Tag: Auto Accidents

FLORIDA

TAMPA, ST. PETERSBURG, SARASOTA AMONG THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES FOR PEDESTRIANS IN THE U.S., REPORT FINDS

The Tampa Bay area saw 900 pedestrian deaths over a 10-year period.

Florida ranked No. 1 as the state most dangerous to pedestrians, according to a report released Recently.

Smart Growth America’s “Dangerous By Design” report details a closer look at pedestrian safety and deaths around the country. The report says between 2008 and 2017, drivers hit and killed 49,340 on streets in the U.S.

And you wonder why I would choose to Blog about safe Driving, living in Tampa. When I started scribbling Notes about Safe Driving, it all started when I was working as a Valet. On slow Days when I was Bored I scribbled notes about my fellow Valet Drivers, they Drove half a Million Dollar Vehicles the same way they Drove their own Heaps. That Highlights a part of the Problem, lack of respect for others, property Life included. They Buried the gas Pedal for one Hundred yards, stopping on a Dime and backing up at thirty MPH. It was then that I realized that there is something Deathly wrong in the way we operate these Death Machines on our Roadways. Seemingly intelligent People loose it when they get behind the Wheel. They get behind the wheel and its like Lights, Action Camera, So be The case, what can you expect from the  less  intellectual ones. The Manufacturer tells you how Nimble their Vehicles are in their sales pitch. You the Gullible Consumers buy into the need for speed Brainwashing. There you have it, the Root cause for all the Calamities on our Roadways. They don’t tell you that they Build their Vehicles strictly for Transportation, no, they give you the Impression that you can Drive like a Racecar Driver. That Driving in a highly populated areas above the speed limit weaving Rush Hour Traffic is cool 😎.

The more Horsepower, the harder we push them, not realizing that we are playing catch22 with our Lives and others, until that Fateful moment when some Kids Body is crumpled up in your wheelwell. How does one live with themselves, knowing that it could have been avoided. If you were obeying the speed limit, maybe they would have a chance to escape your Bumper. My question about all this bad Driving is after each near miss did you not learn anything. I purposefully ask this question to the woman who critically injured the fifteen years old Girl on her Bicycle on Trinity Blvd three Months ago. Every Day I pass the intersection I look for the invisible skid marks of your Tires. Trinity Blvd is a 50 MPH Road, 70 is the norm, as you can see winding out the RPM is an Epidemic and that’s why you have these great numbers of Fatalities. The average Person sees these numbers and they don’t mean anything to them, until their Vehicles are laying upside down and I am pulling their infant child from the vehicle after they have pulled themselves to safety leaving the Child behind. Do you feel good about yourself now, Driving like a Maniac all your Life, and now you just narrowly escaped extinguishing your entire family.

They say if it isn’t broken don’t fix it. My fellow Drivers I am telling you it is broken. The way you Drive screams “Broken” There are too many bad Actors behind the Wheel, the Statistics bear me out.

Car accidents remain a very serious problem in the Florida Suncoast and throughout the wider United States. The CDC reports that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of accident-related emergency room trips. Each year, more than 33,000 Americans are killed in crashes.

The state of Florida releases its official car accident statistics once every year. The most recent release from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles covers the year or 2015. During that time period, there were:

374,342 total accidents;

243,316 reported injuries; and

2,939 confirmed fatalities.

Alarmingly, these figures represent a significant increase in both accidents and injuries when compared to the last several years. More specifically, car accident injuries were up by nearly eight percent when compared to 2014. The numbers for total accident fatalities were even more alarming; car accident deaths were up by a startling 17.84 percent. To put these figures into perspective: More people were injured in Florida car accidents in 2015 than in any year since 1996. A long-term trend of reduced accident risk appears to have turned around. While part of the problem is explained by an increase in the total number vehicle miles driven in the state, that does not explain the entirety of the issue. Other factors, such as increased distracted driving, due to the Excessive use of cell phones, definitely contributed to the numbers.

Drunk Driving Also Remains a Major Problem

Intoxicated driving, including both drunk driving and drugged driving, is responsible for a highly disproportionate share of serious Florida highway accidents. In 2015, there were more than 16,000 DUI crashes in Florida. These accidents led to nearly 11,000 injuries and more than 500 fatalities. Since moving to Florida four years ago there have been at least ten wrong way crashes within a twenty five miles radius of my House. All were Alcohol related, causing many Fatalities. It’s not bad enough that many have no Insurance and revoked Licenses they were persistent offenders. While alcohol and drugs are a factor in less than four percent of all auto accidents, these substances are a factor in more than 16 percent of fatal crashes. The reason for this is clear: Drunk driving accidents often occur at high speeds, and they are more likely to involve exceptionally dangerous behavior. If you were injured by a drunk driver, you need to contact a qualified attorney immediately. Under Florida law, you may be entitled to recover punitive damages. These damages are meant to punish the extremely reckless behavior of the bad-acting party.

The other Day I watched a Video about Teenage Murders who received stiff Sentences such as Life. They all broke down screaming for Mercy. Where were their sense of Mercy when they struck the Fatal Blow or pulled the Trigger. People who Committed Vehicular Homicide should be delt with severely. When I lived in Pennsylvania a young Man I became acquainted with through his Family. Had a long History of Driving intoxicated, he spent years in Prison for his Indiscretions. That did not put the Fear of God in Him. Eventually one Day Driving under the Influence he Killed an EMT Personnel in a Head On Crash, I believe the Judge gave him seven years. Now that is a Travesty of Justice for taking the Life of someone who saves Lives. In my Book a Life Sentence is well Justified. Why? He is Hard Core he will get released and Kill someone else, even without a License. I am never going to stop beating the Drums about Bad Actors behind the Wheel, So if you are one don’t read my Blogs, go seek help, because bad Actors behind the Wheel are People screaming for Attention and Help. The World may be a Stage, not our Roadways.