Driving in Hollywood in the summer is beautiful because you can see of the shoreline and the beautiful architecture and green spaces of this part of the country. However, driving anywhere in South Florida in the summer comes with certain additional risks.
Whether you are visiting or you are a resident and driving in Hollywood, make sure that you look out for these hazards which can lead to a serious Hollywood car accident:
Short-term rentals have become more popular in places such as Hollywood, Miami, and other parts of Southern Florida. Short-term rentals are one way for homeowners to make money, but having guests in a home can also lead to injuries. In addition, some homeowners associations and neighbors are unhappy about residences being turned into part-time (or, in some cases, full-time) hotels.
One of the risks with short-term rentals has to do with the potential of car accidents. There are many reasons why short-term rentals can increase the risk of car collisions in some Hollywood and South Florida communities:
This year, Britain’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, gave up his driver’s license after getting into a car accident at age 97. When his news made headlines, it started many discussions about aging and driving safety. If you live in Hollywood or anywhere in South Florida, you may wonder whether you can continue to drive safely as you get older. Or, you may be worried about an older driver who seems to be struggling.
While many older drivers continue to drive safely and while as a group seniors have a lower rate of accidents, statistically, than young adults in many studies, there is no doubt that some of the health concerns associated with getting older can negatively impact driving. Decreased mobility due to osteoporosis and other conditions or declining vision due to age can impact the ability to safely drive a car.
Sideswipe accidents in Hollywood, Homestead, and other communities are unfortunately quite common. These collisions happen when two cars are traveling in the same direction next to each other and the two vehicles come into contact with each other. Although they may seem less dramatic than T-bone or front-end crashes, sideswipes can be very dangerous. Depending on how fast the two vehicles are traveling, a great deal of force can be exerted and passengers inside may even get trapped in the car.
Sideswipe crashes often happen because one vehicle tries to merge or change lanes without checking oncoming traffic and checking blind spots. These collisions are also common when a motorist drifts into other lanes due to drunk driving, fatigue, or distracted driving. Finally, these crashes can happen if a driver swerves suddenly to avoid something on the road or another hazard. In all these cases, such collisions are largely preventable.
Broadside crashes, also known as T-bone accidents, are common in Homestead, Hollywood, and across South Florida. These accidents occur when the front end of one vehicle impacts with the side of another car or truck. These collisions tend to be interaction accidents, occurring when drivers fail to yield right-of-way or when someone runs a stop sign or red light.
Unfortunately, T-bone collisions often lead to severe injuries. Since there is little crumble zone and less space between passengers and the side of the car when compared with passengers and the rear or front of a vehicle, it is more likely that passengers will be directly impacted. Many cars have side-impact airbags to offer some protection, but at full speeds at an intersection a truck or car crashing into a driver side or passenger side can still cause devastation.
We already know that motorcycle accidents in Homestead and other communities mean risk. Motorcyclists have fewer layers of protection than drivers—there’s no air bag, enclosed frame, seat belt, and other car safety system to protect them. But does that mean motorcycle accidents can lead to more injuries when compared with car crashes?
According to a new study conducted by researchers from Sunnybrook Hospital and the University of Toronto, motorcycle accidents may indeed be deadlier. The large-scale study examined 281,826 people injured in car crashes and 26,831 individuals hurt in motorcycle collisions. The results showed that those in motorcycle accidents had three times the rate of injury when compared with patients injured in cars. In addition, motorcycle accident patients had injuries ten times more likely to be severe when compared with car collision victims.
With just a little over a week until the end of the year, are you looking for a few final gifts for loved ones and friends in Homestead and Florida? If you have friends who drive, you can use your presents to give them the gift of safety all year long.
We have a few suggestions to take care of those final items on your to-do list:
If you live in Homestead or are visiting the community and get into a car accident, insurance may help you pay for car repairs and medical care for broken bones and other physical injuries. However, if you have been in a traffic accident, you also need to consider trauma and your emotional health.
According to some research studies, car collisions can lead to PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and some accident survivors experience a wide range of symptoms, including disrupted sleep, changes in eating habits, flashbacks, anxiety, depression, personality changes, and more. The emotional impact following a car crash can be as debilitating as any physical injury, but getting help for trauma can be more difficult.
Some people who are injured in car crashes in Hollywood and Florida are injured through no fault of their own. Even if you are a very careful driver, other motorists may make poor decisions which cause serious injuries for you and your passengers. However, you are not totally without control. There are ways you can stay in the driver’s seat and at least reduce your risk of a car crash:
Truck accidents in Hollywood and across South Florida are a key concern for truck drivers who work long hours to get cargo to businesses and customers. Truck drivers have a high risk of on-the-job injuries and of traffic accidents because they spend so much time on the road. Even though they have more training than passenger car drivers, inclement weather, grueling schedules, human error, and the mistakes of other drivers put them at risk of injuries.
Truckers have made big changes over the years to reduce the risk of truck accidents. They have advocated for better and safer working conditions and changes to the industry to make the job safer. They have also fought back against lax training requirements.
Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog