Florida
Car Accident Lawyer Blog

If you have a teen driver, you will want to create a driver contract that both you and your teen sign. This contract should outline all your responsibilities, all your teen’s driving duties, and the punishment if one of you breaks the contract. A contract helps put in writing what you need your teen to do to remain safe. Having everything in writing also helps to reinforce the importance of safe driving. In your contract, you will want to include:

1) No distraction rules. You will want to include rules about cell phone and other device distractions. You might want to limit the number of passengers or you might want to ensure that your teen is not playing music above a certain volume (so that he or she can hear auditory traffic cues).

2) No dangerous driving rules. You may want to include rules about tailgating, road rage, cutting people off, no signaling, and other dangerous behaviors. You may need to promise your teen that you will not engage in these rules, either, and stick to that promise.

3) No drinking and driving rules. Both you and your teen should sign a contract that ensures neither of you will drink or drive or use dangerous substances and drive. Drinking and driving accidents remain a leading cause of fatalities across all age groups.

4) Rules about dangerous situations. If your teen is drunk, make sure that you stipulate in your contract that he or she can contact you at any time and you will not be angry. Outline in your contract what your teen should do in various dangerous situations on the road and each time in the contract reiterate that you will not be angry. Ensure that your teen driver can call you if something bad does happen.

5) Rules about accidents. Make sure your teen knows what to do if they are in a pedestrian accident or car collision. Outline everything in the contract so that your teen will know what steps to take.

If you have a teen driver in your home, he or she may be excited about driving to school during the school year. While a teen driving to school can reduce your own errands in the morning, morning traffic and an inexperienced driver can mean car accidents, pedestrian accidents, and injuries. Here’s how to ensure your teen gets to class safe:

1) Arrange a safe parking spot. Ensure that your teen has their own parking spot near the school. Find a spot that is easy for your teen to back into, given their driving level. Having a parking spot ready ensures that your teen isn’t driving around and around, looking for a parking spot and not focusing on the road.

2) Decide on a route and practice. Have your teen select a route to school and take the car out together on a typical morning to ensure that the route is not too busy. Avoid routes that have heavy traffic, school zones, and other hazards. Time the route and decide when your teen will need to leave to get to schools safely.

3) Get the car checked out. Ensure that the car is safe to drive and will not experience mechanical failure en route to school. Mechanical failure can lead to accidents, especially with a less experienced driver behind the wheel.

4) Limit passengers and errands. It may be tempting to have your teen drop off younger children at school. And your teen may be pressured to give friends a ride to school. At the start, though, limit other passengers. They are a major distraction. In early morning traffic, especially, that can be dangerous.

5) Develop a no-cell phone rule. Ensure that your teens are not texting or calling while driving. This is a major cause of accidents and many teens may not appreciate the dangers of texting and driving.

If your teen is sixteen years old this year, he or she will likely be looking forward to getting his or her driving license this year. Many parents are excited for their children when their children get a license, but young drivers do have a high accident rate. Here’s how to ensure that your driver is safe behind the wheel:

1) Start training early. Even before your child reaches driving age, get your child a booklet or text book about driving. Go through the book together and learn the rules of the road. Help your child test themselves about road signs and rules. By the time your child has to apply for a license, he or she will have the basic knowledge on hand.

2) Help your child find good role models. Find a good driver in your family who is willing to take your child out once a week on a drive to explain the basic rules of the road. Make sure your child knows some good drivers and has a chance to emulate them.

3) Set rules – and follow them yourself. Many teen accidents causing personal injuries are caused by driver inattention. Make sure your teen is not texting or talking on a cell phone while driving and limit night driving and the number of passengers in your teen’s car until your teen has more experience behind the wheel. Your rules, though, will have more weight if you avoid distractions behind the wheel yourself.

4) Budget for extra driving instruction. Most driving instruction provides a minimum amount of behind the wheel instruction. Put aside extra money so your teen can get extra in-car lessons and possibly a defensive driving course. This will build your driver’s skill level and help them prevent accidents.

5) Make driving a privilege. You known your child. If your teen takes big risks on a skateboard or bike, those same risks on the road can kill. Have your child wait until he or she is mature enough to drive before getting a license.

Young drivers today usually take some form of basic driving education before getting their license. However, some experts suggest that teen drivers could benefit from more classes and especially more practical experience. These experts note that additional, practical training can dramatically reduce car accidents involving new drivers and can help prevent resulting personal injuries, such as brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. For your teen’s next birthday or holiday, consider giving the gift of these classes:

1) Defensive Driving Classes. Defensive driving classes go beyond basic driver’s education and teach drivers how to actually react in collisions and how to avoid accidents. These classes can help save your teen’s life. In many states, they can also help reduce the cost of your teen’s car insurance.

2) Additional In-Car Classes. In many states and in many driver education programs, young drivers are given classroom training as well as behind-the-wheel training. The problem is that in many cases, in-car training comprises only a few hours – 10 hours or less in many cases. In addition, many classes have several students in a car at the same time during in-car training, so teens don’t get personalized one-on-one in-car training. Additional in-car training for your teen can help give your teen more practice behind the wheel as well as more personalized instruction from a qualified teacher.

3) Accident Classes or Seminars. Local chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) as well as some police authorities organize seminars or workshops about car accidents. Often, these workshops warn teens against dangerous driving behaviors – such as drinking and driving or texting while driving. These seminars often include graphic reminders of what can happen when drivers take risks on the road. These workshops and presentations can be an effective way to show your teen why safety is important. In many cases, you can arrange for your teen’s school to offer these instructional programs for free.

4) CPR Classes. CPR or first-aid classes are useful for your teen, whether your teen is interested in becoming a lifeguard or a babysitter. CPR training is useful for anyone, but it can be especially useful if your teen is in an accident. If your teen is in an accident and has CPR training he or she can help people at the scene and can help treat some personal injuries on the scene until paramedics arrive.

5) Racing Classes. Many teens love the idea of racing cars and would welcome racing classes. Racing classes are also an effective way to teach your teen additional driving skills.

Soon, Florida students across the state will be headed back to classes. From children entering kindergarten for the first time to college seniors almost ready to join the work force, Florida is full of students. Many students get dropped off at school or walk to school. In the autumn months, this can mean an increase in pedestrian accidents and other accidents involving children and cars. Here’s how you can keep your child safe:

1) If you have a young child, now is the time to relearn pedestrian safety. If your child is in the early grades or is joining a new school in a new area, now is the time to take strolls to and from school. This is a great way to teach your child the basics of safety and also gives you a chance to notice any potential problems. If you notice a busy intersection or other troubling aspect of the walk, for example, you might want to arrange a buddy system for your child or make arrangements to walk your child yourself each day.

2) If you will be driving your child to school, look for a good route. Take a few different routes to your child’s school and find one that will be quietest and safest, with fewest traffic snafus. Time yourself and add a few minutes so that you know when you have to leave in the mornings.

3) Get your car tuned up. If you are driving your child to school, you want to make sure that your car is in great condition. This is actually a great time for everyone to get a basic tune up. Being able to stop quickly and having a car that handles well is essential during the school year, when children are on the streets and roads before and after school.

4) Don’t assume older children know everything there is to know about road safety. Even if your children are older, it might be a good idea to go over some basic rules about getting to and from school. You might want to go over stranger rules or rules regarding taking bicycles to school.

5) If your older child will be driving to school, go over some ground rules. If you have a teen who will be driving to school for the first time, work together to find a non-congested route to school. Make sure your teen won’t be talking on a cell phone or texting while driving – that type of distraction in rush hour traffic can be fatal.

6) Make arrangements for walking. If your child will be walking to school, consider setting up a group of children who can walk together or a group of adults or children who can walk together to ensure that everyone gets to school safe.

Due to the statistics available about car accidents and young drivers, many car rental companies refuse to rent vehicles to drivers under the age of twenty-five. Other car rental companies substantially increase the fees and costs for young drivers. If you are under twenty-five and need to rent a car, therefore, your first aim should be to find a rental agency offering good prices and terms for younger drivers.

Since statistics do bear out rental agency concerns about younger drivers, you will of course want to take every precaution while on the road. You can do this in a number of ways:

1) Leave your cell phone or mobile device turned off in the car. Studies have proven that distraction caused by cell phones and mobile devices is a major source of accidents. A cell phone is handy in an emergency, but keep the device off until you are parked. Even if you usually talk and drive, keep in mind that you are less familiar with a rental car than your usual vehicle and you cannot afford to be distracted.

2) Take is easy. When you first get your rental car, take it along some quieter streets and familiarize yourself with the vehicle. The car may have slightly different steering, mirrors, and dash than you are familiar with, so get to know the car before you take it into more challenging driving situations.

3) Wear your seatbelt. It’s the easiest way to prevent serious head injuries, spinal cord injuries and other personal injuries associated with car accidents.

4) Avoid speeding at all costs. Speeding has been shown to contribute to most car accidents. Not only will staying within speed limits keep you safer, but it will also help you avoid the hassle of a speeding ticket.

5) Stay alert. Driving in an unfamiliar car is challenging enough, so keep aware and alert. Keep an eye on other drivers and try to anticipate their moves. Keep your eyes on the road and the road signs, especially if you are driving in an area you don’t know well.

Few things are as tragic as childhood injuries caused by car accidents. Children are often passengers in vehicles and when cars collide, children are far more likely to be seriously injured in the ensuing accident. Due to their smaller body size, children are more likely than adults to sustain life-threatening or fatal injuries.

Children who are in car accidents can sustain many serious injuries, including head injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, burn injuries, and other injuries. Since children are smaller, some injuries may affect them more. For example, in the event of a fire after a car accident, it is easier for a child to sustain serious burn injuries over a larger part of their body, simply because their body surface is so much smaller. In the event that children are thrown in a car during a collision, their smaller body weight may cause them to be thrown around the interior of a vehicle much more than an adult. One reason children may deserve a larger compensation, therefore, is because their injuries are more likely to be severe.

Another reason why children may deserve a larger compensation after a car accident is because their injuries are more likely to be long-lasting. Since children are still growing, they may experience some complications from some car-related injuries. For example, a severe burn injury may affect the way a child’s muscles or tissue grows and develops. Since the tissue is still growing, this can affect how effectively the burned area recovers after an accident.

Some experts also argue that children deserve more compensation after a car accident injury because more than one person is affected by the injury. When an adult is injured, he or she may lose wages because he or she is seeking medical care. While a child with similar injuries also loses school time, the guardians of the child must lose wages and work time as they travel to and fro with the child to seek medical care. A larger compensation amount can help defray this additional cost.

Some people argue that children should receive more compensation after a car accident injury because children may suffer more after an injury. While adults may rationalize or explain away some of the fears and anxiety after an accident, children lack the emotional maturity to find reasons for an accident. They are also less likely to withstand pain easily.

Children may also deserve a larger compensation from a car accident because a car accident and permanent injury may affect their ability to earn a wage. An adult who has sustained injuries in an accident may find their ability to earn a wage stymied temporarily or permanently, but children have not had a chance to find jobs or a career. It is difficult to estimate how much a child may have earned had he or she not been in an accident. Some experts argue that children should receive larger settlements because the compensation should compensate for a lifetime of possible wage earnings.

As mobile devices become more popular and as more people send regular texts using these devices, the role of texting while driving becomes an important issue. Many drivers today steer with their knees while typing, try texting with one hand, or text while stopped at red lights. According to experts, no matter how drivers text, texting behind the wheel is a major distraction that can lead to car accidents and the resultant personal injuries and fatalities.

While any driver distraction can lead to car accidents, there is some evidence that texting is especially dangerous on the road. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a study into the subject and found that drivers who text have a 23 times greater than collision risk than drivers who are not texting. The study was the first comprehensive study of the role of texting on the roads. The study was also the first research initiative that tested texting in real-world driving scenarios, which gave researchers a more precise view of the true impact of texting.

Although many drivers are aware that texting may not be a safe behaviour, many drivers continue to text behind the wheel. Despite the dangers, texting while driving seems common. A Harris Interactive/Intel survey found that 28% of adults report that they text and drive. Another and 8% of drivers admitted that they text and drive regularly or often.

Some experts claim that only a federal ban on texting and stiff fines would compel drivers to give up their mobile devices. It seems that we are simply too reliant on mobile devices, even sacrificing safety and common sense to stay in touch. Rep. Doug Holder of Sarasota has been trying to pass a bill that would make it illegal to send texts or read a mobile device while driving. His efforts have spanned three years but no such bill has yet been passed.

If the cell phone debate is any indication, however, texting will likely not be banned soon. A 1997 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that drivers using cell phones had a quadrupled chance of being in a collision than drivers not using cell phones. A 2003 study out of Harvard concluded that cell phones were responsible for 636,000 car accidents, 2,600 car fatalities, 330 000 personal injuries, and $43 billion in costs. Despite these long-term studies, cell phones are not banned in most states – most drivers can talk and drive. There is no federal ban on cell phones behind the wheel.

Many drivers who cause injuries or property damage while texting are given minimal penalties. Some are charged with careless driving, which carries only small penalties and no criminal charges. So far, only fourteen states have made it illegal to send texts while driving. Florida is not one of the fourteen.