What is “Share the Road” all about? Basically, state authorities are trying to raise awareness among motorists that they aren’t alone out there on the roads. They need to make room for the bicyclists and motorcyclists with whom they share the roads.
As traffic can be stationary at intersections, people often see it as a good chance to take a breather. They may check their cell phone, grab a drink or something to eat, even rest their eyes for a second if they are fatigued. All of these actions are extremely dangerous forms of removing a driver’s attention from the road. Traffic may be stationary for a brief moment at intersections, but this can change rapidly, and road users need to be prepared for this. Traffic and pedestrians can come from numerous different angles, and these are hazards that drivers at intersections must always account for.
According to FLHSMV, there were about 280 crashes every single week in this state that involved either a bike or a motorcycle — and most are preventable. In 2020 alone, there were more than 8,000 motorcycle wrecks and more than 6,000 bicycle wrecks involving motor vehicles. These accidents left at least 668 people dead and 2,687 seriously injured.
One of the big problems is that drivers in passenger cars and trucks often don’t realize that they’re breaking the law when they violate the space used by a bicyclist or motorcyclist. Florida drivers are required by law to give bicyclists a minimum of three feet of clear space when they drive past them. are never permitted to share a lane with a motorcyclist.
What can you do if you’re injured by an errant driver?
The harsh reality is that the motorcyclist or bicyclist are always going to lose when they’re involved in a wreck with a larger vehicle. Far too many are killed or injured by drivers who simply didn’t exercise enough caution — or who were unwilling to share the road the way that they should.
If you’ve been injured or your loved one was killed, find out more about how you can hold the other driver responsible for their actions. An attorney can help you learn more.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>We often view the sun as a positive thing, a chance to go outside and enjoy the weather. However, it’s important not to forget the dangers that the sun poses. When driving, the sun’s glare can significantly obstruct your vision, and it may even cause temporary blindness in severe circumstances.
How can you protect yourself from the sun’s glare while driving?
Sometimes, drivers fail to take note of the visors that are fitted above their heads. They are there for a reason, to prevent bright light obstructing your vision. Folding them down may not be enough to completely block out the sun’s glare, but it will have the effect of preventing it from hitting your eyes directly.
The windshield is one of the most vital aspects of driver visibility. Not only should it be in pristine condition in terms of having no chips or cracks, but it should also be kept as clean as possible. If the windshield has smears all over it, these will become more prominent during bright and sunny days. Keeping a clean windshield will allow you to have a better picture of the hazards that are coming up in front of you.
While the sun makes for the ideal opportunity to go for a trip in the car, it is important to remember the dangerous aspects of bright sunlight. If you have been caught up in a vehicular collision in Florida, make sure you take note of your legal options.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>One of the most hazardous areas on the roads is intersections. Some research suggests that as many as 36% of all reported accidents occur at intersections. Why is it that these portions of the road are so dangerous?
As traffic can be stationary at intersections, people often see it as a good chance to take a breather. They may check their cell phone, grab a drink or something to eat, even rest their eyes for a second if they are fatigued. All of these actions are extremely dangerous forms of removing a driver’s attention from the road. Traffic may be stationary for a brief moment at intersections, but this can change rapidly, and road users need to be prepared for this. Traffic and pedestrians can come from numerous different angles, and these are hazards that drivers at intersections must always account for.
At intersections, road users must be able to accurately assess the speed of other vehicles as well as anticipate their next maneuvers. This is surprisingly difficult to do when traffic is moving at various speeds and the volume of people in the area is high. While the human perceptual system is good, it is not perfect and errors in judgment can happen. A failure to anticipate the speed of a vehicle or the space needed to make a turn can result in devastating collisions.
Driving in Florida can be a challenge, especially at intersections. It is vital that you stay safe and other road users should not endanger you in a reckless manner. If you have been hurt because of someone else’s driving, make sure you explore your legal options.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>What you may be wondering, especially if the burns are in a very visible place, is if they’re going to leave scars. Are you going to heal from this the same way that you heal from a broken leg, where there is no evidence of the injury at a later date? Or are you going to have to carry the evidence of this car accident for the rest of your life?
As you may have guessed, the most important question to ask is just how severe these burns were to begin with. For the most minor burns, experts generally note that it only takes two weeks for them to heal. Anything that will heal this quickly is very unlikely to leave scars that are going to last for a long time. The skin will slowly return to normal.
However, if you had more severe burns, such as 3rd-degree burns, this can leave behind a lot of scar tissue. Healing may never bring you back entirely to the way that you looked before the incident. Some people have discoloration on their skin, and others even have mobility issues or other problems as the scar tissue forms.
If you do suffer burns in a car accident, whether or not there is scarring, you definitely need to know if you can seek financial compensation to cover the medical costs and more.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>However, experts often say that you should not sleep if you think you’ve suffered a brain injury and that people taking care of you should attempt to keep you awake after the incident occurs. We know that sleep can help with healing, and it is often recommended for other types of injuries and diseases, so why are you not supposed to sleep with a brain injury?
The risk isn’t necessarily the sleep itself. You’re not going to go to sleep and then cause yourself to fall into a coma or something of this nature.
The issue, however, is that if you have a severe injury that is going to lead to a coma, a seizure or something of this nature, no one is going to see your symptoms progressing if you are asleep. This is why people sometimes go to sleep and never wake up again. The sleep didn’t cause them to have such a serious condition, but it did mean that nobody noticed that they were going to lose consciousness until they did. This can significantly delay treatment, perhaps to the point that there is nothing more that can be done.
With the right treatment and knowledge, there can be a significant amount of healing from a brain injury. Make sure you know how to move forward and what rights you have to seek financial compensation if someone else caused the injury.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>To register your vehicle, you need to provide the state with proof of motor vehicle liability insurance and no-fault coverage. When you get into a crash caused by somebody else, you will likely hope to make a claim against their insurance.
Some drivers don’t have insurance and will leave you with nothing but your own no-fault coverage after a crash. How many of these irresponsible drivers are there in Florida?
Compared with many other states, there are more uninsured drivers in the Sunshine State than in many other parts of the country. According to information analyzed by the Insurance Information Institute in 2019, 20.4% of drivers do not have insurance on their vehicles in Florida. That is slightly more than one in five drivers, which is a high rate.
Overall, there are only five other states that have higher rates of uninsured drivers when compared with Florida. These uninsured drivers not only open themselves up to civil litigation by not carrying insurance, but they pass the responsibility for the crashes they caused to others, like you.
No-fault coverage in Florida will pay for 80% of injury-related losses, up to $10,000. You may also have invested some of your money in collision coverage or even uninsured and underinsured motorist protection. If you invested in this extra insurance, your policy may cover more of your losses.
Otherwise, your best option may include filing a lawsuit against the uninsured driver and looking into whether any third parties have liability for the crash. A company that let a worker without insurance drive while on the clock could have some fault for the wreck that occurred, as could a rental car company if faulty maintenance is what caused the crash.
Understanding the issues that can complicate your circumstances after a motor vehicle collision will reduce the financial losses you suffered from a crash.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>While motorcycling can be efficient and rewarding, there are numerous potential dangers of being on two wheels. It’s not possible for you to prevent every single accident, but there are measures you can take to better protect yourself.
Slowing down is one of the more important skills to master, and these tips should help you do that in a safe manner.
Balance and your center of gravity are the keys to safe braking. If you only use one brake, you might decrease the control you have over the vehicle. In all likelihood, you have both front and back brakes on your motorcycle. Make sure that you use both of these as it will help you slow down safely or come to a much more controlled stop.
Last-minute braking should only be for emergencies, there is really no need to make this a habit. You want your stop to be smooth rather than erratic. The harsher your braking and steering are, the more likely you are to lose balance and be involved in an accident. If you are out on a rainy day, remember that it is going to take longer to stop than usual, so anticipation is vital in these conditions especially.
While your brakes are the main component utilized in slowing down, they work in tandem with other parts of your bike. You can slow down significantly by easing off the throttle and shifting into the lower gears.
The tips above should help to protect you while riding. Unfortunately, not all accidents are preventable. If you have been involved in a collision that was caused by another driver, make sure you carefully examine all of your legal options. You may be due compensation for your injuries and losses.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>Every vehicle has areas around them in which visibility is limited or fully obstructed. These areas are commonly referred to as blind spots. Due to the sheer size of trucks and commercial vehicles, as well as their limited scope for mirrors, blind spots tend to be accentuated.
Outlined below are some key areas to be aware of as well as some tips to keep you safe.
Trucks tend to carry cargo in large trailers, which means visibility is fully obstructed directly behind them. Either by accident or aggression, some drivers opt to drive too closely behind commercial vehicles (tailgating), which significantly increases the chances of a rear-end collision.
Truck drivers generally sit much higher than other vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians. This means that they cannot see the areas directly underneath the cab. Drivers should try not to enter this space and truck drivers have a duty to ensure that they operate carefully around pedestrians, cyclists and fellow road users.
Arguably, the most dangerous blind spot of a commercial vehicle is the right-hand side. It is of the utmost importance that drivers try to stay out of this area. As a general rule, if you cannot see the truck driver then they cannot see you.
The left-hand side is not without a blind spot too. Although it is a significantly smaller blind spot than the right-hand side, visibility is still impaired enough to warrant careful consideration.
Trucks and commercial vehicles are heavier and more vast in size, but they still share the road with smaller vehicles and people, so safety measures are crucial. If you have been injured in a collision with a truck, there may be a path open to you to pursue legal compensation.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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]]>However, this is true everywhere. Florida has its share of rain and extreme weather when it’s necessary to slow down to remain safe.
Road conditions can also make driving at the posted speed limit dangerous – and illegal – even if there’s no sign posted to indicate a lower speed, such as in a work zone. Among the conditions that can require drivers to lower their speed include:
Florida’s “unlawful speed” law clearly states: “No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions and having regard to the actual and potential hazards then existing.”
Unfortunately, we’ve all seen drivers who don’t adjust their speed no matter what the conditions are. In fact, if they feel like they’ve “lost” time due to poor conditions, they may speed up and go above even the posted speed limit.
While you don’t want to travel at a speed so slow that you’re interfering with traffic, you do want to slow down when conditions warrant it. That way, if others are driving recklessly or if a driver is forced to stop suddenly or swerve to avoid a road hazard or other vehicle, you can better react.
Of course, if you are injured by someone driving at an unsafe speed for the weather or road conditions, they most likely will be determined to be responsible for the crash. Don’t settle for less than the amount you need to cover medical care and other expenses and damages.
Schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced lawyer from Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP. The sooner you get us involved, the more we can do to help you.
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