DHSMV Continues Fight against Teen Car Accidents in Fort Myers and Elsewhere with White Out 2011

Car accidents in Fort Myers and elsewhere are the number one killer of teens in the state of Florida and in the U.S. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has recently teamed up with schools throughout the state to host a number White Out events.

These events are held to raise awareness about the dangers that teen’s oftentimes face in the driver’s seat. During White Out, teens, schools employees, parents and other safe driving advocates were asked to wear white t-shirts to help to raise awareness. In addition to White Out, the DHSMV is participating in National Teen Driver Safety Week. We recently told you about this week-long campaign and its efforts to keep teen drivers safe on our roadways. The week-long event takes place this year from October 16th through the 22nd.
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“Today’s white out is a good reminder that driving is a big responsibility and that parents and guardians play a key role in teaching their children safe driving behaviors that impact how they drive for their entire lives,” said DHSMV Executive Director Julie Jones.

Our Cape Coral car accident attorneys understand that with increased parental support and education among teen drivers, we can all do our part to help save the lives of these inexperienced drivers on our roadways. We lose far too many young drivers every year in Florida. More supervised driving time and more discussion about safe driving habits may be able to do the trick and turn these accident statistics around for our newly-licensed drivers.

According to the 2010 Florida traffic accident statistics:

-Teens age 15- to 19-years-old have the highest accident rate of any age group in the state.

-There were nearly 734,000 licensed teen drivers.

-Nearly 27,000 teen drivers were involved in traffic accidents in 2009.

-Nearly 150 teens (drivers and passengers) who died on our roadways.

-Nearly 19,000 teens (drivers and passengers) were injured in traffic accidents.

-Teen drivers in Florida are twice as likely to be involved in an accident as their parents and about three times as likely as their grandparents.

To help educate our state’s young drivers, the DHSMV recently launched an interactive teen driver website to help the newly-licensed to learn safe driving habits. Drive with CARE (Courtesy, Attention, Responsibility, Experience), another online resource for teen drivers, is here to help teach parents and young drivers about our state’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) law. The website also reiterates the importance of parent involvement in a teen driver’s learning process. The CARE information is available on the website or at state and tax collector operated driver license offices.

Recent studies reveal that teens who have more supervised driving time with parents and guardians face lower risks of accidents on our roadways. Teaching your teen driver safe and cautious driving habits early on in their driving career can help them to form lifelong habits that can help to keep them safe on our roadways. Parents are urged to visit the websites listed above and to participate in National Teen Driver Safety Week to help raise awareness about the importance of proper teen driving education.

Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, have spent four decades fighting for the rights of accident victims throughout South Florida, including Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Naples, Port Charlotte and Sebring. If you or your teen driver has been injured in a traffic accident, call for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. 1-800-283-2900.

More Blog Entries:

NOYS’ 2011 Summit to Help Reduce Risks of Teen Car Accident in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, September 25, 2011

Toyota Studies Top Causes for Senior and Teen Car Accidents in Fort Myers, Nation, Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, September 25, 2011

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