Florida Injury Lawyer Blog

According to the AAA, teen drivers between ages 16 and 17 are most likely to get into fatal car accidents Monday through Friday between 3 and 5 p.m. The rate of fatal car accidents during these hours is just as high as the rate of accidents between 9 p.m. 2 a.m on weekend nights. These accidents often lead to not only fatalities but also to serious injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken limbs, permanent injuries, disfigurement, burn injuries, and much more.

The University of Maryland’s Deparment of Public Community and Health suggests that to prevent these after-school accidents, parents can:

1) Show good driving skills themselves. Young drivers often learn by example, so parents who are courteous and careful drivers themselves are more likely to instill these same values in their own children.

2) Sign their young drivers up for defensive driving classes and additional driver training. More time with an experienced instructor means more skills on the road. Defensive driving classes are especially useful because they teach drivers to anticipate problems and be react before an accident occurs.

3) Set rules for driving. Parents can and should lay out rules for driving. Rules can include such guidelines as “no drinking and driving,” “everyone in the car must always be buckled up” or “no teenage passengers after class for six months.” Teens should be aware that when these rules are broken they will lose their driving privileges. Parents should also prevent teens from driving in high-risk conditions, such as driving at night or in poor weather.

4) Make teens responsible for their own tickets if they are caught breaking the law. Teen drivers may rethink their attitude about not wearing seatbelts, for example, if they have to pay a fine with their own spending money for the whim.

5) Encourage teens to stay calm with aggressive and angry drivers. Anger behind the wheel can cloud the judgement of any driver. Never allow an upset teen to get behind the wheel of a car.

6) Take teens on new routes with an experienced driver. If a teen is heading to a job interview, for example, tag along for the drive to note any potential road hazards and to allow the teen to get familiar with a new route.

Although Florida bus accidents are not very common, any bus accident is too many. Bus accidents lead to fatalities, permanent disability, brain injuries, broken limbs, disfigurement, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries, and much more. Obviously, they also cause immense distress for entire families. Since children are small and since most buses do not have safety belts, even minor accidents in a school bus can lead to serious injuries for children and minors.

Statistics show that, on average, about 20 students are killed each year in bus accidents. Another 6000 students are injured in bus-related accidents annually. While small buses that weigh less than 10,000 pounds are required by federal law to have seat belts, larges buses of at least 25,000 pounds do not need seat belts. Many experts think that increased seat belt availability would decrease fatalities and injuries, but not all experts agree. According to 2002 findings by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts that close around the lap increase the chances that a child in a school bus accident will sustain serious abdominal or neck injuries. The same study concluded that most children and minors wear shoulder-style safety belts incorrectly and therefore run greater chances of more injury.

According to the National Safety Council students can decrease their risk of injury during the school year by:

1) Waiting for the school bus away from the street and traffic. A safe area to wait for the bus is important, since not all school bus accidents occur while a student is on board a bus. Many injuries occur while a child is getting on or off a school bus.

2) Keeping away from the bus until the vehicle has come to a complete stop and the bus driver signals the student to enter. School buses – especially the larger models – have many blind spots and it is important for a student to make sure that the driver sees him or her.

3) Keeping a distance. When exiting a bus, a student should leave promptly and take at least 10 large steps away from the bus. Students should always keep a large distance between themselves and a bus, as this gives the driver more visibility. Drivers cannot always see students standing very close to the bus, and this can cause accidents.

4) Using handrails. When entering and exiting a school bus, children should use handrails to prevent slipping and falling. Not all school bus injuries occur while the bus is in motion and a fall down the stairs of a bus can result in injury.

5) Staying alert of traffic when exiting and entering a school bus. Drivers are expected to follow certain rules when around school buses, but not all drivers do. Students should be taught to be alert for drivers not obeying traffic rules.

The National Research Council has found that school buses are actually much safer for children than being dropped off at school by their parents. Nevertheless, for every family that has lost a child to a school bus accident, school bus accidents -- even if they constitute only a small percentage of vehicle accidents -- still occur far too often. Now that back-to-school season is almost here for Florida families, many Florida parents are thinking about back to school safety. Bus safety is a big part of that.

A school bus accident is every parent’s nightmare. Although these accidents do not often happen, they can cause fatalities, permanent injury, brain injury, spinal cord injury, burns, and other serious injuries. The panic after an accident, when parents try to learn whether their children are injured, is often deeply frightening and traumatic for the whole family.

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, almost one million public school students rode on school buses in 2001 alone. Between1998 and 2002, 4,830 school buses in Florida were involved in accidents. These accidents involved 53 children who were outside a bus and 32,207 children who were inside a school bus. As a result of these accidents, there were six child fatalities. Four of these children were killed getting off and on a bus while two children were killed in the bus. 56 injuries were so severe that they required emergency treatment as a result of these accidents.

School bus drivers were found to be not at fault in these accidents 69% of the time. Poor weather conditions were also mostly ruled out as causes of the accidents. However, drivers of school buses during this period between 1998 and 2002 were found to be cited more often than other motorists for improper turns and improper backing. In research conducted on school bus accidents, it was found that the school bus loading and unloading area is generally the most dangerous for children since a driver cannot see children on all sides of the bus.

As a result of the research done into school bus accidents, a number of recommendations were made. These included better school bus driver training and improved loading zone safety. A report by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles suggested that education programs for school bus safety include parents, children, as well as drivers so that everyone understands how child passengers can safely get on and off school buses. The report also suggested changes to safety belts and seating systems to make buses safer.

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles report also concluded that private school buses performed better than public school buses in regard to the severity of bus crash injuries. Currently, all drivers who transport children must meet physical requirements, pass a yearly physical exam, and post a certificate. All school bus drivers also need to have at least 5 years of driving experience and must be able to pass a background check. Drivers must also complete 40 hours of training. Given that the requirements for bus drivers are the same for public and private schools, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles would like more research done as to why one set of drivers seems to fare better in bus accidents.

Unfortunately, many pedestrian accidents that leave pedestrians seriously injured, killed, facing brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other life-threatening ailments, are hit and run accidents. While some motorists stop to assist pedestrians who have been injured in a collision, many motorists who accidentally or intentionally hit a pedestrian leave the scene of the crime.

USA Today has reported that fatalities in hit and run accidents have increased 20% since 2000. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 974 pedestrians were killed in hit and run accidents in 2005 alone. According to the AAA Foundation for pedestrians account for 60% of those killed in hit and run accidents. Between 1994 and 2003, 14,914 people were killed in hit and run accidents. Obviously, the statistics are sobering.

There are many ways a pedestrian can avoid collisions with motorists:

1) Even when at a crosswalk, look to your right and to your left twice before starting to cross the street. This allows you to look for turning vehicles, and vehicles who do not obey traffic signals.

2) Obey traffic signals. If you're on foot, and you feel that a car is still a long way off, it can be tempting to walk across a crosswalk on a red light. However, obeying traffic signals is important. Traffic signals are in place to keep you safe, and in some cases you may misjudge how close a car is or how quickly it is going. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

3) Stay alert and aware of cars as they come near you and pass you. Yes, cars and motorists are supposed to be aware of pedestrians and offer right-of-way. However, not all motorists obey the laws. Unfortunately, if a motorist is not obeying the laws and you are injured, the odds of you as a pedestrian being seriously injured are quite high, while it is very possible that the motorist will be uninjured. Just because you see a motorist, that does not mean that the driver sees you. Even if the driver sees you, that does not mean that he or she will give you the right-of-way or stop in time. Exercise caution.

4) Always walk on sidewalks or away from the roadway in areas where there are no sidewalks. Where possible, always remain on sidewalks or on areas that are designed specifically for pedestrians. If this is not possible, stay as far away from the vehicles area of the road as you can.

5) Wear visible clothes, especially when walking at night. Reflective clothing at night is a good idea, since it allows motorists to see you.

Pedestrian accidents claim the lives of many minors and children, and cause a host of injuries, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other serious lifelong injuries. Since children are likely to be on foot, and since they often do not show the same alertness and awareness of cars around them as adults do, they're more likely to be in a pedestrian accident. Because of their relatively small size and weight, they're more likely to suffer fatal or serious injuries as a result of a collision with a motor vehicle.

According to USA Safekids.org, 599 pedestrian fatalities in 2002 involved children 14 years of age and younger. Almost 38,400 children ages 14 and under suffered pedestrian accident injuries that required hospital emergency treatment in 2003. USA Safekids.org reports that there are several things that parents can do to reduce childhood pedestrian accidents:

1) Teach children to be alert in areas where pedestrian accidents are more likely to occur. USA Safekids.org reports that children who are 14 years of age and under are more likely to be in a pedestrian accident in areas with no divided highways, high volume traffic, , a high number of parked vehicles on the street, and higher posted speed limits. Children should be supervised in such areas and should be taught to identify and show greater caution in such areas.

2) Have children play in areas far from roads. According to USA Safekids.org, children are more likely to be involved in pedestrian accidents in areas where road traffic is nearby.

3) Petition your local government for pedestrian-control devices in areas where children walk – and encourage your child to properly use these devices where they exist. USA Safekids.org reports that areas with few such devices experience higher numbers of pedestrian accidents involving minors.

4) Supervise children even in residential areas and in areas that seem safe. USA Safekids.org reports that child pedestrian injuries are in fact more likely to take place in residential areas and straight, paved, and dry local roads. Children ages 4 and under should be supervised at all times near traffic, since this age group has the highest risk from child pedestrian death.

5) Teach children how to cross a sidewalk and how to enter a driveway safely. According to USA Safekids.org, almost 10% of child pedestrian injuries occur in driveways, usually when a vehicle is backing up. Teach children how to identify when a vehicle is backing up and show children where blind spots on a vehicle are.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board, car accidents are the leading cause of accidental, injury-related deaths that affect children. The same source reports that children who are not wearing a seat belt are most likely to be injured or to die in a car crash. Children and minors, because of their small size, are often not much helped by air bags and can sustain serious injuries, including brain injuries, facial injuries, broken limbs, spinal cord injuries, and other serious problems. It is important to call for paramedics at once if after a car accident a child displays any of these symptoms:

*Unconsciousness
*Vomiting
*Drowsiness
*Difficulty breathing
*Severe bleeding
*Severe pain
*Bleeding from one or both ears

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, there are many things that parents can do to help prevent injuries to children and minors in car accidents:

1) Make sure that each child has their own safety seat, booster seat, or safety belt. Read directions carefully to ensure that you know when a booster seat, child safety seat or seat belt is appropriate.

2) Even on short rides, never hold a child in your lap. If you are in a car accident, the child could be torn from your lap or crushed by your body.

3) Do not allow children to eat or drink in a moving car. Be especially cautious about food items involving sticks or popsicle sticks. In the event of even a minor crash, these food and drink items could pose a choking hazard. Pull over for a meal break.

4) Never allow any passengers – especially children and minors – to ride in the cargo area of a station wagon, van, or truck. These areas do not have proper safety belts and anyone riding in these cargo areas can be thrown from the moving car or severely jostled.

5) Always ensure that children age 12 and under ride in the back. The front areas of the car present many dangers in the event of a car accident. A deployed air bag can choke a small child and in a car with no seat belt, a child is likely to sustain a serious head injury by crashing against the hard dashboard.

6) Use child safety locks. It is difficult to monitor children in the back seat and child safety locks ensure that a child cannot open a car door while the vehicle is in motion.

Could driver’s training coupled with some advanced safety and collision avoidance training help teen drivers avoid car accidents? Some states think so and have instituted additional education courses aimed at teens. Southern Maryland teens have access to the Drive 2 Survive Program, a special collision avoidance class and advanced road safety course for $200. This is in addition to the graduated licensing program in place, which requires all new drivers to take part in classroom and in-car training. Some Florida residents think that a similar program for additional training would help Florida’s new drivers avoid the spinal cord injuries, fatalities, brain injuries, and other serious injuries often caused by car accidents.

According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board, teens represent only 7% of all drivers but are responsible for 20% of car collisions and14% of all motor-vehicle-related deaths. The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association reports that can accidents are the leading cause of death for teens and that 16 year-olds have higher accidents rates than drivers of any other age group. In fact, the same source reports that 16-year-olds are fully 3 times more likely to die in a car accident than adult drivers. Worse, some statistics show that teens may have cavalier attitudes about driving. In 2003, 25% of teenage drivers killed in car accidents had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or greater. In 2001, two thirds of teenage drivers killed in car accidents were not using a seat belt. However, evidence suggests that it is inexperience, not alcohol, that is the leading cause of teenage car accidents.

There are a number of things that parents can do to keep teens safe behind the wheel:

1) Treat driving as a privilege, not a right. Parents can and should remove a driving privilege if a teen shows recklessness behind the wheel or treats driving without a sense of responsibility.

2) Encourage more education. Sign your teen up for more driving education classes and tell your teen that he or she can only borrow the family car after taking defensive training or additional training.

3) Know how well your teen drives. Have your teen drive you to the store or drive you to a few events or places. This will give you a sense of how comfortable your child is behind the wheel of a car and how careful he or she is in obeying the rules of the road. If need be, get your teen to take additional driving instruction before taking the car out.

4) Limit the number of passengers your new teen driver can have in the car. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), nearly 50% of car accident fatalities involving 16-year-old drivers in 2003 took place when new drivers had teen passengers in the car. The IIHS also reports that 16 and 17-year-old motorist fatality rates increase with each additional passenger present in the vehicle. Teen passengers represent a distraction to the driver and can encourage your teen to take risks. Have your teen drive alone or with you before allowing teen passengers.

5) Do not allow your teen distractions in the car. Make sure your teen knows not to use a cell phone or other mobile device in the car for web surfing, texting, or other activities. Make sure your teen does not take their eyes off the road in order to change CDs, look for an item in a purse, or do anything else that reduces concentration.