Tampa Personal Injury Law Blog

Most people associate distracted driving with cellphones. Using a phone is certainly distracting, and it often causes a driver to remove at least one hand from the wheel. Reading a text, typing or even scrolling social medial requires a driver to take eyes off the road, an action that is incredibly dangerous even for a few seconds. This is why many rely on hands-free devices in their vehicles. 

There are ways that phones can connect with a vehicle, allowing a driver to hear a text, talk on the phone and use other features without holding the phone. Hands-free capability allows a driver to keep his or her hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, but it is not necessarily risk-free. Hands-free devices can lead to cognitive distraction, which can also lead to an increased chance of an accident.

Door-to-door delivery is all the rage, and a lot of weary folks resort to ordering a pizza at the end of the day when they're too tired to cook.

Accidents happen when a delivery driver is rushing or not paying enough attention to the road. If a delivery driver strikes you, who is responsible for your injuries and losses?

We're already past the midpoint of the year, so the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. Unfortunately, that means that more people will soon be doing their nightly walks, early-morning jogs and other pedestrian activities in the dark.

Pedestrians are up to seven times more likely to be killed at night than in the daytime, and your chance of being hit increases 1,100% after dark. With that in mind, let's brush up on some life-saving tips:

1. Stick to the sidewalks. If a sidewalk isn't available, make sure that you keep the traffic in front of you, not at your back.
2. Stay sober. Don't walk home from the bar. Inebriation can cause you to make a deadly mistake, so get a ride instead.
3. Stay alert. Don't get lost in your smartphone. Don't tune out the world (and traffic) with your headphones.
4. Aim for well-lit areas. If you can, confine your nightly excursions to areas that have plenty of streetlights.
5. Wear reflective clothing. Bright colors, white clothing and reflective strips on your shoes, jacket or hat really can help drivers see you in time to stop.
6. Use crosswalks. Try to plan your route so that you don't have to cross the street without a crosswalk. While it doesn't automatically protect you, it does help.
7. Don't rely on signals. Just because the crosswalk is signaling that it's okay to step into the road doesn't mean you should do it. Look around and make sure that cars have stopped before you step out.
8. Make eye contact. Whenever possible, make eye contact with the drivers in cars that you have to pass. That helps them consciously tune into your presence.

Have you gotten jittery after drinking an entire Red Bull? Have you ever had too much caffeine and too little food and found yourself unfocused and irritable? Or, maybe you've made the mistake of having a cup of coffee too late in the evening and found yourself unable to sleep but unable to do anything productive.

Sound familiar? While most people don't think of caffeine as a drug, it actually does have a significant effect on the human central nervous system -- and that's why most people use it. As a stimulant, it can improve alertness and help you stay awake when you need to be or wake up in the morning.