Traffic Accidents Down in Florida in 2007
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles had some good news for us recently when it issued its 2007 Florida Crash Statistics Report on Sept. 19. Like the federal Department of Transportation report that I wrote about in August, the report collects car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian accident data for the entire calendar year.
And like that report, it showed that traffic crashes were down overall in Florida in 2007. Our state saw 3,221 traffic fatalities in 2007, a 4.28% decrease from 2006. In fact, when measured per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, Florida saw the fewest traffic deaths in recorded state history in 2007. That's the good news. The bad news is that Florida has work to do in other areas, particularly in alcohol-related crashes and in motorcycle accidents. Alcohol-related fatalities jumped a surprising 13.1%, from 1,099 in 2006 to 1,244 in 2007, although alcohol-related injuries and crashes each fell slightly. And while motorcycle fatalities did drop by 0.77%, overall crashes jumped by 2.39% and motorcycle injuries increased by 3.18%. The full version of the report can be found in PDF format here, on the department's Web site.
These two areas concern me greatly. I am a motorcyclist myself, as is my wife, and we have watched with concern as the national rate of motorcycle accidents has climbed over the past decade. And as a Florida automobile accident lawyer, I am particularly concerned about alcohol-related crashes because I frequently see the results firsthand, and they are painful. Drunk driving causes wrongful deaths, serious burns, head injuries and other devastating injuries -- and it is easy to prevent. Similarly, statistics show that many Florida motorcycle accidents are caused by drivers simply failing to see motorcyclists.
Both problems could easily be prevented with a little more care, saving thousands of lives each year. But if you or someone you love has already become a victim of a serious Florida traffic accident, you have the right to collect financial compensation for your injuries and your bills. Contact my firm, Cohn, Smith & Cohn, to learn more about how we can help you protect your rights and hold careless drivers responsible for their actions.
