Ride of Silence Puts Focus on Vulnerable Road Users in SWFL

June 2, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

This month’s Annual Ride of Silence put the focus on keeping cyclists and other vulnerable road users safe on the streets of Southwest Florida.

The North Fort Myers Neighbor reports the 21st annual event was hosted by the Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club. The Silent Ride on May 17 departed from Bell Tower Shops. Our Fort Myers injury lawyers frequently report the increased risk to bicyclists and pedestrians throughout SWFL. In the first three months of this year, 81 bicycle accidents in Lee County were reported, resulting in two deaths. Last year, 319 crashes resulted in nine fatalities.

“The reality is motor vehicle drivers, cyclists and pedestrians all have responsibility for safe mobility,” Norm Nesbitt of Caloosa Riders Bicycle Club, told the publication.

Florida “Move Over” Law Set to Protect Disabled Vehicles

May 30, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

As summer travel season gets underway, Florida has strengthened its “Move Over” law, which aims to protect law enforcement and other emergency vehicles from the risk of being struck by passing traffic.

While road construction is a year-around (and seemingly never-ending) effort in Southwest Florida, many projects are launched through the summer months before the traffic onslaught that always comes with the winter tourist season. This year may be particularly frustrating as heavy traffic has continuously frustrated motorists since last year’s devastating hurricane.

NBC-2 reports the enhanced law expands the circumstances in which motorists are required to move over and/or slow down for stopped vehicles at the side of the road. Under current law, drivers must vacate the lane closest to stopped law enforcement, emergency, sanitation, utility vehicles, tow trucks or maintenance or construction vehicles that display warning lights. The new bill, approved by lawmakers this spring, would also include all other vehicles pulled over at the side of the road. SB 425 includes disabled motor vehicles displaying warning lights or hazard lights, or using emergency signage or flares, or vehicles that are stopped with one or more persons visibly present.

Rainy Season Brings Accident Risks

May 6, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

The start of summer rainy season increases accidents risks on the roads of Southwest Florida.

If you are a veteran motorist here in South Florida, you are aware of the startling ferocity of sudden afternoon summer storms, which can quickly eliminate visibility. If you are new to the area, understand driving can quickly become all but impossible and the best move is often to pull over to a safe location and wait out these fast moving thunderstorms.

In either case, reviewing best driving practices can help keep you and your family safe.

May is Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month

May 5, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

It’s time for motorists to renew efforts to watch for motorcycle riders as Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month signals the beginning of the summer riding season.

Motorcyclists too, should keep safety awareness top of mind by having their bike serviced, riding responsibly, taking a basic or advanced rider safety course, and wearing appropriate safety gear. While most adult riders are not required to wear a helmet under Florida law, our motorcycle injury lawyers in Fort Myers recently wrote about legal changes that could limit or even eliminate a rider’s ability to collect damages when serious head injuries result in a collision with an at-fault driver if the rider was not wearing a helmet.

However, we know most riders keep safety at the forefront and want nothing more than to enjoy South Florida’s summer riding season and to make it home safely to their families. The reality is that the vast majority of motorcycle collisions involving other motor vehicles are the fault of the vehicle’s driver.

Tort Reform Blames Accident Victims – Motorcyclists Beware!

May 4, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Changes to Florida’s comparative negligence law will impact the rights of car accident victims found partially at fault for a collision. Changes will also significantly impact the rights of motorcyclists as the summer riding season gets underway.

Florida’s new tort reform law went into effect March 24. Whenever you hear tort reform, you can be assured lawmakers are limiting the rights of injury victims to recover compensation under the guise of protecting corporations from trial lawyers. The reality is that studies continue to show that large jury verdicts have little impact on the overall costs and profits of large insurance corporations. Limiting the rights of victims is just a handout to lobbyists and large insurers, which are routinely among the largest donors to political campaigns in Florida.

Among the most egregious changes (and there are many), is that Florida now follows a modified comparative negligence standard, rather than a pure comparative negligence standard. Under previous law, a victim found to be partially at fault could still collect damages in proportion to the liability of an at-fault motorist. So even if a victim was found at 80 percent fault, he or she could still recover 20 percent damages from another at-fault motorist and his or her insurance carrier. Under the new law, victims found at majority fault (50.1 percent) will be barred from seeking a recovery.

Go for a Walk! Safely!

April 6, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

April 7 is both National Walking Day and World Health Day. Perhaps not by coincidence.

There is every evidence that walking is one of the best things you can do for your health. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, report walking is a great way to reap the benefits of physical activity, especially for older Americans. Walking can improve cardio vascular health, physical strength and stability in the legs and torso, improve sleep and promote overall health and well-being, including disease prevention and enhanced quality of life.

However, walking can also be dangerous, particularly in Florida. Each year, about 6,000 walkers are killed in traffic collisions; that’s 18 pedestrians a day, 125 every week, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Additionally, more than 75,000 are seriously injured, or about one every 7 minutes. Despite far fewer walkers than motorists on the road, pedestrian deaths account for nearly 1 in 5 traffic fatalities.

April Focus on Distracted Driving Risks

April 5, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Distracted driving killed more than 3,500 people on the nation’s roads last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In those cases, driver distraction was determined to be a primary factor in the fatal collision. However, the true number is much higher because distraction often is not revealed as a factor of causation. By some estimates, 4 in 10 collisions, or some 15,000 deaths per year, involve some form of distraction. These hidden risks are another reason why thorough investigation by an experienced car accident law firm in Fort Myers or Cape Coral should be conducted as soon as possible after a serious or fatal collision.

Driver Distraction in SWFL

Sleepy Drivers a Hidden Road Risk

March 7, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

We recently reported on the record number of traffic deaths on the roads of Southwest Florida last year.

With spring break approaching, we have also looked at the dangers of drunk driving. As we continue to highlight the risks of the road to start 2023, today our car accident attorneys in Fort Myers and Cape Coral want to highlight a largely hidden risk that is no less dangerous: Drowsy driving.

There is every evidence the roads of Southwest Florida have grown particularly dangerous throughout the pandemic and hurricane recovery efforts. WGCU reported Lee County had the second-highest number of traffic deaths on record in 2022. At least 123 motorists lost their lives on Lee County roads in 2022, according to preliminary data. The highest annual total was reported in 2005, when 150 people were killed on local roads. The first two years of the pandemic saw 107 deaths in 2020 and 118 deaths in 2021

Drowsy driving is a known factor in a substantial number of collisions. It is also an undiscovered factor in many more collisions for which it is not determined to be a factor of causation.

Driving Under the Influence a Deadly Risk in SWFL

March 5, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

There is no more avoidable cause of serious and fatal traffic collisions than drivers who get behind the wheel while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

It is a top cause of fatal collisions nationwide, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths per year, or about one-third of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And there is every evidence the roads of Southwest Florida have grown particularly dangerous throughout the pandemic and hurricane recovery efforts. WGCU reported Lee County had the second-highest number of traffic deaths on record in 2022.

At least 123 motorists lost their lives on Lee County roads in 2022, according to preliminary data. The highest annual total was reported in 2005, when 150 people were killed on local roads. The first two years of the pandemic saw 107 deaths in 2020 and 118 deaths in 2021.

Recently our car accident lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral looked at the top causes of serious and fatal traffic collisions, including aggressive driving. Today, we look at intoxicated driving. With spring break approaching, it is a critical time to respect the risks on the roads of SWFL.

SWFL Road Risks at Record Highs

January 31, 2023 | Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner

Collision risks on the roads of Southwest Florida were at record highs in 2022.

While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is projecting a slight decline in traffic deaths nationwide last year, as well as a slight decrease in Florida, the same cannot be said for Southwest Florida. While the reasons are not fully understood, statistics show road dangers have increased throughout the pandemic, despite fewer drivers on the roads. Reasons for the increased risks in Southwest Florida can be traced at least in part to nationwide increases in deaths on rural highways, collisions involving large trucks, and fatal accidents involving vulnerable road users, all of which are primary causes in our hometowns.

As we close out the first month of 2023, our car accident lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral are reviewing the risks, and will publish several additional blogs highlighting steps you can take to reduce the risks that you or a loved one will be involved in a serious or fatal traffic collision.