Fort Walton Beach Personal Injury Law Blog

Vehicle safety is a primary concern, especially since car accidents remain a significant safety issue in Florida and throughout the United States. It will come as no surprise to you to learn that distraction is one of the leading causes of accidents. Distraction is often because of phones, but sometimes, the object of distraction is actually the infotainment system in the car. 

Car manufacturers are working for ways to keep people safe, and now they are including some features that may accomplish that. Through various types of crash avoidance systems, your car can actually help warn you of danger and help you avoid a collision. You may want to learn more about these systems and what they can mean for your personal safety.

Unsafe driving due to the use of technology is most often associated with young drivers in Florida and other states, but research from the AAA shows that older drivers are more likely to be distracted by technology when driving. When performing actions like tuning the radio, adjusting navigation or making a phone call, drivers between the ages of 55 and 75 took their eyes off the road an average of eight seconds longer than drivers between 21 and 36.

Research shows that a driver taking their eyes off the road for two seconds doubles their chances of crashing. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,000 people died on American roadways in 2017 due to distracted driving. Even though in-vehicle technology is designed to provide a voice-command, hands-free experience for drivers, the complicated technology may make operation more difficult for older drivers.

Commercial truck accidents have become increasingly common in Florida and other U.S. states over the last few years. According to safety advocates, one of the possible causes of the problem could be sleep apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that repeatedly interrupts a person's breathing while they are asleep. The National Sleep Foundation reports that the condition can lead to a number of health issues, including heart disease, high blood pressure and cognitive problems. However, one of its biggest side effects is daytime sleepiness, which can lead to drowsy driving. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 17% and 28% of America's 1.87 million nonfarm commercial drivers are thought to have at least a mild form of disorder, meaning there are potentially thousands of sleepy truck drivers traveling on U.S. roads each day.

As your car sits at a red light, your eyes shift to your rearview mirror. You see a car approaching you at a high speed, but you naturally expect the driver to come to a halt. Unfortunately, she does not. The next thing you know, her car has collided with your car.

Although you are a bit shaken up emotionally, you walk away from the accident feeling okay physically, so you refuse treatment at the scene. However, some weeks after the accident, you start to feel pain. Here is a look at how you should deal with delayed pain following a car crash in Florida.