With the ownership or operation of a motor vehicle comes great responsibility. There are precautions and rules that everyone behind the wheel should acknowledge and follow, in order for all of us to remain as safe as possible on public roadways.

Rules of the road are the most obvious safety precautions. The way you drive and the habits you adopt, both good or bad, affect everyone using the roadway. Bad habits simply are an accident waiting to happen:

• Failing to maintain control over your vehicle at all times;
• Jack-rabbit starts from lights;
• Weaving in and out of traffic;
• Tailgating;
• Speeding;
• Rolling stops;
• Impaired driving.

All of these are poor driving habits, but there are also conditions ripe for an accident, which simply go unnoticed by drivers:

• Check your tires regularly for wear and inflation — under or over inflated tires will fail to hold the roadway;
• Check your brakes — failing brakes or problem brakes may cause you to be unable to avoid a collision;
• Check your windshield wipers — smeared windows, especially combined with direct sun or headlights, can obscure your ability to see the roadway;
• Check your brake lights — people driving behind you must know when you are stopping;
• Check your turn signals and use them;
• Check engine belts — the loss of power steering or overheating at high speeds could cause disastrous problems with control over the vehicle.

Advanced preparation for the unknown is also critical in auto safety. Consider keeping the following items with you in your car in the event of an emergency situation:

• Driver’s license
• Insurance verification card
• Most current car registration
• Note paper
• Pen or pencil
• Reflectors
• First aid kit
• Screwdriver
• Small hammer
• Pliers
• Jumper cables
• DC tire compressor or tire pump
• Cell phone
• Telephone numbers (car service assistance, police, highway patrol, etc.)

Safety for your passengers is your responsibility as well. Everyone in the car should be seat belted in and children should have the proper booster seat or infant carrier. Talking on the cell phone and texting must be limited to when you are parked safely and not driving. Remember, driving is a big responsibility — you hold in your hands your life, the lives of your passengers and the lives of others on the roadway.

So think before you get behind the wheel and use a few simple safety measures to make sure your driving experience is a fun and safe one for everyone in your vehicle and on the road.

Visit our Vehicle Accident Checklist website for information about being ready for the unfortunate event of an accident.

The government estimates that 2,978 people died in motor vehicle crashes in Florida in 2008. Crashes involving drunk drivers account for 875 of the 2,978 deaths. The good news is that NHTSA reported that the alcohol impaired driving fatality rate declined in 40 states. The bad news is that Florida is one of only 10 states where the alcohol fatality rate either stayed the same or increased. From 2007 to 2008, the alcohol impaired driving fatality rate declined nationally from 0.43 to 0.40 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. However, Florida’s alcohol impaired driving fatality rate is higher than the national average. From 2007 to 2008, it remained unchanged at 0.44 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles travelled. Floridians should strive to reduce the alcohol impaired driving fatality rate; to do nothing will be fatal.

Floridians who want to help reduce the number of drunk driving fatalities should consider donating or volunteering with a local chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Toyota Motor Company has announced the recall of more than 2 million vehicles because of concerns over sudden acceleration problems caused when the accelerator pedal sticks in eight different models. Toyota models which are part of the recall are: 2009-2010 Toyota Rav4, Corolla and Matrix; 2005-2010 Avalon; 2007-2010 Camry; 2010 Highlander; 2007-2010 Tundra and 2008-2010 Sequoia.

In a remarkable move, never before undertaken by an automobile manufacturer, Toyota has also announced that they have asked their dealers to stop selling the affected models until the issues are resolved and are also suspending production in five North American production facilities beginning on Monday, February 1, 2010 to “fix the problem” and will not sell cars currently in production until the problem is resolved, which could take weeks.

“Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company,” said Toyota USA group vice president Bob Carter. “This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized.”

No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions, nor are any other models in the Toyota line. Certain select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, which will still be sold during this shut down.

The sticking accelerator pedal recall is separate from the on-going recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or out of place accessory floor mats. Approximately 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles are subject to both separate recall actions.

Toyota owners or leases of the affected vehicles should contact their local dealer for more information or Toyota customer service 1-800-331-4331.

The American public is not warned about aging tires; that old tires can be dangerous; or that “brand new” tires on the store shelves may be 2, 3, or 6 years old when they are sold and put on our car.

A recent article posted by a colleague at Injury Board, Mike Bryant, provides some very useful links to an older 20/20 report that I have to confess I had completely forgotten about.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In Florida, apparently the heat fosters more than just mosquitoes, humidity and hurricanes. Down here in Florida, the heat also causes tires to wear at a higher rate; something that tire manufacturers have known for some time.

If the higher ambient temperatures subject tires to a higher failure rate, the age of the tire also figures importantly into the failures. Again, something tire manufacturers have known and have apparently been waiting patiently for years to be regulated about, well, by someone.

When you buy a “brand new” tire from a retailer you expect, well, a “brand new” tire. You may not get what you expect. Apparently tires can sit on shelves for 2, 3, 6 or more years before being sold. All that time, the tires are being exposed to the air, drying the rubber out and aging while they sit there on the shelf. They still look brand new; they still have great tread depth; and they still smell new; but they have been degrading the whole time.

So, how can you tell the age of your tires? Not easy with many tire manufacturers. The special coding used on many tires can only be found by crawling under the car and looking at the inside of the tire. The codes will give you tire size, location of manufacture, and the date of manufacture. The date is the important part.

Everyone should pay close attention to tire health and age, but clearly, based on studies by the National Highway Safety Administration, people in states where the ambient temperatures remain warm to hot all year should pay special attention:

• When you purchase tires ask the retailer to show you the date of manufacture.
• Do not purchase tires, which are already 3 to 6 years old.
• Check tire pressure often.
• Maintain manufacturer recommended levels of tire pressure.
• Return to the tire dealer anytime you have repeated loss of pressure in tires.
• Avoid petroleum based tire “cleaners”.
• Inspect your tires, both the exterior and interior, for wear or damage.
• If you hit something while motoring down the road, inspect your tires at your next opportunity to verify any damage.

That is a reasonable picture of the descriptions given by drivers of various Toyota vehicles. Toyota recalled vehicles and blamed floor mats for sudden acceleration of the vehicles, which resulted in crashes. Although floor mats may be an easy…and cheap…fix, that does not seem to be the problem. There are reports coming in of vehicles suddenly accelerating with floor mats different from the mats Toyota claims is the culprit.

For its part, Toyota apparently continues to maintain that no problem exists with any Toyota vehicle in which the proper floor mats are installed. They say the wrong floor mats may be in as many as 3.8 million vehicles.

Toyota owners and drivers should beware of this defect. In the case of any sudden acceleration, drivers should:

• Check your owner’s manual now to determine if you must lightly depress the brake  in order to shift the car to neutral
• Shift the car to neutral
• Apply the brakes evenly
• Bring the vehicle to a stop
• Shut off the ignition
• Do not shut off the ignition until after you have come to a complete stop because you will lose power steering control and other functions allowing you to control the vehicle.

Despite all of the recent and focused media attention devoted to making us all aware of the potential risks to younger people contracting the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, the Center for Disease Control also reminds us that this is not the greatest threat facing today’s teenagers.

Statistics are a good place to start, since they give us a picture of what’s happening. I have included a few sobering facts below from NHTSA, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers.

• In 2001, 5,341 teens were killed in passenger vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes. Two thirds of those killed were not buckled up.
• When driver fatality rates are calculated on the basis of estimated annual travel, teen drivers (16 to 19 years old) have a fatality rate that is about four times higher than the fatality rate among drivers 25 through 69 years old.
• In 2001, 3,608 drivers 15 to 20 years old were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and an additional 337,000 were injured.
• Young drivers (16-20) were involved in 7,598 fatal crashes in 2001.
• In the last decade, over 68,000 teens have died in car crashes.
  
• Sixty-five percent of teen passenger deaths occur when another teenager is driving.
• In 2001, 26% of fatally injured teen drivers (16-20 years old) had high blood alcohol concentrations (0.08 percent or more), even though all were under the minimum legal drinking age and are not legally permitted to purchase alcohol.
• Two out of three teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes are males.

The media coverage of the expected flu outbreak continually reminds us of the precautionary measures that can be taken to minimize exposure to the risk of contracting the disease.  Being aware the risks that we also encounter everyday on our highways and city streets, and being reminded that there are specific steps to be taken can also help to prevent or minimize the exposure to the terrible tragedies that the above statistics illustrate.

Greater risk exposure: Teens often drive at night with other teens in the vehicle, factors that increase crash risk.

Teen drivers are different from other drivers, and their crash experience is different. Compared to other drivers, a higher proportion of teenagers are responsible for their fatal crashes because of their own driving errors:

• A larger percentage of fatal crashes involving teenage drivers are single-vehicle crashes compared to those involving other drivers. In this type of fatal crash, the vehicle usually leaves the road and overturns or hits a roadside object such as a tree or a pole.
• In general, a smaller percentage of teens wear their seat belts compared to other drivers.
• A larger proportion of teen fatal crashes involve speeding, or going too fast for road conditions, compared to other drivers.
• More teen fatal crashes occur when passengers, usually other teenagers ­are in the car than do crashes involving other drivers. Two out of three teens who suffer fatal injuries, are passengers in vehicles driven by other teenagers.

To assist parents and younger drivers be aware of  the greater risk of injuries AAA has come out with a brochure to help parents choose a qualified driving school. The brochure, called, “Choosing a Driving School…A Guide for Beginning Drivers,” can be ordered for free by contacting your local AAA club or clicking on the link above.

Do we need to do a study that texting while driving is a bad idea? I would hope that it is not an enormous leap in logic that texting and driving, likewise, do not mix.

If we need studies, though, to reach those conclusions, I am all for it if that provides us with some laws that discourage those among us who cannot make the above mentioned leap of logic.

To drive home my point, last Wednesday, David Mercer, a Rhode Island resident, was driving his car, while happily texting along. Possibly, just possibly, the act of driving together with the act of texting caused him to run directly into a parked police car. Apparently an Idaho man did the exact same thing last year. In Mr. Mercer’s case it is fortunate that no one was in the police car and no one was injured; except perhaps Mr. Mercer’s pride.

Labs at Berkley University concluded (6) years ago that the following actions while driving might cause you to rear end a police car:

• Adjusting the radio, cassette or CD player
• Other occupants in the vehicle
• Moving objects in the vehicle
• Using/dialing a wireless Cell phone
• Eating and drinking while driving
• Personal grooming
• Adjusting the vehicle’s temperature controls
• Smoking while driving
• Outside distractions, including:
• Accidents
• Vehicles stopped by police
• Friends in other vehicles
• Roadside advertising
• New construction (shops, restaurants, etc.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

So, after considering Mr. Mercer’s less than stellar judgment and reading the publications wondering about whether a study is needed, I think I can say the following:

To the lady I was following during rush hour this morning down I-95:

Miss, you are a very attractive young woman and I think that applying makeup at 65 mph is really unnecessary from two perspectives. First, my glances in the rear view mirror lead me to the conclusion you are one of those women who really do not need makeup. Second, I was exceedingly stressed out about the several times I thought you were going to choose between dropping your makeup or slamming your brakes on before you installed your VW Bug under my SUV.

Besides, it would have been a shame if you had slid your bagel off the dash or spilled the coffee in your other hand. Oh, yeah, please go hands free with your phone, too.

It is our hope that the Deputy in the patrol car was not badly injured. It is not enough that these brave public servants must dodge bullets in the course of their duties, but they now must also be vigilante for deadly drunk drivers; even right around breakfast.

The drunk driving problem is a significant and costy problem; both in terms of lost life and injured victims. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) reports that:

• someone is killed by a drunk driver every 45 minutes
• In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes
• in 2007, there were 13,041 drunk driving related fatalities
• Over 1.46 million drivers were arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. This is an arrest rate of 1 for every 139 licensed drivers in the United States
• Alcohol-related crashes in the United States cost the public an estimated $114.3 billion
• In 2007, 31.6 percent of the 41,059 traffic fatalities occurred in crashes in which at least one driver or nonoccupant had a BAC of 0.08 g/dl or greater
• A first time drunk driving offender on average has driven drunk 87 times prior to being arrested

MADD has several recommendations worthy of consideration for eliminating drunk driving, including mandatory ignition interlocks, increased law enforcement, advanced vehicle technology and continued public support.

Our best wishes go to the Palm Beach County Deputy and our hopes that he was uninjured in this unnecessary accident.

Most drivers do not realize the risks of driving while fatigued and have poor knowledge about the speed of onset of fatigue.  They may feel tired but think they can keep going in order to reach their intended destination without stopping.  What warning signs should we watch for to identify dangerously fatigued drivers?

• daydreaming while on the road
• driving over the center line
• excessive yawning
• feeling impatient
• feeling stiff
• heavy eyes
• reacting slowly

When a driver feels tired the reaction is often to drink coffee, open a car window, turn on the radio and take other steps to try and restore alertness. The problem with these solutions is that fatigue also impairs the driver’s cognitive functions and taking steps to keep awake while driving is a bad idea that can lead to a serious accident.

In order to avoid injury to the your passengers, and other drivers, pull over and stop driving when you feel the signs of fatigue overtaking you. If possible, have another occupant in the vehicle drive.  If no one is with you, call someone or pull off the roadway in a safe location and rest.

It has been shown that driver fatigue occurs in two distinct ways – as a state prior to getting into the car (prior sleep deprivation) and as a state immediately prior to falling asleep at the wheel.  Both are significant because chronically fatigued and/or sleepy drivers make bad decisions, much like a driver impaired by alcohol. A badly fatigued driver can be expected to have discounted all earlier signs of fatigue, including obvious impairments to continue driving.

Ways you can avoid fatigue include:

• Avoid alcohol–this simply adds to fatigue and is illegal;
• Avoid large meals just before driving;
• Avoid medications that might increase drowsiness;
• Establish a realistic driving plan and stick to it;
• Share the driving whenever possible and limit driving to no more than (2) hours at a time;
• Take a break from driving every (2) hours;
• Stay well hydrated–dehydration worsens fatigue;
• Get plenty of sleep–the average person needs six to none hours every night.

All drivers need to be aware that driving while fatigued is as dangerous as driving while under the influence.  We all need to be mindful that many lives are lost each year because someone got behind the wheel of a vehicle that was too tired to safely drive it.

Take the fatigued driver quiz.

What are “big dogs” and what are “pups”? For example, State Farm Mutual is a “big dog” and State Farm Florida is its “pup”; Allstate is a “big dog” and Allstate Floridian is its “pup”; you get the idea.

When I first moved to Florida 25 years ago, I heard the saying about folks down here not caring how “you do it up north” and, frankly, I mostly agree with that notion. In the case of insurance companies maintaining “pretend” insurance companies just for Florida business, we might take a lesson from our northern brethren. “Pup” carriers are simply a way for insurance companies to enhance profits and create basis for regularly asking for rate increases from Floridians.

But we have big, bad hurricanes here, right? So, State Farm’s exposure in Florida is probably more, right? Well, let’s look at it. The whole gulf coast, the whole southeastern coast and California are all exposed to hurricanes on a regular basis. I mean poor South Carolinians have largely been taking the brunt of most of our hurricanes of late. The Midwest records tornadoes like we record rainfall. The north has freezing roads that sometimes results in hundreds of vehicles in a single accident. Nearly every portion of the country is exposed to one exceptional disaster or another.

If the whole country has its share of disaster, how does each insurance company handle it? It is called the law of large numbers. If 100,000 cars are insured, the probability that more than 10,200 (or less than 9,800) will be stolen is only about 1%. This is an example of the operation of the ‘law of large numbers’. In other words, the more cars insured, the more accurately can be predicted the percentage of cars likely to be stolen. It is this aspect of probability theory that enables the insurer to cope with variations in the pattern of actual losses. Underwriters and actuaries may also consider various measures of dispersion; that is the difference between the actual losses and average losses, when setting premiums or assessing liabilities.

Now, magnify those numbers by millions of risks; both commercial and residential risks. Add to that the various other lines of insurance written by the “big dogs” and that, in a nutshell, is the law of large numbers. So, the more risks an insurance company insures, the better, right? Well, yes, that is the basis for the law of large numbers. That is not, however, the basis for the “pups”.

Pups are there so that the “big dogs” (think State Farm Mutual, Allstate, etc) can cook the books. The “big dogs” create a very limited microcosm to which they apply the law of large numbers (think Florida) and they base their rate increases on the experience in the microcosm rather than applying the math against the experience for the “big dog” in the whole country. So, even though the “big dog” may be rolling in profits nationally, the pup can be made to look underfed and a rate increase is requested based solely on the experience in the microcosm (again, think Florida).

What to do? Read—educate yourself! Read Randy Schultz’s editorial in Sunday’s Palm Beach Post. Read the St. Petersburg Times article about Judge Manby denying State Farm’s puppies’ request for a rate increase.

Write! Write to Governor Chiles (currently busy running for senator); write to Secretary of Finance, Alex Sink; write to your legislators.

Shout! Complain at the top of your lungs. If you are a Floridian you have every right to be mad. Some of the most powerful, wealthy companies in the country have been and continue to be permitted to victimize you.