millerboycott.com

At this time of year, there are more teens on the road as summer starts and classes end. Unfortunately, statistics suggest that teen drivers are also more at risk at this time of year when driving — especially if they are driving distracted. According to a yearly survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 58% of high school seniors and 43% of high school juniors admitted to emailing or texting within the past month.

While Florida does not have any laws banning the use of mobile devices on the roads, there is a great deal of awareness about the dangers of distracted driving. Anecdotally, many drivers are aware that distracted driving causes Hialeah car accidents and serious injury. Statistics and studies have also proven that distracted driving can lead to serious car collisions.

According to the CDC, distracted driving causes about 16% of teen car accident fatalities.
Summer may compound the problem. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), summer is deadliest time of year for younger drivers under the age of 20. In addition, car accidents are the leading cause of teen fatalities, according to the organization. Each year, more than 5000 teens are killed in car collisions across the country. In the summer months, the number of teen fatalities in car accidents jumps to 422 deaths monthly, up from 363 deaths, on average, during the rest of the year.

During the summer, there are dual concerns for parents hoping to protect their teens from a Hialeah traffic accident. One factor is that the summer months are already a riskier time for teen drivers because teen drivers are spending more time on the road. Another factor is that teens are more likely than some other age groups to use mobile devices or drive distracted, pushing their risk of being in a Hialeah truck accident or car accident even higher.

The stakes may be even higher, as well. A serious at-fault accident during the teenage years could affect a teen driver’s driving privileges, driving records, and insurance rates for years. A serious car crash can also lead to criminal charges and even a criminal record against a teen – a record that could affect their life for years to come. The trauma of causing a serious accident and injuries or fatalities can also stay with a teen for years to come. Of course, if a teen driver drives distracted and is injured, the Hialeah head injuries, spinal cord injuries, and other serious injuries can affect income potential and life quality permanently.

In addition, teen drivers are still forming driving habits, so it is important to instill the habit of distraction-free driving in younger drivers. Parents of teen drivers can start by having honest discussions with their teens about the dangers of distracted driving. There are many good resources available online and from local police departments about the dangers of distracted driving. Parents can use these resources when helping their teens understand the dangers. A few discussions can help drivers understand the dangers and can help prevent Hialeah motorcycle accidents and car accidents.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog

The right to fight for your country, to enlist, serve, and potentially die, is an oft-cited justification for an 18 year-old drinking age. “If you are old enough to die for your country,” so the maxim goes, “then you are old enough to sit down and buy a beer.” It’s a powerful argument, and a common one at that. But it is only a part of something far greater that is often over-looked when used to rationalize an 18 year-old drinking age argument. There is great injustice in the fact that you can die for a country against your will (to be drafted) that doesn’t grant you with the fullest privileges of adulthood. But in some way I think it means more that you can voluntarily join the military and risk your life, yet still be denied a mug of beer.

It’s about justice. For better or worse, the United States has determined that at age 18 you become an adult. By the widest of definitions, this means that you are now legally responsible for your actions. You can buy and smoke cigarettes even though you know that, with time, they’ll probably give you lung cancer. You may even purchase property, strike binding legal contracts, or go into debt. But most importantly (for the sake of this argument), is the fact that, at 18, you can vote and hold office. 18 is the age of majority, the age at which one finally becomes part of the ruling faction, the democracy’s people. Sure, you can die for your country and not be allowed to buy a beer, and that is a travesty, but it is the over-arching disenfranchisement of responsibility for those who are in all respects legally responsible that is abhorrent.

Critics are quick to point out that 18 is not an Age of Majority, but one age amongst many that together mark the gradual path to adulthood. This argument notes that young adults cannot drink until 21, rent cars until 25, run for the U.S. Senate until they are 30, and run for President until 35. This is evidence of a graduated adulthood. But this argument is simply not sound. First and foremost, rental car companies are not legally kept from renting cars to those under 25, it is a decision made by insurance companies. In fact, some rental companies do rent to those under 25, and higher rates compensate for the potential liability. In short, 25 is not an age of increased adultness.

Neither is 30. Article II Section 3 of the US Constitution mandates that: “No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years.” But strangely enough this clause has not preemptively kept individuals from running for Senate. Indeed, the man who John F. Kennedy called one of the 5 best senators in the history of the Republic, Henry Clay, was first elected to the Senate at age 28. While no one has yet to challenge the legitimacy of the Presidential Age Requirement, it is clear that the Constitutional age requirements are something quite different than graduated adulthood markers. As the lone mentions of age in all of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the are requirements are more appropriately seen as exceptions to full adulthood, rather than benchmarks of adulthood.

So as it stands now when you turn 18 you are legal to engage in all things other adults do except drink alcohol and run for President. It’s bizarre but accurate. Somewhere along the line, our society failed to remember that individuals, by becoming an adult, become responsible for their actions. Whether you are 18, 19, 20, 38, 39, or 40, you are an adult, and when you drink and drive, just as when you smoke in public areas or ignore traffic laws, you are responsible . By maintaining a drinking age different than 18, our society sends a signal that drinking and driving (the original target of the 21 MLDA) is worse in consequence for young adults than it is for older adults. This opens up a Pandora’s box when it comes to expanding the logic against real and perceived public health threats. Targeting groups by age beyond some measure of adulthood validates the fears raised in the Federalist Papers that a democratic system of government offers too little protection for the rights of minority factions against the will of the masses. Above and beyond its deleterious consequences, the 21 year-old drinking age threatens the integrity of egalitarianism in an otherwise representative democracy. 18 year-old drinking age is an act of justice.

Choose Responsibility Blog

While Miami car accidents are one of the leading causes of fatalities for children and teens in the city, parents need to worry about much more than just Miami traffic accidents. Miami children and minors are subject to many car-related injuries, although the good news is that many of these injuries are preventable:

1) Hyperthermia / Heatstroke. While children in Miami rarely need to worry about hyperthermia, heatstroke is a serious concern for children left in the unforgiving Miami heat in a car. Even leaving a child alone in a car for a few minutes can be dangerous, as on a hot day the temperature in a vehicle can quickly reach dangerous levels. The obvious solution is to never leave a child unattended in a car. However, with parents more busy than ever before, it is also important to routinely check the back seat of a car before walking away. Unfortunately, there have been a number of tragic cases where a parent has simply forgotten a child in the back seat of a car.

2) Backovers. Small children sometimes play in driveways or near cars, and smaller children may not be visible to drivers who are backing up. Each year, tragedy strikes when children in this situation are hit and killed or seriously injured. In many cases, it is a parent or family member who injures the child, further adding to the pain and suffering of the family. Today, there are devices which can be installed in most cars which show the driver exactly what is behind the vehicle so that these types of Miami pedestrian accidents do not take place. In many cases, these devices are less than two hundred dollars and can help save a life.

3) Power Windows. Children who play with power windows can easily get their hands or other body parts stuck in the window, causing broken bones and other injuries. Newer models of cars have child-safety locks and windows to keep children in the back seat safe.

4) Seat Belt Entanglement. In the event of a Miami truck accident or car accident, a seat belt can save your life – if you are an adult. Unfortunately, for children, seat belts can be very dangerous. They can wrap around a child’s body and cause injuries. They can also cut into a child’s neck and head, causing injuries. For these reasons, it is important to put children in age-appropriate child restraints.

5) Vehicle Rollaway. Rollaway usually occur when a child accidentally disengages a parking break, causing the car to roll. This is another important reason to never leave children unattended in a car. Keeping children in the backseat of the car can also ensure that they cannot touch anything on the dashboard that can affect the car itself.

6) Trunk Entrapment. Trunk entrapment occurs when children climb into a trunk – often while playing – and become stuck. If children are not found in time, they can suffocate or suffer hypothermia or heat stroke. Most newer cars have trunk release levers in the trunk. These can usually be installed on older models. To prevent truck entrapment, it is also important to lock the trunk of your vehicle when the vehicle is not in use.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog