Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
Recently, a Miami police officer, Fausto Lopez, was issued a traffic citation by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper, Donna Jane Watts. The ticket was issued because Lopez was allegedly traveling along a Florida Highway at roughly 120 miles per hour, according to the Huff Post. Law enforcement is now taking sides in the case, as Lopez says that he was just late for work while the highway patrol says Lopez lead the trooper on a brief high-speed chase.
Many officers, including Watts, say that no one is above the law. Others are standing behind Lopez. Some are saying that Watts used excessive force in the incident after allegedly pulling a gun to get the speeding officer to pull over. Officers continue to worry about the influence of speed in many car accidents around Hollywood and elsewhere throughout Florida and feel that no one should be able to endanger innocent drivers like that.
This is the third entry of a six-part blog in which we are asking Florida residents to take the New Year to pledge to be a safer driver. New Year’s resolutions oftentimes consist of losing weight or trying to quit smoking, but we’re asking you to make a resolution to help keep everyone safe. We would like you to make a New Year’s resolution to abide by Florida’s speed limit. These limits are posted to help keep motorists safe on our roadways.
Our Hollywood car accident lawyers understand that speeding is a significant contributor to the outcome of traffic crashes. The faster a vehicle is traveling at the time of impact, the higher the risks are for injury. The amount of speeding tickets in the state has dropped recently after we were ranked as one of the top states for speedy drivers in the U.S.
In 2007, nearly 25,000 drivers in Florida got their driver’s license suspended because they accumulated too many points. Many of these points were from speeding.
Traffic Violation Points Assessed:
-Non-Moving violations: 0.
-Moving violations (this means non-speeding and non-accident): 3.
-Speeding (less than 15 mph over the speed limit): 3.
-Speeding (traveling faster than 15 mph over the speed limit): 4.
-Passing a stopped school bus: 4.
-Moving violation (not speeding) in which an accident occurs: 4.
-Unlawful speed that results in an accident: 6.
-Reckless driving (considered a criminal offense): 4.
-Leaving scene of an accident with property damage: 6.
-Littering: 3.
-Violation of child restraint laws: 3.
If you get 12 points on your license in 12 months, you may be ordered to serve 30 days in jail. If you get 18 points in 18 months then you can get three months in jail. If you get 24 points on your driver’s license in 36 months then you can get one year in jail. Drivers who are ages 15- to 17-years-old who get six points on their driver’s license can be restricted to a business purposes only driver’s license for a year or until they turn 18.
Drivers are asked to be cautious of posted speed limits and of road laws in the state. Breaking the law and driving irresponsibly can land you with traffic tickets, fees, fines, jail time or worse — a fatal car accident. Make this year’s New Year’s resolution to be a safe driver!
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident with a speeding driver in Hollywood or elsewhere in South Florida, contact a personal injury lawyer at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC. Call 1-800-561-7777 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney today.
More Blog Entries:
Wife Sues FDOT after Construction Zone Car Accident in Florida, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, December 5, 2011
New App Alerting Parents of Their Teen’s Driving Habits Including Car Accidents in Martin County and Elsewhere, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, December 2, 2011