Fort Lauderdale Hopes To Enact New Safety Measures
The city of Fort Lauderdale is home to many attractions including scenic beaches, boating canals, art galleries, and many other sites. Unfortunately, Fort Lauderdale is also ranks second in fatal pedestrian accidents per capita in the U.S. As a result, Fort Lauderdale hopes to enact new safety measures to curb pedestrian and auto fatalities.
The statistics on fatal auto accidents in Fort Lauderdale are alarming. In 2012, there were 29 fatal accidents, 19 of which included pedestrians. In 2013, there were 22 deaths, 12 of which included pedestrians. During that time, Fort Lauderdale averaged 5.86 fatal accidents per 100,000 residents. The city is second in the nation in pedestrian deaths and fifth overall in terms of fatal car accidents.
According to data, most fatal accidents occur in a downtown corridor between I-95 and Federal Highway 1 and from East Oakland Park Boulevard south to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. With so many fatalities over a two year period, the city needed to take action.
To stem the tide of unnecessary and preventable deaths, Fort Lauderdale eyes an ambitious new safety program aimed at completely overhauling how the city and residents think about safety. Vision Zero, a Swedish safety movement, hopes to completely eliminate auto, bicycle, and pedestrian deaths by changing everything from road design to road rage.
Fort Lauderdale’s Vision Zero plan relies on on five “E’s”: engineering, evaluation, education, encouragement and enforcement. The multi-pronged approach carries many noble endeavors to make our streets safer. Some programs include studying bicycle traffic to create better bike lanes, educating pedestrians about traveling safely throughout the city, and redesigning city roads to encourage safer driving habits.
Ft. Lauderdale auto accident lawyers
As a firm committed to public interests like safety, the Pendas Law Firm applauds Fort Lauderdale’s initiative to make our community safer. Sadly, the reality is that even the best laid plans may not be able to prevent accidents from happening. In situations where a pedestrian is hurt by the negligence of someone else, it may be necessary to seek justice through the courts.
Pedestrian accidents often involve fast moving objects like cars and city buses, resulting in catastrophic injuries. Even crashes with bicycles are possibly fatal. Accident victims may suffer from debilitating and potentially long-term injuries.
Lost wages, hospital bills, and rehabilitation costs can quickly add up after an accident. While the law gives injured victims the right to recover for these and other damages, wrongdoers are not always forthcoming with compensation or willing to admit fault in an accident.
The lawyers at The Pendas Law Firm have years of experience prosecuting personal injury claims in pedestrian and auto accidents. Our lawyers know the area well and can help determine if someone else is liable for your accident. For a legal consultation about your case, contact The Pendas Law Firm. Our seasoned and dedicated lawyers serve clients in the Tampa, Orlando, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach areas.
