Now that 350,000 Miami-Dade children have returned to school after the summer, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue initiative ‘Stop, Drop and Roll with a Twist’ will continue to encourage drivers to take extra caution around the 1,000 school buses carrying many of them.
According to the National Safety Council, thousands of students across the country are injured each year, often as they are getting on and off the school bus. There is a law against overtaking a school bus when it’s stopped, and drivers throughout South Florida need to be reminded to adhere to traffic laws.
Looking Out For Pedestrians
The University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research has found that in Florida most collisions with pedestrians involve distracted drivers. To address this problem, a new law brought into effect in July now makes texting while driving a primary offense in Florida.
FVF Law recognizes that being injured in an accident can be overwhelming and stressful. Although professional help is available to deal with the consequences of a crash, any attempts to reduce the risks of collision occurring are welcome.
Providing a Path for Cyclists
Drivers texting while behind the wheel is one of the reasons cyclists feel unsafe on the roads of Florida. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Florida has the worst fatality rate for cyclists, 56% higher than the second-ranking state in the US. Measures are being introduced throughout South Florida to improve these statistics, and developments such as Lakeland’s new Cycle Track are seen as a step in the right direction for increasing safety for cyclists.
Making Way for Wildlife
Hitting a large animal can be very dangerous, causing considerable damage to a car. It can be even more hazardous to try and avoid a collision as swerving could result in hitting an oncoming vehicle.
Over the past five years, almost 200 panthers were killed by a vehicle in Florida, largely because they continue to follow their traditional paths that are now cut across by busy roads. Wildlife crossings, such as the underpasses running under the I-75, allow wildlife to move around safely and reduce the risk of damage to cars or injury to drivers.
Driving safely and without distraction can minimize the risk of collision with another vehicle. However, it is equally important to be aware of other road users such as school children, cyclists, and even animals.
