Florida Car Accident Injuries: Distracted Driving
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles recently observed Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The initiative attempts to educate Florida drivers about the dangers associated with distracted driving. Distracted driving is negligent driving, and it leads to many serious injuries every year. All Florida drivers have a legal duty to keep their full attention on the highway whenever they are behind the wheel. If you have suffered an injury due to the negligence of a distracted driver, you need to contact an experienced Tampa car accident lawyer for immediate legal assistance.
Distracted Driving is a Major Problem
According to a press release from the Department of Highway Safety, nearly 46,000 Florida auto accidents were caused by distracted drivers in 2015. These accidents resulted in over 39,000 injuries and 200 deaths. To put those numbers into perspective, over 15 percent of all Florida car accident injuries occur as a result of distracted driving. It is also noteworthy that young drivers are dramatically over-represented in the distracted driving accident statistics. Drivers under the age of 25 are responsible for almost 25 percent of all of Florida’s distracted driving accidents, despite making up a much smaller percentage of Florida’s total drivers. The increase in the use of cell phones, and other handheld devices, has also led to an increase in distracted driving in recent years. More education is needed to help combat the problem.
Distracted Driving Accident Victims Deserve Compensation
Similar to most other Florida personal injury lawsuits, negligence is the legal basis for a distracted driving injury claim. Recovering full and fair compensation from another party requires proving that party’s negligence. Your car accident lawyer will need to prove each of the four elements of negligence:
- Duty;
- Breach;
- Causation; and
- Damages.
Put simply, negligence occurs when a party fails to take proper care when performing an activity. The activity in question, driving, requires one’ full attention being fully focused on the road. You cannot take proper care while driving if you are also doing other tasks at the same time. Far too many Florida drivers are overconfident in their own abilities, and fail to realize the dangers associated with distraction. It is simply not possible to multitask and drive with adequate attention on the road. Some drivers believe that they can steal quick glances at their cell phone for a couple of seconds here and there, but it is too dangerous. Cars travel at such high rates of speed that even a delayed reaction of only one second can result in a life altering accident. If you have been the victim of an accident, and you believe that distracted driving might have been a cause, it is important to get your case in the hands of an experienced attorney as soon as possible. Your attorney can help you gather and assemble the evidence you need to make your case.
Contact Our Office Today
At The Pawlowski//Mastrilli Law Group, our experienced attorneys help car accident victims recover fair compensation. We will work aggressively to protect your rights. If you have been injured in a distracted driving accident, please contact our Tampa Bay office today at 813-242-4404 to schedule your free initial legal consultation.
