3 Most Common Causes of Florida Car Accidents

There have been 200,000 car accidents in Florida this year, and the year’s just over halfway through. The definition of crashes used by the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Department includes any incident that causes injury or property damage. This means that a certain amount of these accidents are minor and resolved without much trouble.

Severity aside, every accident has a cause, which raises an interesting question. What causes most car accidents in Florida? Several factors contribute to car accidents. 

We’ll discuss some of the most common causes here. We’ll also discuss what you should do if you get into an accident. Read on to learn more. 

1. Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in the United States. The usual culprit in distracted driving incidents is cell phone use. It causes nine deaths per day on average in the United States.

Florida’s laws regarding cell phone use while driving have been tightened in the past few years. Previously, police were not able to pull drivers over for cellphone use. Another traffic offense was required for them to act.

Cellphone use while driving is illegal, and legislation passed in 2019 allows Florida police to pull you over for it. Previously, police could issue citations for texting while driving, but they couldn’t pull you over for it. 

2. Speeding

Any car accident lawyer will tell you that speeding is one of the primary reasons for car accidents. Collisions cause more damage at high speeds, too. This has to do with Newton’s Third Law of Motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. 

When a car crashes, it’s hit with the same level of force it was exerting. Thus, a crash at a slow speed causes a smaller pushback than one at a high speed.

3. Disobeying Traffic Signals

Many car accidents in Florida occur because of basic traffic violations. We all run red lights or roll past STOP signs every once in a while, often by accident. Unfortunately, little accidents like this have caused a lot of damage over the years.

What to Do Next

Let’s say that you have been in a car accident. You’ll need to know what your next steps should be. The first step is to make sure that any immediate medical and legal concerns have been resolved. After getting medical help and informing the police, you need to contact your insurance company and find car accident attorneys.

Try to maintain as many records as you can. Get copies of x-rays, take photos of the accident, exchange information with the other driver, and talk to anybody else who saw the accident.

Causes of Car Accidents in Florida

There are a few hundred-thousand car accidents in Florida in any given year, but many of those accidents have the same few causes. We’ve discussed a few of the most common causes of accidents in this article, but there’s always more to learn.

You can read more about injuries, car accidents, and other legal issues by reading our blog. If you’re in need of a good car accident attorney, we encourage you to contact us at Calil Law.