South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog
Motorists, pedestrians and state officials may overlook the violence and gore of some of today’s most popular video games reaching audiences around the world, but one video that’s not getting the stamp of approval is the video on a new website and safety program called “See the Blindspots.”
One Florida Senator says he’s offended by the safety program’s depiction of pedestrian accidents in Wellington and elsewhere. “See The Blindspots” says the campaign is doing exactly as it’s supposed to and raising awareness about the severity of the problem. Unfortunately, Florida continues to be the number one state for pedestrian fatalities and safety advocates are taking a bold step to reverse the trend.
The pedestrian video shows numbers of people being brutally hit and run over, some through no fault of their own, but through the carelessness of drivers. Florida State Senator Mike Fasano says that the video is effective, yet disturbing and should not be accessible on a website that is reachable by viewers of all ages.
Our Wellington pedestrian accident lawyers understand that this controversial video depicts some of the real life dangers that pedestrians face in our state. Many of these pedestrian accidents are caused by distracted drivers, those who just aren’t paying attention at the wheel.
Still, with all these fatal accidents and this graphically disturbing video, Florida lawmakers have yet to enact legislation to regulate the use of a cell phone or text messaging devices for drivers. Florida is one of the last states in the nation that has done nothing to regulate these dangerous driving behaviors — even among teen drivers.
To help to spread the word about the risks associated with distracted driving, the new “See The Blindspots” website aims to serve as a clearinghouse for data regarding pedestrian accidents in the state. The video that Senator Fasano objects to is posted front and center on the site’s homepage.
Florida State Representative Irv Slosberg refuses to give into the criticism however. He says that as brutal as this video is, Florida drivers need to see it. It’s the cold-hard truth our state faces every day. Slosberg recently lost his daughter in an accident. He says that the graphic content of the video is warranted given the nature of both the state’s pedestrian accident problem and the statistics on pedestrian-vehicle accidents in Tampa.
According to the website, there were nearly 500 pedestrians killed on Florida roadways in 2009. Both Georgia and Texas followed with more than 300 fatalities each. Both states have seen significant drops in fatality numbers in recent years — but not Florida.
“We’re going backwards instead of forwards. A lot of it has to do with driver distraction: cell phones, texting and driving,” Rep. Slosberg.
The U.S. sees about nine pedestrian fatalities a week. Florida accounts for 10 percent of these deaths.
The Wellington pedestrian accident attorneys at Freeman & Mallard have been successfully and aggressively representing pedestrian accident victims and their families in Fort Lauderdale, Miamar, Miami and Ft. Pierce/Port St. Lucie for years. Call us today to schedule a no-obligation appointment to discuss your case at 1-800-529-2368.
More Blog Entries:
Fort Pierce Hit-and Run Accident Kills 54-Year-Old Male Pedestrian, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, September 21, 2011
Elderly Woman Killed from Car-Pedestrian Accident in Palm Beach County, South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog, September 5, 2011