Victim’s Mother Urges Florida Lawmakers to Pass Cell Phone Ban
Elissa Schee is motivated to convince Florida legislators to finally pass a ban on cell phone use while driving. Her daughter Margay was killed four years ago when a tractor-trailer collided with the rear of a school bus, killing her and injuring 15 other students. According the Florida Highway Patrol accident investigation, the bus had stopped on U.S. 301 near Citra on Sept. 23, 2008, to drop off students when the truck plowed into the rear. Troopers say the truck did not brake before the collision, and their investigation confirmed that the truck driver had been using his cell phone immediately before the accident.
One Killed, Three Injured in Horrific Florida Trucking Accident
One man was killed and three others injured recently in a horrific chain reaction accident involving three tractor-trailers, a Jeep and a passenger car. Florida Highway Patrol troopers described a very grim accident scene where the passenger car was wedged beneath one of the trailers and the Jeep was smashed between the two big rigs. Troopers say the accident occurred around 1:15 p.m. when one of the semis, driven by an Orlando man, rear-ended one of the passenger cars and drove it into the other vehicle. The force of impact then caused the truck to push the passenger vehicles into the other trucks.
NHTSA Study Shows Scope of Impaired Driving Problem in the U.S.
A recent study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that despite tougher criminal penalties and increased awareness through publicity campaigns, impaired driving remains a serious threat to safety on our country’s roadways.
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Florida Lawmakers Scheduled to Consider Six Distracted Driving Bills in 2012
Florida legislators are scheduled to review at least six bills in the coming year that target distracted driving in general and texting while driving in particular. James O. Cunningham and other Orlando personal injury lawyers are hopeful that Florida will finally pass substantive distracted driving laws, but their optimism is tempered by lawmakers’ repeated failures in recent years to adopt such laws protecting Floridians. Currently, Florida is one of only 15 states that do not have laws that ban drivers from using their cell phones to talk, text and send and receive messages while driving, despite irrefutable evidence that using these devices sharply increases the likelihood of accidents.
Florida Still Lags Behind Other States on Cell Phone Driving Bans
Regular readers of this blog are very familiar with our state’s lack of cell phone legislation for drivers. They are also very familiar with Orlando personal injury attorney James O. Cunningham’s stance on this issue. He prefers a zero tolerance policy on cell phone use of any kind while driving and encourages state lawmakers to take decisive action on this issue to save lives. Currently, there are no state laws against texting, surfing the internet or making calls on cell phones while driving. Further, Florida does not allow communities to enact legislation against distracted cell phone driving.
Fatal Florida Turnpike Crash Caused By Driver Changing CD
Accident investigators found that a recent fatal auto accident on the Florida Turnpike was caused by a driver who was changing the compact disc in her car. Florida Highway Patrol investigators say the recent accident occurred around 2:50 p.m. at Mile Marker 237, south of Kissimmee-St. Cloud and closed two lanes of the Turnpike for several hours. They say the 63-year-old victim was driving her 2000 Chevrolet SUV southbound on the Turnpike when a 2001 Pontiac Firebird driven by a 55-year-old West Palm Beach woman suddenly veered from the left lane into the right and struck the SUV. The impact caused the SUV to roll over onto its roof and skid a short distance. Although she was wearing a seatbelt, the SUV driver died from her injuries at the scene. Two passengers in the SUV were treated for minor injuries. Charges are pending against the driver of the Firebird, who suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Orlando Auto Accident Lawyers: State and Federal Governments Take Aim at Distracted Driving
America’s state governments are now getting help from the federal government agencies in cracking down on drivers who use cell phones while behind the wheel. Read the rest »
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