Officials wanted to stress that even though the campaign is over, their enforcement of this law is not, and they can write tickets when drivers and passengers aren’t wearing seat belts anytime they see an infraction 24/7/365.

“We do it all year round, but we’re participating in this as well,” said one Sergeant of the Orlando Police Department. “It’s a state safety initiative.”

“It’s basically just a zero-tolerance, concentrated effort to observe and cite those who violate the safety belt laws,” said a lieutenant with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. “Safety belts have a proven ability to save lives and that’s why we take part in this initiative.”

One Orlando traffic safety supervisor who also chairs the Orange County Community Traffic Safety Team said, “The real purpose behind the Click It or Ticket campaign is the public awareness of it.”

Figures provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicate that out of eight to ten Floridians, 81.7 percent, buckled their seat belts regularly in 2008. The national average is 83 percent with many states boasting 90 percent seat belt usage or higher.

The law allows officers to write a ticket if either the driver or front seat passenger is not buckled up. Anyone under 18 years of age riding in a vehicle must wear a seat belt regardless of where he or she is sitting.

Attorney James O. Cunningham is one Central Florida car accident lawyer who has seen firsthand the often-tragic aftermath of unrestrained drivers and passengers involved in a collision. He wholeheartedly supports the new law and stepped-up enforcement. A seat belt can literally make the difference between an injury and a death in an auto accident. If you have been injured in an auto accident or someone you care for has been injured or died in an auto accident, Orlando auto accident lawyer James O. Cunningham may be able top help you recover the compensation you may be entitled to under the law. Don’t let big insurance companies pressure you to sign documents that you don’t fully understand. Call Orlando car accident lawyer James O. Cunningham first.

Resource links:
http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-03-02/news/os-click-it-or-ticket-orlando-20100302_1_safety-belts-front-seat-passengers-police-officers

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-03-19/news/os-click-it-or-ticket-20100319_1_seat-belt-ticket-traffic-law

He said that as the number of bicyclists on the roads has increased, so has the inconvenience and the hazards of sharing the road with them, particularly on the winding, sloping roads in some parts of Orange and Lake Counties. He was especially upset over a recent incident where he had to avoid striking a large pack of riders and had to leave the road, resulting in a punctured tire.

“I was so mad I could spit,” he said. “They’re sharing the road with cars going 40 miles per hour or more, and they are spread four or five across, and they won’t let cars try to pass.”

Bicycle riders have to obey the rules of the road just as drivers do, but not all bicyclists observe the rules and ride their bikes in a manner that puts others and themselves at risk. Florida laws require bicyclists to come to a full stop at stop signs and ride in single file on streets and highway for their safety. The disregard of some cyclists to observe the rules of the road and the dangerous conditions they create has resulted in Lake County deputies issuing warnings to some cyclists.

“If people don’t start heeding our warnings, then we’ll have to take it to the next step, which will affect their pocketbooks,” said one sergeant in the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. “We hate to do that, because maybe they don’t realize that what they’re doing is wrong. They’re required to stop at stop signs, use hand signals to show they’re turning and to ride in single file closest to the curb.”

As bicycle ridership has increased, so has the anger of some motorists who have been observed honking, screaming, intimidating and forcing bicyclists off the road, leading to some injuries. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, if a bicyclist is injured or killed by a motorist, they may be able to recover medical expenses and other accident-related costs that are compensable under Florida law.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to aggressive bicyclists or aggressive drivers, Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham may be able to help. He has represented accident victims and their families since 1977 and has the experience and resources to accept cases of any size. If you have questions about the laws that apply to your situation and want to know your options, call Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation.

The victim’s mother has urged law enforcement authorities to investigate the pedestrian accident, but the lack of publicity in the case has made her uncertain whether or not the police were looking for the driver who struck the young man and fled from the scene. She went public recently with her dissatisfaction about the lack of cooperation and communication in the case.

“They left my son laying face down in a ditch for 45 minutes,” she said this week. “That 45 minutes could have saved my son’s life…My 10-year-old son wants to know why this happened to his brother. I want to have some kind of closure on this—why my baby had to be taken from me. I have not seen anybody since the day they came to my house and told me my son was hit.”

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office were the first to respond to the pedestrian accident, but turned the case over to the Florida Highway Patrol. After the mother made repeated inquiries about the case, Sgt. Kim Montes located the case in the department’s computer system.

“As to why the PIO wasn’t notified, I don’t know,” Montes said after finding the incident report. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to those two investigators yet. Per our policy, they’re supposed to send me a press release on any fatality.”

The computer system shows that the FHP received the call at 8:40 p.m. that evening and arrived on the scene at 9:24 p.m., the victim was airlifted to the hospital in critical condition at about 8:52 p.m. and the parent was notified about the accident around 10:08 p.m. that night. The driver of the vehicle that struck the teen and fled from the scene was identified as a 29-year-old woman also from Okahumpka.

Pedestrian accidents claim over 100 lives each year in Florida, and thousands more suffer severe injuries that require long and expensive stays in the hospital. Expensive medical care and other accident-related expenses cause terrible financial hardship for victims and their families. Orlando pedestrian accident attorney James O. Cunningham has been helping victims and their families receive the compensation they deserve to help with expenses since 1977. If you or someone you care for has been hurt or killed in a pedestrian accident, call the Law Offices of James O. Cunningham today to schedule a free consultation.