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A Safer Morning Commute: Reducing Your Risk of a Traffic Crash in Hollywood or Your Community

Published on: April 8, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Your morning commute is filled with unseen dangers. The distracted driver next to you worrying about a morning meeting or your own fatigue combined with heavy traffic can all conspire to cause a serious traffic collision in Hollywood or your community. To stay safe on the roads as you head to work, try these tips for a safer drive:

1) Use public transport. Public transportation accidents in Hollywood and other Florida communities are far rarer than car collisions. Even switching to public transport part of the time can reduce your chances of an accident by giving you a break from a harrowing commute.

2) Car pool. Just as with public transport, having someone else take care of the driving some of the time gives you a break and lets you rest. It is also better for the environment.

3) Take care of your health. If you’re dragging yourself to your car every morning because you’re tired, you’re putting yourself (and everyone else sharing the road with you) at risk. Fatigued driving in Hollywood and other cities is a leading cause of trucking and car crashes. If you feel unwell or tired, don’t drive to work. Take public transport or choose another option, and visit a doctor to make sure there isn’t a health concern that needs treatment.

4) Take care of your time with proper time management. Being overwhelmed and exhausted makes you an ineffective worker and a dangerous driver. Cross off some things from your to-do list and delegate others so that you can get everything done in a reasonable time frame and not end up so distracted that you cause a collision.

5) Drive defensively and focus only on driving. Put away anything that may distract you. Your morning commute is not the time to go over the notes for the big meeting or the time to review your to-do list for the day. Focusing on the road and on your driving is especially important during the morning and evening rush hours, due to the traffic.

6) Vary your route. It may be harder for your mind to wander if your morning commute varies slightly. You don’t want to get so comfortable on your morning drive that you don’t notice what’s going on around you.

7) Exercise before you drive. A few stretches or some low-impact exercise can wake you up and can make it easier for you to focus on driving.

8 ) Do your homework. Your morning commute can be a lot less stressful if you prepare ahead of time. The night before, pack up anything you need for work as well as anything your children need for school. Consider making breakfast ahead so that you can grab a quick but healthy morning meal without needing a lot of time. In the morning, check the weather forecasts and traffic reports quickly to make sure that there are no surprises on the roads.

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Your Morning Commute in Homestead or Your City: Are You at Risk of a Collision?

Published on: April 3, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Your morning commute could put you at risk of a car collision in Homestead or your city. Each morning, T-bone accidents, broadside collisions, and rear-end crashes occur in Homestead and across South Florida as people hurry to get into work. Studies show that besides weekends, mornings and evenings have higher instances of crashes, and some studies suggest that your morning commute could put you at risk of a crash.

There are many things that contribute to car accidents during the morning commute:

1) Traffic. When everyone in rushing to get to work for business hours, there is a usually more traffic. In turn, the risk of accidents increases, as does the risk of chain reaction crashes because there are more cars on the roads. When traffic increases, some motorists are also more likely to lose their tempers, which can lead to crashes.

2) The morning school run. Parents dropping off children at schools increases traffic around area high schools and elementary schools and can increase the risk of a pedestrian accident or other traffic collision. Parents can reduce the risk of this type of accident by using school drop-off zones to reduce traffic and to keep children safe.

3) Distracted driving. Mornings can be hectic and many drivers may be thinking about the day ahead and all that needs to be done rather than about driving. Some drivers get to work after their morning routine that they don’t remember the drive in. Driving defensively and making an effort to focus on driving can help prevent distracted driving. Delegating tasks and practicing better time management can also be a big help. Some motorists find it useful to vary their morning commute so that they do not drive on “auto pilot” each morning.

4) Fatigued driving. Many drivers feel exhausted by the workweek or not fully awake by the time they hop in their cars. Fatigued driving is a major risk factor for early morning accidents. Getting a proper night of rest is the best way to prevent this hazard. If you frequently find yourself fatigued, it is important to get medical help, since sleep disorders or other conditions could be resulting in fatigue and a greater risk of car accidents. The most important way to prevent fatigued driving in Homestead and other communities, though, is to change attitudes. Drivers need to take fatigued driving as seriously as drunk driving, since researchers have shown that fatigue affects response times and judgment similarly to alcohol. If you are tired, take an alternative form of transportation to work and skip the morning commute. Do not get behind the wheel of the car if you are too tired or too distracted to focus properly.

There are other things that you can do to prevent a serious morning traffic accident in Homestead or your community. For example, you could try carpooling, which allows you to sit back some of the time and let someone else drive. You can also take public transportation to and from work at least part of the time, if it is possible. Not only is it more eco-friendly, but it is far less risky. There are far fewer train and bus accidents in Homestead than there are car collisions.

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4 Tech Improvements Homestead Drivers May Want to Know About

Published on: March 6, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

For drivers in Homestead, truck accidents and car accidents are a concern. They are also a concern for car manufacturers, who have been developing new technologies that not only make driving more exciting but also in some cases may be able to help prevent traffic crashes. According to industry experts, there are four tech areas that drivers will want to keep an eye on:

1) The connected car. OnStar has been available since 1996, allowing drivers to communicate with others in the event of an accident, mechanical issue, or other problem. Not only are more companies getting into the market, but OnStar and other companies are working to make improvements all the time, looking into services such as self-texting cars.

2) The car technology that lets your car communicate with the world around it. Many car manufacturers are experimenting with technology that includes sensors and GPS systems that allow the car to analyze the roadway around it. This technology could allow a car to take action if another car drove too close, for example, and maneuvers were needed to prevent a collision. It could also allow the car to adjust automatically to challenging weather conditions and other dangers.

3) The self-driving car. On this blog, we’ve written about driverless cars before. It’s difficult not to get excited about the technology which could eventually help prevent traffic collisions in Homestead and other communities by taking driver error out of the equation. Most car experts agree that this is where cars (and airplanes and trucks) are headed in the future. In the meantime, though, many car manufacturers are releasing cars that have some of this technology. Some cars released now have technology that lets the cars park themselves or perform other basic functions automatically. In the next few years, semi-autonomous cars will become more popular. These cars can virtually drive themselves, but still require some input from the driver.

4) Infotainment. Cars are being connected to the Internet and are expected to provide more information as well as entertainment. Drivers today can check emails, surf the internet, browse their online photo album, and even have a scrolling list of photos from their phone displayed on the dash. Customers demand connectivity and infotainment, so it is likely that car manufacturers will continue to enhance these options in future models, but safety experts say that this technology comes at a price. Driver distraction in Homestead and other communities has been linked to collisions and more infotainment in the car can mean less focus on the road.

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Top Situations That Can Lead to Road Rage in Hollywood or Your Community

Published on: January 23, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

Avoiding road rage is an important part of avoiding Hollywood car accidents. Road rage leads to distraction, yelling, speeding, and other behaviors that can cause a crash. To avoid these issues and to reduce your risk of a collision, you might want to consider (and avoid) some of the common causes of road rage, which include:

1) Not merging correctly. To merge onto a freeway, you need to check for oncoming cars and then move into traffic in a way that does not disrupt traffic or cause an accident. Merging too quickly can cause a crash while hesitating too much is also dangerous as it creates traffic on the ramp and can cause a rear-end collision in Hollywood or your community. It seems fairly simple and merging is something covered in driver’s classes, but according to a recent study, just under 70% of motorists polled couldn’t identify a correctly-merging car on a highway. Obviously, there seems to be come confusion about how to merge correctly.

2) Not using signals. It only takes a second to turn on your signal before you try to change lanes or turn, but the simple gesture can save a life. It is the only way to let other drivers around you know of your intention to turn or change lanes.

3) Coming to an abrupt halt at a yellow light. On many roads, yellow lights are only a few seconds long – possibly not long enough for the car behind you to come to a stop. Stopping suddenly can easily lead to a crash, so always be aware of who is behind you. If there is another car following you, avoid slamming your brakes.

4) Drivers who match drivers’ speeds in the passing lane. When a car enters the passing lane to pass, the idea is that they should complete their pass safely and get back out of the passing lane. Cars who drift along in the passing lane fuel driver rage and box other vehicles in, which can easily lead to a car or truck accident in Hollywood or your community.

5) Tailgating. Driving too closely behind another vehicle can easily lead to a collision. It is especially important to leave extra room when driving around big trucks – as these take longer to come to a complete stop – or when driving in bad weather.

6) Changing speeds often. Drivers who speed up, slow down, then speed up again are often distracted drivers who are simply not paying attention to their speedometer. Unfortunately, all those changes in speeds can lead to an accident if other drivers on the road cannot keep up with all the changes.

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How Texting Increases Your Risk of A Car Collision in Hollywood and Florida

Published on: January 14, 2014 | By Flaxman Law Group

A new study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute examined cell-phone use in real-world driving conditions and concluded that for younger motorists especially, certain cellphone activities can be especially risky. According to researchers, texting, reaching for a phone, or dialing can all increase the risk of a near-accident or car crash. However, the same study also found that simply talking on the phone did not increase the risk of crashing as significantly as some earlier studies had suggested.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study relied on GPS devices, in-car cameras, sensors, and other tracking technology in cars to test 109 adults and 42 new teen drivers. The study did not look at the difference between hands-free devices and handheld devices.

The researchers concluded that teens who were reaching for a mobile device or dialing a phone had a sevenfold increase risk of a collision or near-miss. The risk of an accident for these drivers also rose if they were eating, looking at something outside the car, or were reaching for other items in the car. For adults with twenty or more years of experience with driving, dialing a cellphone increased the risk of a near-miss or car accident. The study’s findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Other researchers, however, including David Strayer of the University of Utah, went on record as saying that the studies is at odds with many other studies about distracted driving. Many of those studies suggest that talking on a cell phone does increase the risk of a collision, and some studies have gone so far as to show that hands-free devices may not be much safer simply because talking is a distracting activity – whether it is done with a handheld phone or not. According to Strayer and others, the sensors in the test cars in the study cannot gauge cognitive distraction, which can lead to car accidents but may not be easily tracked by wandering eyes or other signs that in-car cameras can capture.

In other words, despite the new study, most safety experts agree that drivers who want to avoid a car collision in Hollywood or any community would do best to put away their mobile devices and focus more on the road. The new study examined fewer than 200 subjects and it is possible that a larger study might reach different conclusions. In the meantime, most safety experts agree that many truck accidents in Hollywood and across the country are caused by distracted driving and by cell phones and other devices. Even if the exact level of risk is unknown, the risk of a serious head injury, spinal cord injury, or Hollywood tragedy is just not worth it.

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Why the Texting Ban Might Not Go Far Enough to Stop Car Accidents

Published on: December 12, 2013 | By Flaxman Law Group

After many years of trying to pass a texting ban, Florida finally signed a ban into law this year. Coming into effect on October 1, this law made texting while driving a secondary offense. This means that authorities can only pull over a motorist who is texting if they have committed another infraction.

The law charges a $30 fine for a first offense. Under the new law, drivers can text while the car is stopped (even at a red light) and can still use GPS systems and can make phone calls while driving. Under the new law, it is only in case of serious car accidents causing fatalities or injuries that prosecutors can seek phone records to prove that a driver was texting. As a result, proving texting while driving may be difficult.

While the Florida Highway Patrol says that the new law with be a deterrent to people who text and drive, others are not so sure. Some claim that the law does not go far enough in persecuting those who engage in risky behaviors that lead to car accidents in Homestead and other cities. They also say that the penalties are too light to really change behaviors and prevent traffic accidents in Homestead and across Florida.

There is certainly some evidence about the dangers of distracted driving. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that in 2012 alone there were 4841 car collisions related to cell phones. The National Safety Council concluded that across the U.S. there is a cell-phone-related crash every 24 seconds, which amounts to about 1.3 collisions annually. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Association reports that cell phone use increases the risk of an accident 23 times.

According to some safety experts, Florida’s texting ban could be more vigorous. Twelve states currently ban any use of a handheld phone outright and some would like Florida to follow suit. In addition, there are federal laws in place that prevent commercial truck drivers, bus drivers, and other commercial vehicle operators from using a cell phone while driving.

Others note that civil lawsuits can step in where the law does not. There have been a number of high-profile civil lawsuits against distracted drivers who have caused traffic accidents because they were using a cell phone while driving. In a New Jersey case earlier this year, a judge even deemed that the person sending a text message that leads to a car accident can be held partly liable. Some victims of serious accidents have had success getting compensation by working with personal injury attorneys in Homestead or their communities.

With time, Florida may change and toughen its texting ban. One legislator in the state has already suggested making the texting ban a primary offense, for example.

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Taking Your Pet With You When Visiting For the Holidays? It Could be a Traffic Risk

Published on: December 10, 2013 | By Flaxman Law Group

If you are traveling for the holidays, you may have plans to take your pet with you. If you are traveling by car, however, bringing your dog or car could prove dangerous. Pets in the car can be a considerable distraction and according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are over 5500 fatalities and more than 450,000 injuries annually due to distracted driving. According to the Automobile Association of America (AAA), 31% of polled drivers have admitted to being distracted by their pets while behind the wheel. Experts agree that pets cause thousands of car accidents each year, although there are no firm statistics about these types of car accidents in Hollywood or other communities.

There are many reasons why pets can be a distraction in the car:

•They can climb onto the driver’s lap or try to take the driver’s attention away from the road
•Smaller pets can get underfoot or even under the gas or brake pedals, causing a collision
•A driver may become so distracted by what the pet is doing in the car that they lose control of the vehicle
•A pet can get in the windows, obstruction visibility
Pets not only cause accidents, but in the event of an accident an unrestrained animal in the car becomes a danger to everyone. In the event of a crash, a pet can be seriously injured while being flung around the inside of a car. A pet also becomes a dangerous projectile inside the car, potentially causing harm to passengers. A 60-pound dog, for example, has the projectile force of 2700 pounds if a car accident occurs at 35 mph – even more at higher speeds. An animal can also scratch or bite in the event of a collision, causing injury that way. In some accidents, animals dart out of the car and cause additional crashes while in some cases they may prevent emergency personnel from coming near victims.

All in all, unrestrained pets can be a serious problem when it comes to car and truck accidents in Hollywood.

Safety experts and animal welfare advocates agree: when driving with your pet, keep your pet restrained. Both you and your pet will be much safer from a traffic accident in Hollywood if your pet is in a crate, carrier, harness, or pet safety restraint. Your vet can recommend safety options that could work well for you and your pet.

According to experts, pet travel has increased 300% since 2005. With more of us traveling with cats and dogs, it is important to be aware of the dangers. During the holidays, especially, there are more people on the roads and more people traveling with pets to holiday events and family get-togethers. It’s a good time of year to remember pets safety and to take precautions to ensure that both you and your pet stay safe.

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Will Florida’s Texting Ban Save Lives?

Published on: December 4, 2013 | By Flaxman Law Group

After years of trying to pass texting bans, Florida has created a law, known as Statute Section 316.305 or the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving Law.” This law went into effect on October 1 of this year and makes it a secondary offense for drivers to text while driving. Those who are caught texting and driving will have to pay a fine. Those who text while driving in school zones and those who cause accidents while texting will also have points against their license – as will repeat offenders. Many praise the legislation as a step in the right direction for preventing traffic accidents in Hollywood and across Florida.

Many experts say that the texting ban is long overdue. Now, only Montana, South Carolina, and Arizona still permit texting while driving. Indeed, research has shown that distracted driving is a pressing issue in Florida and across the country. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) reports that 448 000 people were injured and 5474 people were killed in the US in 2009 due to distracted driving. In a 2010 FDOT poll, 64% of respondents cited distracted driving as the most pressing traffic issue in Florida. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, distracted driving contributed to more than 2000 car collisions in Florida in 2010. Distracted driving that year was linked to 1474 injuries, seven deaths, and 542 instances of property damage. Despite this, many attempts to pass a texting ban in Florida have not been successful before this year.

Now that the texting ban is in place, can we expect to see fewer car and truck accidents in Hollywood, Miami, and other Florida cities? Not necessarily, say experts.

Part of the problem is that the law only addresses texting while driving – not the many other types of distractions that also cause car accidents and motorcycle accidents in Hollywood and other cities each year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and others agree that distraction while driving includes not just texting but any activity that takes the focus from the road and from driving. According to safety experts, distracted driving can include:

•Speaking on a cell phone
•Speaking with passengers
•Retrieving something from the floor, glove compartment, or back seat of the car
•Grooming
•Checking maps, GPS systems, or reading
•Drinking and eating
•Daydreaming
•Watching a video
•Turning to look at a car accident or billboard
•Adjusting a GPS system, on-board computer, MP3 player, iPod, CD player, or any other in-car technology
Other safety experts note that the texting ban is too lax, resulting in fines that are too small and not giving police enough authority to pull over anyone they believe is texting while driving. Many would like to see tougher penalties for the offense.

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Teen Passengers Could Be Increasing Your Teen’s Risk of a Car Crash

Published on: October 22, 2013 | By Flaxman Law Group

There are a number of rules and regulations in place to ensure that teen drivers stay safer on the roads. For example, teen drivers are banned by law to drink and drive. All teen drivers must have a 0 blood alcohol level when driving. Teens must also take drivers education classes and pass driver’s tests in order to get their licenses.

According to some experts, however, it is possible to reduce teen fatalities even more by imposing more restrictions on young drivers – and research seems to back this up. A study from Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) has found that drivers who are 17 years of age or younger have an eight times increased risk of fatalities if they have at least two teenaged passengers in the car.

The research study, headed by Russell Henk, examined 10 years of national traffic information to reveal that there is a 30% increase in teen fatalities in cases where other teens are in the car. According to Henk, the increase in fatalities coincides also with the time that text messaging became extremely popular. While Henk notes that his study does not confirm that texting is the culprit, the research does seem to suggest that distracted driving – whether that distraction is just from teen passengers or a combination of teen passengers and texting – is a concern.

It is especially a concern since car accidents are a leading cause of injuries to children and minors in Hollywood and across the country. In fact, drivers under the age of 20 are three times as likely to die in traffic collisions when compared with other age groups, statistics show. Traffic accidents are also the leading cause of death for teens.

Some of the news is positive. According to government agencies, the number of teen drivers involved in fatal accidents declined by 60% between 2002 and 2011. However, according to the new study, the number of fatalities that take place when teen passengers are in the care rise annually.

According to the TTI study, there are a number of reasons why teen drivers may be more at risk in a traffic accident in Hollywood and other communities. New drivers may not have the driving skills and experience they need yet to avoid a car accident in Hollywood or their community. According to researchers, teens may also be more likely to take risks when their peers are in the car.

Another reason for the increased risk for car and truck accident in Hollywood may have to do with how the brain develops. According to the TTI researchers, the last part of the brain to develop is the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of the brain that considers risky behavior and its consequences. Teens may simply not have this part of the brain fully developed yet, and this can make it harder for them to evaluate the consequences of their own risky behavior?

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What Are the Facts About Mobile Devices and Car Accidents?

Published on: October 10, 2013 | By Flaxman Law Group

A number of research studies suggest that mobile devices can increase the risk of a car accident in Homestead and other communities:

•A 1997 Sunnybrook Research Institute study found that cellphones increase the likelihood of a traffic accident 4.3 times. The same study concluded that cellphones are more of a distraction than coffee cups, passengers, and other common distractions and can even decrease a motorist’s ability to avoid a crash caused by someone else’s driving mistakes.

•A U.K. Transport Research Laboratory used a simulator to conclude that drivers who text and drive have response times that are 35% slower than undistracted drivers.

•A 2010 study in the U.S. concluded that those who text and drive have a 23 times higher risk of an accident.

A new study in August, however, concluded that cell phones are not distracting. The study, published in the American Economic Journal, compared accident rates after 9 pm and earlier in the day to see how drivers fared when major calling plans offered unlimited minutes. While drivers texted more in the evening when texts were free, there was no increase in the number of accidents. Researchers concluded that drivers may adjust their driving when using mobile devices and criticized previous studies which did not take real-world experience into consideration. Other studies compared accident rates in states with texting bans and concluded that texting bans did not reduce the number of traffic accidents in states that passed the legislation.

So who is right – do mobile devices increase your risk of a car or truck accident in Homestead?

Experts and researchers may be debating the issue for years to come and Florida lawmakers will also be debating texting bans. For now, most safety experts agree that any distraction can increase the risk of a car accident. And even if cell phones only increase the risk of an accident just slightly, is that enough of a risk to take?

Each year, people are seriously injured in car and pedestrian accidents in Homestead and other cities and in many cases these accidents are caused by distracted drivers. Distracted drivers cause crashes that lead to fatalities, head injuries, fractures, amputations, and more. If even a few of these catastrophic crashes can be prevented, it seems worth the effort to put mobile devices away. What is there to lose?

There is also some evidence in research and in anecdotal evidence to suggest that mobile devices and distraction do lead to accidents. A number of high profile truck accidents and traffic accidents have been caused by texting drivers and by drivers talking or texting on mobile devices. These are enough to push lawmakers to consider a texting ban in the state and they should be enough to make drivers put away mobile devices when driving.

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