Fort Walton Beach Personal Injury Law Blog

Bicycle accidents often result in serious injuries and can sometimes be fatal. Lawsuits in Florida to pursue damages from biking crashes with cars raise many of the same issues as motor vehicle accidents generally. In many cases, the question of liability comes down to negligence, whether the bicyclist was negligent and whether the driver of the car's negligence led to the accident. Like motor vehicle drivers, bicyclists are obligated to obey traffic laws and other rules of the road.

Bicyclist are expected to be careful regarding their own safety as well as the safety of others on the road. Generally speaking, when a cyclist brings a lawsuit for damages following a bicycle and motor vehicle crash, the outcome depends on the negligence of the parties involved. Negligence on the part of the driver can manifest in many ways. Speeding, ignoring traffic signs or drifting into the bike lane will usually constitute negligence.

Statistics show that large truck accidents are an increasingly common occurrence on Florida roadways. Because of the massive size of commercial big rigs, these accidents tend to cause more damage, injuries and deaths than accidents involving passenger vehicles. They can also be a major hassle to deal with in terms of insurance claims because multiple parties, including the truck driver and the trucking company, are often involved in the claims process.

Experts say that there are several things drivers can do to stay safe, protect themselves from legal liability and maximize their settlement in the event of truck accidents. The first thing for drivers to remember is to remain calm and check everyone involved for injuries. Next, they should call 911 and move their vehicle to the side of the road if it is possible to do so. Drivers should then set about recording the scene of the accident by taking pictures, saving dashcam recordings and gathering witness statements from anyone who may have seen the crash occur.

Florida is one of more than 20 states that have laws requiring individuals convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol to fit ignition interlock systems to their vehicles. Drivers breathe into interlock devices before turning the ignition key, and their vehicles will refuse to start if even small traces of alcohol are detected. A bill recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would make the technology mandatory on every car, SUV, minivan and pickup truck sold in America.

The Abbas Drunk Driving Act is named after the victims of a drunk driving accident that claimed five lives in Kentucky in January. An intoxicated wrong-way driver struck the Abbas family's car as they were returning home from a vacation in Florida. The Michigan lawmaker who sponsored the bill believes that its passage would prevent many of the accidents involving drivers impaired by alcohol that kill about 10,000 road users in the United States each year.

Newly licensed teen drivers are more dangerous on the road than teens with a learner's permit, says one study from Virginia Tech University and the National Institutes for Health. Drivers in Florida should know that the risk for a crash or near-miss with another car goes up eight months from the last three months that teens have their permit to the first three months that they have a license.

The study involved 90 teen and 131 parent participants. Through dash cams and special software that recorded braking and speed, researchers monitored teens from the time they obtained their permit to the end of their first year as licensed drivers. Due to the sudden absence of parent supervision, newly licensed drivers were found to engage in risky behavior like harsh braking, fast acceleration and severe turns.