Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
The National Safety Council recently published an excellent Back-to-School Safety Checklist for parents and students.
Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral have published a number of back-to-school safety articles in recent weeks, including Back-to-School Bicycle and Pedestrian Accident Risks and school bus injury risks in Southwest Florida. 
But the fact is autumn is the most dangerous time of the year for a number of reasons.
Autumn Injury Risks
Top back-to-school injury risks highlighted by the National Safety Council include:
Pedestrian Accidents: Review your child’s route to school or the bus stop. Walk it with them. Look for risk factors as well as safer alternatives. Avoid distracted walking, this is a particular risk with student-age pedestrians, who often use ear buds and smartphones even while walking.
Bus Riders: Review bus stop safety and understand that most injuries involving school buses occur while a child is traveling to or from the bus or is waiting at the bus stop. Loading and unloading is the most dangerous time and motorists must obey school bus laws by stopping for buses with red flashing lights.
Driving students to school: Obey school zone speed limits. Understand the area around a school is the most dangerous location. Expect pedestrians to be unpredictable and give them the right of way. Obey school policies about arrival time and parking, as well as all traffic safety signs and directions from law enforcement or staff.
Teen drivers: Autumn is the most common time of year for young drivers to be on the road. Driver’s education often occurs at the start of the school year. Statistically, teens are more likely to be injured or killed in a traffic collision than by any other means.
Sports: Playground and sporting injuries can be an unfortunately common occurrence among youth sports participants. Proper equipment and training, as well as trained staff, proper safety protocols and other common-sense measures can go a long way toward reducing the risks of injury.
An experienced Fort Myers injury law firm will be best suited to protect your rights in the wake of a serious or fatal accident. These cases often require identification of multiple defendants and their liable insurance carriers. Plaintiff attorneys must have the knowledge, experience and resources to pursue claims against at-fault drivers and governmental agencies.
As we reported recently, typical rainy season weather can also present traffic risks, to say nothing of tropical storms and hurricanes like Dorian. Hurricane season runs through November 30, with the next two months being the height of Southwest Florida’s annual hurricane threat. September is also National Preparedness Month and residents are urged to be prepared to avoid gas and water shortages that commonly result in the days before a weather-related threat.
With early darkness, halloween, and the end-of-year holidays and the start of tourist season just around the corner, committing to road safety can go a long way toward keeping you and your family safe.
If you or a loved one is injured, call Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, at 1-800-646-1210.
