, which kicked off with the slogan “The Designated Driver is the Life of the Party!” made the designated driver a new social norm. The campaign made further inroads when many popular TV shows, such as The Cosby Show and Cheers, added scenes with designated drivers. Thanks to the pervasiveness of the campaign, by 1998 a majority of adults who drink had either been a designated driver or had a sober friend drive them home at some point.
If distracted driving campaigns are going to cause the same kind of cultural shift, they need to be integrated into mainstream culture. As with the designated driver campaign, maybe we could see more TV and movie scenes where characters choose not to text and drive—or do but suffer negative consequences, as a result. Once putting your phone away while driving becomes a culturally accepted norm, it will become much easier to curb distracted driving.
Motorcycles represent power, freedom, and rebellion. More so than with cars, there’s a feeling that you can just hop on your motorcycle and escape from the world, and the fact that they don’t have things like doors or roofs can make you feel more connected to nature and the road.
Unfortunately, many riders end up literally more connected to that road when they’re involved in a crash because of those very things they love. No doors and no roof may mean that you get to feel the wind in your face, but it also means far less protection.
Exactly how dangerous are motorcycles? When you compare the number of crashes to cars that travel the same number of miles, someone riding a motorcycle is 30 times more likely to have an accident.
That’s an amazing statistic, but perhaps even more telling is the fact that 80 percent of all motorcycle crashes cause injury or death to the operator. If you crash while riding your motorcycle, you’re going to get hurt – and possibly worse.
So, what exactly can you expect to be dealing with after your crash? Some of the most common types of injuries include:
This is a rather delicate name for something that can be deadly serious. What is road rash? Well, unlike car drivers and passengers, bikers almost always get thrown from their vehicle in a crash. This tends to mean landing on the road and often skidding or rolling a good distance before coming to a stop. If you aren’t wearing good, strong protective clothing, it’s likely that your skin is going to scrape across that road, and you’re going to have some damage. Mild cases might just mean a few red marks, but some riders have been known to lose entire patches of skin from road rash.
If you’re getting thrown from a motorcycle doing 60 mph on a highway, it stands to reason that there’s going to be a hard impact and you might suffer a fracture or two. Riders involved in accidents frequently end up with broken legs or arms, hip and pelvic fractures, cracked ribs, and so on. Severe breaks may poke through the skin and cause lasting damage that’s difficult to repair, including nerve damage. According to the CDC, riders are most likely to hurt their legs and feet, followed by the next group of injuries we’ll cover.
Anyone who’s ever ridden a bike knows the mantra: helmets save lives. It may seem cliché or even annoying in its pervasiveness, but the statistics show that it really is true. Roughly a third of all deaths resulting from motorcycle accidents could be prevented if the rider was wearing a helmet. What does that mean in real numbers? Well, in 2008 alone,almost 2,000 riders had their lives saved because they were wearing a helmet. And that doesn’t even factor in the number of people protected from severe injury by helmets, because many riders who sustain head injuries and live end up with brain damage.
An experienced motorcycle accident attorney will tell you that in some ways, spine damage may be even worse because there’s little that you can do to protect against it – there’s no “helmet” for your back, and landing on it in the wrong way can lead to serious nerve damage or even paralysis.
Drive safe. Though there will always be events out of your control, studies show that 43% of all motorcycle accidents involve alcohol. Never, ever get on your ride after drinking, and always follow safe practices on the road, such as obeying speed limits and street signs, using your turning signals, and riding with others so that it’s easier for other drivers to see you.
It’s never a pretty site when bicycles get tangled up with cars, but unfortunately these kinds of accidents do happen. Clearly, there is much more inherent danger for the cyclist, so if you enjoy riding your bike on the road, you need to know what kinds of potential problems to watch out for and how to protect yourself.
Way too common. According to ROSPA, there are 19,000 cycling road accidents every year and over 100 deaths. Additionally, 2% of all traffic deaths involve bicycles – even though bikes only make up 1% of traffic!
Not surprisingly, the bicycle accidents that are most likely to be fatal are those where a motor vehicle is involved. At least as alarming is the finding of a recent study that cyclists are only responsible for about 10% of all accidents between bikes and cars. Clearly, if you want to stay safe, you really need to pay attention to what others on the road are doing and follow all safety guidelines.
Some of the most common accidents are, thankfully, things that cyclists can help to prevent if they are careful and paying attention. These include:
The simple truth is that much of the time, car drivers just don’t pay attention to cyclists. It’s not intentional, and it’s something that drivers need to get better at, but if you’re not sure whether or not a driver is going to pull out in front of you, slow down and be careful.
Again, car drivers often forget to look for bicyclists (or just can’t see them) when emerging, turning, or changing lanes. If you see someone trying to turn, take special care to make them aware of your presence and watch out for sudden movements.
If you are going to turn right when traffic is moving perpendicular to you, it is vital that you wait for a break in the flow of cars. Far too many cyclists think that, because they’re so comparatively small, they can easily turn even when there’s a car and still fit in the lane. These kinds of decisions lead to accidents and injuries.
This is just Biking 101, but you should never ride into the street without first stopping and taking a close look at the traffic situation to make sure that you can cross safely.
Out of all these potential accidents, this one has to be the scariest for cyclists because most of the time it involves them getting hit from behind by a car. It’s pretty hard to avoid an accident when you can’t see it coming. Still, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t precautions you can take, and some of the simplest ones – using reflectors or flashing lights – are often the most effective.
Beyond these measures, cyclists should always – always – wear a helmet. You can’t always prevent an accident, but you can make yourself as safe as possible. Bikers are vulnerable, but that doesn’t mean that you are helpless. Stay safe and fight for your rights.
About the Author:
Jeffrey Braxton is a trial lawyer in Fort Lauderdale who has devoted his 22-year career to the practice of personal injury law. As lead trial attorney for The South Florida Injury Law Firm, Jeff has litigated thousands of cases and is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of attorneys who have resolved cases in excess of one million dollars.
Creative messaging is all around us, competing for our attention, bombarding our senses with information. Big messages call to us from wall signage, billboards, shop windows, and public transportation. Equally important are the small messages—the ones printed on coffee mugs, t-shirts, team caps, key rings. Even a small item like a wristband can attract ones attention and convey a compelling call to action.
One of the most common ways for people to send messages is texting. We love texting! It’s fun and immediate. We feel connected. In a world where we can “get the word out” around the globe in moments, social connectivity has become the norm; we constantly seek ways to reach out to others.
However, as a recent AT&T campaign advises, some messages should wait—when our eyes are drawn to texting and away from the road while driving, even if just for a few seconds, we become … distracted.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has taken a focused look at distractions and driving. NHTSA has established http://www.Distraction.gov to define distracted driving, present personal video accounts of the results of distracted driving, and offer creative ideas for getting involved in spreading the word about the dangers of texting behind the wheel.
According to the NHTSA, distracted driving is “…any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving.” The definition goes on to include examples of distractions we may all take for granted, such as consuming food and drink, reading or looking at maps, using a GPS, putting on makeup, even conversation with other people in the car. And the most dangerous driving distraction of all … texting.
What makes texting at the wheel so dangerous? It’s a triple threat, due to the demand it makes on 1) cognitive processing, 2) manual coordination, and 3) vision. It’s challenging enough for new drivers just to stay in their own lanes. Texting while driving draws all three of these faculties away from the road ahead and redirects all of your awareness down to the little screen in your hand.
A study conducted by NHTSA revealed that texting while driving, whether sending or receiving a text, draws vision away from the road for 4.6 seconds. That seems like just a moment. Perhaps you feel quite confident that you can look away from the road for a mere five seconds and still maintain safe operation of your vehicle.
Nevertheless, did you know that if you are driving “blind” at 55 mph, in 4.6 seconds you will travel the full length of a football field?
That’s pretty sobering.
In 4.6 seconds, a child could run into the road. A biker could lose control and fall into the path of your vehicle. A light could turn red while you keep going. A pedestrian could step off a curb.
Your whole life could change. In 4.6 seconds, your life—or someone else’s—could be over.
You can find more “Driving While InTEXTicated” statistics in an excellent infographic at this link:
http://www.intomobile.com/2012/07/07/texting-and-driving-infographic/
Many high schools and other private and federal agencies around the country are seeking ways to educate people about the dangers of texting while driving.
Lancaster Online and the Palm Beach Post report the use of driving simulators at Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania, and West Boca Raton High School in Florida, to demonstrate for students the true difficulty of operating a vehicle while texting. The participants at both schools thought it would be easy but discovered that if those simulated conditions were live, they would have caused serious, if not fatal, accidents.
AT&T’s don’t-text-and-drive campaign tagline is: “It Can Wait.” Click the “Videos” link on AT&T’s campaign site (http://www.itcanwait.com) to watch compelling stories from survivors and family members who texted some simple message, a word or two that could have waited, and their lives were changed forever.
A teacher at NDSU gave each of her interns in the Sanford Respiratory Care Program a task. They were to hand out a number of “Don’t Drive InTXTicated” wristbands to their coworkers to discourage texting while driving.
One student gave them out to her PM shift coworkers, along with a card she had typed up with some statistics related to driving incidents. The cards were meant to be carried by the participants in their vehicle, handbag, or wallet, as a constant reminder of their pledge to not “drive & text.” They are proudly sporting their wristbands and carrying their reminder cards!
Texting while driving is a serious problem. 100,000 crashes each year involve texting at the wheel. Try to think of ways you can start a pledge-based don’t-text-and-drive campaign in your community, among your co-workers, and with your friends. Your “Don’t Drive InTXTicated” campaign could save a life. If just one person makes the pledge, your campaign will be a success!
Dick Nelson, CEO of MARCO Promotional Products, has worked in the industry for nearly 30 years. Dick has never thought of his work as work, but rather as an intriguing place to spend his working hours. Away from the workplace, he enjoys playing golf, much of the time with his wife, and spending time with his children and grandchildren when he can.
When you hire a Boca Raton auto accident lawyer at the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm, you and your attorney will review your accident and determine whether you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit, and if so, which types of damages you may be eligible for. In the context of a personal injury case, the term “damages” relates to the financial compensation one is eligible to receive depending upon the type, extent, and severity of the injuries and losses suffered in an auto accident. There are seven types of damages that may be available to accident victims and their families, and your Boca Raton auto accident lawyer will evaluate each one to ensure that you receive the maximum compensation possible.
Property damage refers to the money needed to make repairs to your vehicle and any other belongings that were damaged in the accident. Your Boca Raton auto accident lawyer will compile the expenses you have already incurred due to the accident, as well as a reasonable estimation of future medical costs. After an auto accident, you may need time off of work for recovery, doctor’s appointments, or hospitalization, making lost wages the third type of damages.
Disability claims make up the fourth type of damages, whether the disability is temporary or permanent. Disability damages include the cost of hiring caregivers, as well as compensation for job loss due to disability. Funds awarded for pain and suffering make up the fifth type of damages. The sixth type covers any other accident-related costs not covered by the other five types. Finally, if the car accident was fatal, the victim’s family may file for wrongful death damages, which cover funeral costs and compensation to replace the money that the deceased would have earned to support dependents.
Insurance companies will often balk at paying all the damages to which you believe you are entitled. When you hire a Boca Raton auto accident lawyer at The South Florida Injury Law Firm, you will get a lawyer who understands insurance companies and accident law and will fight to get you every bit of the damages you deserve. At the same time, we understand that auto accidents are traumatic, and we unburden you of as much difficulty as we can so that you may focus on physical recovery and emotional healing.
When you need a Boca Raton auto accident lawyer, the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm are located in Fort Lauderdale, FL and handle cases throughout the state, including Broward County, Indian River, Okeechobee, Delray Beach, Martin County, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and all other cities and counties. We have years of experience and success in handling cases like yours. Contact us for a free case evaluation at 954.764.7377 on via the web at https://southfloridainjurylawfirm.com.
Often, after you have been in a car wreck, you just want to be done with the hassle of it all. Even if you suffered fairly serious injuries, the temptation can be to just accept whatever settlement the insurance company offers and move on. After all, you may wonder, isn’t dealing with a personal injury attorney just more trouble than it is worth given everything you’ve already been through? However, it is essential to consult with a West Palm Beach auto accident lawyer to make sure that your rights are protected and that your claim is not undervalued by the insurance company.
Though meeting with an auto accident lawyer may seem like one more hassle in a series of hassles following your accident, it is often the only way you can ensure that you will be adequately compensated should you need future medical treatments or care. If you accept the settlement that is initially offered by the insurance company, it is usually on the condition that you will no longer be able to claim any other benefits even if you should require additional medical attention. Your auto accident lawyer will work to ensure that you not only have the funds available to cover any current medical expenses, but that any future costs will be remunerated, as well.
Your West Palm Beach auto accident lawyer at the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm has the experience and the expertise to negotiate assiduously on your behalf following your auto accident. In addition, your lawyer will work closely with your medical team so as to be clear regarding the level of care you might require in the future on account of your injuries. Get all of the care you will need with the help of an auto accident lawyer with The South Florida Injury Law Firm.
When you need a West Palm Beach auto accident lawyer, the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm are located in Fort Lauderdale, FL and handle cases throughout the state, including Broward County, Indian River, Okeechobee, Delray Beach, Martin County, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and all other cities and counties. We have years of experience and success in handling cases like yours. Contact us for a free case evaluation at 954.764.7377 or via the web at https://southfloridainjurylawfirm.com.
Often, when an auto accident occurs in Boca Raton, the drivers are barely out of their cars before everyone begins trying to figure out which driver was at fault. However, there can be cases where neither driver is the one responsible for the collision. Regardless of where the blame may rest, however, if you were not responsible for the wreck, you should contact an auto accident attorney in Boca Raton area as soon as possible following the accident to make sure that your rights are protected and upheld and to get the help that you need in order to obtain whatever compensation you might have coming to you.
If neither you nor the other driver were at fault, it could be that the accident was caused by a flawed or defective auto part or by a part that was not properly installed when one of the vehicles was last in the auto shop. If that is the case, you can rest assured that your accident attorney will aggressively pursue every possible means of remuneration on your behalf, whether that means holding the auto manufacturer or the service shop accountable. Your auto accident attorney will call in whatever experts are necessary to hold those responsible for your injuries financially accountable.
Whoever might have caused your injuries, an auto accident attorney serving the Boca Raton area with the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm will evaluate your case to determine every responsible party and will then build a case to hold those parties responsible. When you need someone who will serve as your advocate, you need an auto accident attorney with The South Florida Injury Law Firm.
Auto Accident Attorney Boca Raton – When you need an auto accident attorney in Boca Raton, the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm are located in Fort Lauderdale, FL and handle cases throughout the state, including Broward County, Indian River, Okeechobee, Delray Beach, Martin County, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and all other cities and counties. We have years of experience and success in handling cases like yours. Contact us for a free case evaluation at 954.764.7377 or via the web at https://southfloridainjurylawfirm.com.
Law enforcement officers in Boca Raton are seeing increasing incidents of fatigued drivers causing car accidents. This follows a national trend in which drivers who fall asleep at the wheel are causing accidents at an alarming rate. Sadly, when a driver makes the decision to drive while fatigued, innocent victims can suffer injury or even death. Victims of such accidents should contact a Boca Raton car accidentlawyer as soon as they can so that they will have the best chance possible at building a personal injury case.
Safety experts have conducted numerous studies which indicate that driving while fatigued can have the same deleterious effects as driving while intoxicated. Obviously, we know that drunk driving increases the risk of a car accident, but now we are learning that fatigued driving does, as well. Consequently, a driver who gets behind the wheel while suffering the symptoms of fatigue is making the same negligent choice as a drunk driver. Drunk drivers are held accountable for any car accident or subsequent injuries that they cause, and a Boca Raton car accident lawyer can help to hold fatigued drivers responsible in the same way.
If you have been injured in Boca Raton by a driver who caused a car accident after falling asleep at the wheel, a lawyer with the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm can help you to pursue the remuneration that you will need to cover your medical and other expenses. Your Boca Raton car accident lawyer, along with the others at the firm, has countless combined years of experience and success in dealing with such car accident cases and will advocate on your behalf at every step of your case. Contact The South Florida Injury Law Firm today to get the help you need.
When you need a Boca Raton car accident lawyer who can get results, the Law Offices of The South Florida Injury Law Firm are located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and handle cases throughout the state including Broward County, Indian River, Okeechobee, Martin County, Boca Raton, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, and all other cities and counties. We have years of experience and success in handling cases like yours. Contact us for a free case evaluation at 954.764.7377 or via the web at https://southfloridainjurylawfirm.com.
