Explaining The Risk of Unsafe Driving Practices

Explaining The Risk Of Passing Lane Driving

The Left Lane is for Passing

Different lanes on the highway are in place for different reasons. The far-right lane is used for merging traffic, for motorists to prepare to leave the highway and for drivers who are moving slowly. The middle lanes are for those who are simply moving with the flow of traffic. The left lane is supposed to be used for passing only, and when a pass is completed, those in that lane are supposed to move back towards the right to allow others to use it for the same purpose.

Driving Slowly in the Left Lane is Dangerous

All of us have encountered drivers on the highway who for whatever reason insist on remaining in the left lane regardless of their speed. While this is dangerous for anyone, it is particularly risky when someone who is driving in the passing lane is moving at a low rate of speed. This situation often leads to other drivers becoming frustrated and passing from the interior lanes, and this is actually the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario occurs when someone is moving into the left lane and does not notice a slow-moving vehicle in front of him or her in time, leading to a rear-end collision.

Driver Confusion Leads to Unexpected Decisions

Any time a driver is confused, he or she is prone to making decisions that not only place his or her vehicle in danger, but this situation also creates serious problems for others in the area. Sudden and unpredictable movements lead to other sudden and unpredictable movements, and someone riding in the left lane may cause a Florida car accident without even being involved directly in the collision.

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Explaining The Risks Involved With Tailgating

Proper Following Distances

We all learned in driver’s education that the proper following distance is generally two seconds in city traffic and four seconds on the highway. These distances have been taught because that’s usually the amount of time required to safely maneuver around a problem that could arise in front of us. Unfortunately, many people simply disregard these recommended distances, and at other times congestion can make adhering to these distances all but impossible.

The Physics of Tailgating

When someone is following the vehicle in front of them too closely, it substantially cuts down the amount of reaction time available when something unforeseen arises. Even a relatively mild tap on the brakes for some reason by the vehicle that’s being trailed can immediately lead to a rear-end collision. While the mathematical difference between proper following distance and tailgating could only be one second or even less, fractions of a second can and do make the difference between avoiding a collision and disaster.

Effects of Tailgating on the Lead Vehicle’s Driver

When someone is moving down the road and they notice a vehicle behind them that’s too close for comfort, it leads to a development of nervousness in that lead driver. Anyone who is nervous is prone to mistakes that include unpredictable movements and the clouding of judgment. When vehicles are moving at a high rate of speed, these unpredictable movements can lead to a chain reaction of mistakes, all of which are exacerbated because of the lack of time and distance available to avoid making the situation worse for everyone involved.

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Explaining The Dangers Of Weaving

Weaving is Needlessly Aggressive

Weaving in and out of traffic lanes is obviously an example of aggressive driving, and aggressive maneuvers have long been one of the leading causes of Miami car accidents. In addition to creating a dangerous situation, taking such a course of action is also generally futile, as those who think that they are saving themselves time are often only doing so by a matter of minutes or even seconds at the risk of disaster.

Weaving Can Directly or Indirectly Lead to Miami Car Accidents

While it’s clear that weaving in and out of traffic lanes can lead to collisions at almost any point, this practice can also lead to another form of risk – the tendency for these maneuvers to cause others to be involved in a Miami car accident. The reason is that when someone is driving in this aggressive and unpredictable manner, it forces others to react instantly and often unexpectedly. Reactions of this sort do not generally take long enough for a driver to understand all of the elements around his or her vehicle, which means that the evasive measures taken by another may not only be unnecessary but lead to a collision with another vehicle.

Weaving Leads to Anger

Finally, weaving in and out of traffic is also aggressive behavior that stirs up the wrong kind of emotions in others when it comes to driving a vehicle. Anger and frustration are often the result of narrowly missing a driver who is partaking in these actions, and the prevalence of these emotions can lead to mistakes that cause accidents.

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Explaining The Dangers Of Slow Driving

Driving Too Slowly is Illegal

Many people do not realize that as much as it’s illegal to speed on any road, it’s also illegal to drive at a rate of speed that’s dangerously slow for the current environment. People who engage in this conduct can be pulled over by police and given a ticket for this violation, as it clearly creates danger for everyone in the area at the time.

Slow Driving Forces Choices

When someone is driving at a slow rate of speed to the point where it affects other motorists, those in other vehicles are forced to make a choice that may not lead to a positive conclusion. Any time a driver is forced to make a sudden decision that involves factors he or she is not used to analyzing, it can lead to mistakes. When these choices are made in a Miami highway environment, it can quickly lead to a chain reaction accident that results in disaster.

Common Collisions as a Result of Slow Driving

When someone is moving down the highway at a speed that’s dangerously low, it often leads to rear-end collisions. The reason for this common result is obvious – people do not expect to come up on another driver so quickly when they are driving at a speed that’s relatively close to the speed limit. Aside from rear-end collisions, side-swipe collisions are also common as a result of slow driving. If a motorist notices that someone is moving at a slow rate of speed and manages to veer out of the way of that vehicle before impacting it from behind, it can lead to a collision with a vehicle or vehicles in the next lane.

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Explaining Different Crash Environments

Environmental Breakdown Statistics for Auto Accidents

Below you’ll find the statistics regarding the crash environments in Florida for the calendar year of 2008:

• Florida car accidents in business areas – 144,731
• Fatal Florida car accidents in business areas – 1,176
• Florida car accidents in residential areas – 69,444
• Fatal Florida car accidents in residential areas – 761
• Florida car accidents in open country – 29,159
• Fatal Florida car accidents in open country – 827

As the state records note, just under 60 percent of all Florida car accidents occurred in business areas, while more than 53 percent of all atal Florida car accidents occurred in open country and residential areas.

How Florida Crash Environments Can Affect You

After reviewing the relevant statistics, one could come to some basic logical conclusions and therefore plan accordingly when they get behind the wheel for travel. A few of these conclusions are listed below:

1. Drivers are more likely to experience non-fatal Florida car accidents in business areas than in residential areas, but a higher percentage of non-fatal Florida car accidents occur in these business areas than anywhere else.
2. Drivers face the greatest danger of encountering a fatal Florida car accident in an open country setting.

Aside from these obvious conclusions, explanations could be gleaned from these statistics in regards to how these results came to be. For instance, driving in business areas can involve a high degree of congestion, thereby increasing the chances of relatively minor Florida car accidents. However, these areas also tend to include drivers moving at slower speeds, thereby decreasing the chances of the accidents being fatal.

In terms of Florida car accidents that occur in an open country setting, it’s a small leap to theorize as to how so many of them are fatal. Open country roads feature high speeds, little infrastructure to control traffic such as traffic signals and lights and a greater distance between almost any Florida car accident site in open country and available medical care.

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Explaining The Horror Of Head On Crashes

Below you’ll find information regarding how head-on collisions tend to occur, common injuries that result from head-on collisions and finally how you should proceed if you or someone you love has been harmed in a head-on collision and you need the help of an experienced Florida auto accident lawyer.

How Head-On Crashes Tend to Occur

It would seem logically that head-on crashes should almost never happen. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and there are reasons that they take place. Some are more common than others, and a few examples of these causes are described below:

• Crossing the middle lane – Head-on collisions often result from one driver drifting out of his or her lane and suddenly appearing in the frontal view of the other driver.
• One-way street errors – Not all one-way streets are clearly marked, and if someone is not familiar with the specific direction of these roads, it can lead to a head-on collision.
• Alcohol or intoxicants – All too often, there are stories about drivers who have ingested alcohol or other intoxicants and drive the wrong way down a highway or some other busy street.

Perhaps the most daunting aspect of head-on collisions is that those who are not at fault generally do not expect them to occur. No one is generally prepared for a vehicle to suddenly be moving straight at them, which only leads to more damage because this lack of expectation decreases the amount of time to make corrections or to take evasive action.

Common Injuries that Require the Help of a Florida Car Accident Lawyer

Given the often-violent head-on collisions that occur and the fact that each vehicle collides with the other in the front of the body, common injuries from these accidents include head injuries, neck injuries, serious lacerations from broken glass and broken bones. Most of these injuries are extremely serious if not deadly. Our experienced Miami car accident lawyers have won millions fighting for victims of Florida car accidents.

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Explaining The Dangers Of Florida’s Lenient Child Seat Law

Florida’s Child Seat Law

Florida requires that all children traveling in vehicles be placed in a proper child safety seat until they reach the age of three years old. When they reach the age of four, they are no longer required to be placed in these safety devices. This age limit is the lowest in the United States, and the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, has criticized the state for failing to ramp up its regulations and require children to ride in these safety seats until they are older. Some states require child seats until the children reach the age of nine.

Florida Child Injury Statistics in Car Accidents

One look at the statistics should tell anyone that these child seats should be used regardless of what the law requires. In the past 10 years, almost 3,000 children have been injured in Florida car accidents who were three years old or younger. That number jumps to more than double that as the ages go higher. In addition, approximately half of all child fatalities resulting from Florida car accidents involved children who were not riding in safety seats, even though an estimated 85 percent of all children still use one depending on the age of that child. What this means is that it’s clear that children face a much higher risk of injury or death if they are not properly restrained.

Related Articles:

• Proving Negligence in a Car Accident
• 10 Common Car Accident Injuries
• What To Do If You Are Injured in a Car Accident