Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City & Inverness, Florida Accident Attorney and Alachua County DUI Lawyer Blogs

Alcohol Related Traffic Fatalities ARE Preventable!

Clearly, alcohol influences driving of every person regardless of age. While everyone seems to be aware about the dangers of drunk driving, not much is done to prevent an alcohol-related accident. People still rush to the "open bar" events. Peer pressure to drink is still the main reason why teenagers and young people drink. Drinking contests are still the main event of many parties. Remembering that driving under influence may forever change one's life and the lives of many others is sometimes easily forgotten.  How many times have you let friends drive home from a bar because they told you they were "ok" to drive? Imagine now one of those friends getting into a crash with dire consequences that same night... It WILL also change your life.

Be responsible yourself, but do not forget about not letting others drink and drive. Pace the drinks. If you are hosting a party, stop serving alcohol well before the end of the party. Make sure that others are not consuming alcohol on an empty stomach. Respect your friends' choice not to drink. And take away the keys from those who shouldn't drive. They will thank you the next day.

Remember, every injury and death caused by drunk driving IS preventable.

For more information, please see:

Alcohol is the leading cause of traffic fatalities 

Drinking and Driving do not Mix well!

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/departments/nrd-30/ncsa/STSI/12_FL/2007/12_FL_2007.htm

 http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/duilaws.html

SEO: drunk driving, DUI, alcohol-related deaths, BAC, DUI fatalities, DUI deaths.

Tort Reform do you know what it is about? (Part 1 on Tort Reform)

Have you ever seen a person take a position on a subject, yet know nothing about the subject? Have you heard people say that they are for tort reform? What does that mean? When I hear people say they are for tort reform, my first question to them is... "What is a tort?" Almost without exception the person who is for tort reform doesn't know what a tort is. They have heard the term in the news so many times that they think it must be something to be for. A little like... "being tough on crime." Everybody is against crime but most people know what they mean when they use the word "crime."

 A tort is defined as a "civil wrong." A good example would be a where an 18 wheeler truck driver, fails to pay attention and crashes his tractor trailer and injures someone. What rights does the injured person have? Well, if it were up to the trucking company the injured person would have very few if any rights. But what if the injured person were you or a member of your family. What rights should you have then?

So how does tort reform fit in this trucking accident scenario?  Persons advocating tort reform would limit the rights that injured persons have to make the trucking company accountable for you or your family member's injuries. But, why? Why should the trucking company not be held responsible for their actions? Why should they be held to a different standard than any of the rest of us?

For part 2 in this series on Tort Reform, written by experienced Ocala medical malpractice lawyer, Steve Rothenburg please see, Why give up your health care rights?

Who Is Behind Tort Reform? Part 3 on Tort Reform