The odds are probably pretty good that you will come across some aggressive drivers this time of year on Florida roadways. The highly populated streets and highways bring out the worst behaviors in drivers, which frequently leads to a car accident in Fort Lauderdale.
Our West Palm Beach personal injury attorneys want to remind Florida motorists about the dangers faced on busy roadways this time of year. This week we publish a series of blogs about speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, teens and elderly drivers.
Speeding was the first topic of our series posted on our South Florida Injury Lawyers Blog.
Aggressive drivers are considered dangerous because they often behave in an assertive or bold manner without regard for other motorists on the roadway. Port St. Lucie officers may have a solution for keeping some of these aggressive drivers in check, according to a recent article in TC Palm. Two new ‘ghost cars’ with covert markings and concealed lights have been implemented in Port St. Lucie after the police department received $148,000 to update technology and equipment.
The $56,000 allocated toward the new vehicles used to nab aggressive drivers is well spent considering these offenders are the most complained about to city police. Offenders are cited on their ticket as ‘aggressive,” often prompting judges to assign higher fines or require defendants to enroll in an aggressive driving course.
From 2003 through 2007, a study reported by AAA Foundation indicated that speeding, failure to yield right of way, and reckless/careless/erratic driving were the 3 leading aggressive-driving behaviors that led to motor vehicle crashes. Other notable aggressive behaviors leading to crashes in the study were failure to obey traffic signs, making illegal turns, and passing inappropriately.
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported a total of 1,964 fatalities in crashes for 2009 in Florida. Similar to the above study, careless driving, failure to yield right of way, and speeding were all leading contributors in Florida crashes for that year. Almost 20% of crashes were due to careless driving.
There is no doubt that aggressive driving behavior can lead to fatal crashes. If you feel you have aggressive tendencies, Florida Safety Council offers an aggressive driving program geared towards teaching motorist to be less aggressive when behind the wheel. The eight-hour course is divided into multiple sessions and focuses on accepting responsibility for your own actions, as well as learning and maintaining safe driving behaviors.
If you or a loved one have been a victim of an aggressive driving accident in Port St. Lucie, West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez to discuss your rights. For a free and confidential appointment to state your claim, call 1-800-529-2368.