Nearly a quarter of a million traffic accidents occur each year in Florida. About 2,500 people die in Florida car crashes annually, and crashes injure nearly 200,000 more. In terms of daily numbers in Florida, the calculations are as follows:
- Between 600 and 700 vehicle accidents occur each day
- Accidents kill about seven people each day
- Accidents injure about 550 each day
Alcohol is one of the more common causes for Florida vehicle accidents. Authorities recently charged a Florida man with driving under the influence manslaughter for his role in a summer holiday accident that killed his friend. The man was driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.167, more than double Florida’s limit of 0.08. He lost control of a pickup truck one evening, and the accident ejected his friend from the truck, pinning the friend underneath it.
Nationwide, 15,000 die in accidents relating to drunk driving every year. The proportion of accidents that authorities attribute to drunk driving rises sharply in late night driving and over the weekend (particularly over holiday weekends).
Accidents often injure or kill motorcyclists when other drivers fail to notice the smaller vehicles. An accident like this recently killed a Florida motorcyclist and injured his rider when a car driver turned left across the motorcyclist’s path. If a vehicle accident has injured you or a loved one, an Orlando car accident attorney can help you hold negligent parties responsible.
Common Causes of Florida Car Accidents
Experts attribute up to half of all vehicle accidents to distracted driving. Recent studies have confirmed that an activity like talking on the cell phone impairs drivers as much as driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08, which is the limit in Florida. Other examples of distracted driving include:
- Cell phone text messaging
- Adjusting the stereo or another device in the vehicle
- Reading newspapers, maps or other documents
- Conversing with passengers in the car
- Eating or drinking
Driver fatigue is another leading factor in car crashes. Fatigue causes drivers to drift over road lines, vary speed for no reason, daydream and misjudge traffic. Authorities suggest such things as taking a break from driving every two hours, sharing driving responsibilities and pulling over when drowsiness begins in order to combat driver fatigue.
Speeding is also leading factor in car crashes. Speeding contributes to car accidents because it reduces the amount of time that drivers have to react. Additionally, the faster a car is traveling the more severe the damage will be if an accident does occur.
The final two leading causes of accidents according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are aggressive driving and weather conditions. Contact an Orlando personal injury lawyer at Wooten Kimbrough, P.A. if negligent driving has harmed you or a loved one.