3 Ways To Practice Safe Boating

While safety should be your first priority when you go out on the water — sadly, it is often the last —taking a back seat to the fun and thrills of being on the ocean or lake. Who wants to get bogged down with safety issues when it’s a free day without no work and all play?

The thing is, boating safety in Fort Lauderdale should always play a role during boating excursions. Not considering all the ways in which a boating accident can occur, it will also take away your fun … for good.

According to Florida’s Boating and Safety Education Program — boating accidents are most often caused by operator-error, such as carelessness and inattentiveness, navigation rule violations, poor choices during bad weather, inexperience and alcohol consumption.

So do yourself and your passengers a favor — remember these three safety tips before you head out on a boating trip:

• Always Wear a Life Jacket – Yes, it will give you tan lines, but it will save your life and the lives of passengers should an accident occur. Nine out of 10 drowning victims may have survived a capsizing or fall overboard had they been wearing a life jacket.
• Take a Boating Safety Course – Formal boating education will prevent you from being another statistic and will teach you all the necessary basics of seamanship that you’ll need before you start that engine. Especially if you will be driving the boat, it is very important to understand all of the rules of the water.
• Boat Sober – Save that beer for when you’re back on land. Using alcohol is even more dangerous on the water because the marine environment accelerates impairment. In boating deaths attributed to alcohol use, over half of the victims capsized the boat or fell overboard. Another reason to stay sober — boating while intoxicated (BUI), is illegal.

Boating is one of the best ways to enjoy the climate in South Florida. To keep your day on the water safe and sound, practice safe boating in Fort Lauderdale. The Florida Injury Law Group can assist you with a Ft Lauderdale Personal Injury Attorney if you have been in a boating accident.

You wouldn’t drive on the interstate with a beer in your hand — and you shouldn’t on your boat, either.

Staying Safe During Holiday Traffic

On an average day, 41% of auto accident deaths are related to alcohol. Unfortunately, this already alarming number increases by over 10% during the holiday season. Alcohol related fatalities become more the rule than the exception during seasonal holidays.

From holiday parties to evenings with the family — where a drink might seem needed totake the edge off — tis’ the season to imbibe in some eggnog or a few glasses of wine. During this time of year, however, it is crucial to watch what you drink and how much you drink. It’s a good time of year to designate a driver when you know you will be enjoying a few holiday cocktails.

There are simple tips and measures you can take to ensure that you and your family enjoy a safe and happy holiday — whether you plan to be on the road on vacation or simply staying close to home.

• Monitor Alcohol Consumption: This is easier said than done when the eggnog and rum breaks out around you. However, monitoring the number of cups you throw back is important to keeping you, your loved ones and everyone else on the road safe. If you want to have more than one or two spread over a few hours — find someone else to drive home or stay the night where you are. It’s better than waking up the next day in a jail cell or even worse finding out that you took away someone’s Christmas this year.
• Be Aware of Others: Sometimes you are not the one you need to worry about when driving on the road — it could be the drivers around you. Watch for signs of drunk driving, when on the interstate drive in the middle lanes when possible to avoid those who are merging lanes and those who think they are on a speedway. Look twice before crossing the road or switching lanes and most of all look for those on motorcycles.
• Be Alert: At all times. Don’t let your family distract you from driving. Keep both hands on the wheel and both eyes paying attention to the road. If you are travelling by car for a long period of time it’s advisable to have someone as your backup driver, but if you are the only one that can drive, stop frequently and schedule a couple of hours for sleep.

Drunk driving accidents in Fort Lauderdale are increasingly common during the holidays. It’s your responsibility to protect yourself and your family. Although it may not be you that causes a fatality this holiday season — you may not even drink — you must watch out for those that do and report suspicious or hazardous driving.

If you or your loved ones become a victim of drunk driving in Ft Lauderdale, hire a Florida Injury Law Group personal injury attorney to help you with your case. It is common to sustain injuries from accidents that involve drinking and driving — having a Ft. Lauderdale auto accident and personal injury attorney on your side is crucial to getting the settlement you deserve for your pain and suffering.

Stay Alive! Don’t Drink & Drive!

Avoid These Holiday Parking Lot Hazards

The holiday season can be a hectic time of year — you’re moving faster, your kids are moving faster, holiday signs and symbols vie for your attention everywhere and your head spins with the to-do lists. The top priority on your to-do list is probably buying presents for all of your family and friends, which means a trip to the local mall. Whether you’re at the Galleria Mall, the Sawgrass Mills Mall or the Boca Town Center Mall, the driving gets tricky as you compete for spaces with everyone else in South Florida.

It’s not just the malls that precipitate careful maneuvering. Parking lots at hotels, restaurants, nightclubs, and even vacation rentals offer their own challenges, from inadequate maintenance to defective property conditions. Negligent security claims during the holidays are also on the increase; you may slip and fall at a restaurant in Fort Lauderdale or find yourself injured at a Fort Lauderdale Hotel during all of the hustle and bustle.

So the last thing you need to deal with is a busy parking lot. Well, get out your laptop and make room on your couch, because cars are coming in to store lots by the dozens between now and the season’s end, and unless you stay indoors until New Year’s Eve you will need to drive around these potential hazards as carefully as possible.

Sometimes spaces aren’t striped correctly or someone has edged over into the next spot as they’ve parked their vehicle. Or a shopping cart is taking up half the space and you didn’t see it until you were halfway in and there’s another car behind you.
The list of what could go wrong goes on and on.

To save you physically from these holiday hazards — which, no doubt, can also save you mentally — here are some tips for staying safe during the holiday shopping season, whether you’re parking your car or wading through lines of moving vehicles as you head into your favorite stores:

• Don’t get distracted by your children, friends or cell phone. When you’re walking on the main thoroughfare to get from your spot to the store’s entrance, pay extra attention all around you.
• Don’t walk in between cars where thieves can hide. Get your keys in your hands before leaving the building (or whenever you exit your vehicle). Remember to hold tightly to your shopping bags, keep your wallet or purse in front of you and held tightly.
• Don’t park near bus stops or high traffic areas

The key is to avoid mishaps or injuries at the Galleria Mall, the Sawgrass Mills or Boca Town Center Mall or any hotel or restaurant that you visit during the holidays. Enjoy the season — and stay safe while you do it.

If you are injured at Saw Grass Mills or any other mall during the Holidays – be sure to contact a Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney in order to ensure your injuries don’t get the best of you. A Fort Lauderdale personal injury attorney from the Florida Injury Law Group can advise you of your rights and help you get the money you need to resolve your injuries and get your life back to normal after the holidays.

National Bike Month: Ride to Stay Fit and Productive

Bicycles are a passion with children and a very healthy mode of transportation for adults.

In my childhood days, I remember pestering my parents to buy me a bike as soon as I knew what a bike was. I took the bike and started riding on the wrong side of the road without a helmet and sustained minor injuries. For a month, going near the bike was taboo and I kept looking at it with a sense of longing.

If bicycles were the only mode of transportation, there would be very minor accidents where people would escape with a few bumps and bruises. Most minor injuries can be avoided if cyclists wear helmets and adhere to all traffic rules.

National Bike Month

Although more than half of the U.S. population lives within five miles of their workplace, lack of knowledge and incentive has deterred many from commuting by bike. Hundreds of U.S. cities have been successful in increasing bicycle commuters by offering enticements on Bike to Work Day. Since 1956, May has been recognized as National Bike Month. The third week in May is designated Bike to Work Week and the third Friday of May is Bike to Work Day.

Here are a few compelling reasons to ride you bike more:

• Help the Environment: The bicycle is the vehicle of the future. It has a competitive edge in urban transit: it’s efficient, it’s economical, it’s healthy, it’s ecological and it’s fashionable and fun! Often overlooked and underrated, the bicycle is the simplest and most pleasurable way to get healthier while saving our environment and reconnecting with our community in a positive way.
• Improve Your Health: Over 66% of the U.S. adult population is overweight and 32% of us are obese, costing our nation $68 billion in health care and personal costs annually. Statistics on the lack of physical activity among children are also alarming. Most children are driven to school in cars or buses and one child out of every four is overweight.
• Save Money: Bicycle commuting saves on parking fees, parking tickets, fuel costs, auto maintenance costs and transit fares. In some large urban areas, it is possible to save over $200 per month on parking alone. A new bicycle and cycling gear pays for itself in a few months. Cyclists can meet all of their transportation needs with a combination of bicycling, transit and an occasional cab or rented car — all much cheaper than owning a car. Since the biggest costs of automobile ownership are paid up front (insurance and car payments), some people can free up about 25 percent of their income by getting rid of their car or their second car.

Important Safety Reminders

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines, all bicyclists should wear properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride. A helmet is the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash.

Bicyclists are considered vehicle operators and are required to obey the same rules of the road as other vehicle operators, including obeying traffic signs, signals and lane markings. When cycling in the street, cyclists must ride in the same direction as traffic.

Drivers of motor vehicles need to share the road with bicyclists. Be courteous — allow at least three feet clearance when passing a bicyclist on the road, look for cyclists before opening a car door or pulling out from a parking space, and yield to cyclists at intersections and as directed by signs and signals. Be especially watchful for cyclists when making turns, either left or right.

Bicyclists should increase their visibility to drivers by wearing fluorescent or brightly colored clothing during the day, dawn, and dusk. To be noticed when riding at night, use a front light and a red reflector or flashing rear light, and use retro-reflective tape or markings on equipment or clothing.

Florida Among Top 3 States for Bicycle Fatalities

Florida is rated third in bicycle deaths, according to 2008 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Riding without a helmet or riding under the influence of alcohol are the primary reasons for bicycle fatalities. Alcohol involvement — either for the driver or the pedalcyclist — was reported in more than one-third (37%) of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedalcyclist fatalities in 2008.

Aftermath of Bicycle Accidents

In collisions involving a bicycle and motor vehicles or a fixed object, bicyclist injuries are more likely to be permanent, catastrophic or fatal. Traumatic head injury and spinal cord injuries occur at a higher rate, and broken bones and road rash can be severe, disabling injuries. Since Florida is a comparative negligence state — if you are partially at fault, you can still collect damages, but the award is reduced by the percentage of your comparative fault. For example if you are 15 percent at fault, you would only receive 85 percent of the damages determined by a jury.

Contact a Fort Lauderdale bicycle accident lawyer or your insurance agent to discuss your insurance policy’s protection in the event of a serious crash.