Aggressive Tenacious - Culpepper Kurland
Most residents of the greater Tampa area probably think that teenage drivers pose a higher risk on the road than drivers with more experience.
There are good reasons to think this based on current statistics. For example, according to one recent study, drivers between the ages of 16 and 19, who are in all likelihood inexperienced motorists, were involved in over 1 million crashes that affected over 2.8 million different people.
When a person does not get enough sleep, it can make it difficult for him or her to perform daily tasks such as driving. Tired drivers are often dangerous drivers, even when they do not realize they are too fatigued to drive safely. When anything compromises a person's ability to safely operate a vehicle, that person will more than likely be found responsible for damages from any accident that occurs.
Florida readers are aware that with the fall time change, people set their clocks back an hour. This signals an end to daylight savings time, but it can actually make people sleepier than normal. Despite the fact that this time change allows people to "gain" an hour, it causes a disruption in sleep schedules and can lead to exhaustion. More tired drivers on the road may mean more car accidents.
As part of what seems like a nationwide epidemic of drivers hitting students trying to get on school buses, rescuers in the Tampa area had to take 7 people 5 children and 2 adults to the hospital. The children in the auto-pedestrian accident at their bus stop, while the adults were rescue workers who got hurt while traveling to the scene.
According to reports, two of the victims had what police called serious injuries. One of the children was critically injured, but authorities expect all of the victims to survive the accident. Some of the children involved were under 10.
Several previous posts on this blog have discussed the dangers that distracted drivers in the greater Tampa cause for those with whom they share the road.
In particular, pedestrians, who are naturally more difficult to notice, can easily fall victim to a distracted driver who is not on the lookout for them because they are watching their phones. Moreover, since a pedestrian is unprotected from the blow of a car, pedestrian accidents often result in serious and debilitating injuries.
At least according to a recent report, Florida is the home to a disproportionate share of interstates and other federal highways known for being particularly dangerous.
For instance, according to this report, the most dangerous highway in the country in terms of fatalities, Interstate 4, runs through Tampa on its way to Orlando and then Daytona Beach. Likewise, US Highway 192, which starts in Four Corners, about an hour from Tampa, also made it in to the top five most dangerous highways.
Motorcycles have the right to share the road with other Tampa-area drivers, but often, drivers fail to recognize the rights of bikers. Whether it is because of carelessness, lack of experience or outright recklessness, bikers often suffer because of the actions of other motorists. It is up to both drivers and motorcycle enthusiasts to know how to avoid accidents and make Florida roads safer.
People on motorcycles are particularly vulnerable to injuries and suffering when involved in a collision with a larger, heavier vehicle. Helmets and other safety gear are often not enough to prevent serious injuries, even in a low-speed collision. If you are the victim of a motorcycle accident, you may find it beneficial to learn how you can protect your interests and right to recovery.
By now, most people in the Tampa area who pay attention to the news have probably heard of the horrifically tragic limousine accident in another state.
The point of this blog post is not to re-hash those details as families grieve, but to emphasize that the accident raises broader safety concerns about stretch limousines, including those that operate in Florida.
Many of the newest vehicles on the market boast of state-of-the-art safety features that are supposed to make both occupants of the vehicle and those with whom they share the road safer.
However, a new study suggests that people can be a little too trusting, and at the same time uninformed, about what these safety features will and will not do.
The Tampa Bay area is a busy and growing location, and that means there are many drivers traveling the roads, trucks delivering goods and tourists navigating unfamiliar streets. With so many people on the road, accidents happen, and people get hurt. If you were hurt in an accident caused by a negligent or reckless driver, you know you have certain rights.
Unfortunately, there are people who abuse the system and hope to get a payout from insurance, even if they are not actually true victims. In fact, there has been an increase in the number of fake accidents in the area. These scams are against the law, and they can complicate things for people who are actually hurt or even cause injuries to an innocent person.
The National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency with expertise in traffic safety, recently issued a comprehensive report that discussed how the country can make pedestrians both in Florida and in other parts of the country safer.
The report, which was summarized by at least one media source, made several recommendations that might turn back the epidemic of pedestrian deaths the country has been experiencing. Between 2009 and 2016, for instance, the number of pedestrian deaths increased by almost 50 percent, up to just under 6,000. This figure marked the most fatalities in about 30 years.
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