Magazine Profile on South Seas Island Resort's Harbourmaster

BLOG: Goldberg, Racila, D’Alessandro & Noone

TITLE: “SAFE DRIVING”

Tourist Season Brings More Traffic Safety Hazards

You don’t have to be a long-time resident of Southwest Florida to see that the onset of the winter tourist season means a dramatic increase in the number of drivers on our area roadways. From November through April, vacationers who are visiting Florida for a short stay mingle with the seasonal “snow birds” who spend the winter season here, and all of them are traveling the same roads as our full time, local residents. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Florida is the number one vacation destinations for Americans, and number two on the list of foreigner travelers.

While we may be simply going about our daily commute to work or to pick up the kids from school, vacationers often are sharing our roadways without a specific destination – just “seeing the sights”. If they are heading for a specific stretch of sandy beach or for a round of golf at one our many area courses, there is a good chance they did not invest a great deal of time in planning their route, which can result in distractions while behind the wheel, and dangerous interactions with other motorists.

Those visiting Southwest Florida from a foreign country can sometimes present a completely unique hazard. Unfamiliarity with Florida’s traffic and safety laws, the potential for a language barrier resulting in the inability to understand road signs and difficulty reading local road maps can all add up to a serious accident. While it is true that the local tourist season does result in a welcomed financial boost in our local economy, the fact is that the number of serious car and motorcycle crashes increases dramatically during our peak visitor season.

“Traffic crashes and fatalities increase exponentially with the influx of seasonal visitors on the road in season”, says attorney Scot D. Goldberg, founding partner of the Goldberg, Racila, D’Alessandro & Noone law firm in Fort Myers. “When you have people who may be unfamiliar with the area driving rental cars with which they also may not be as comfortable with as their own cars, this can be a recipe for a life-altering collision.”

According the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, (DHSMV), March is the month in which the most traffic crashes occur in the state. Not coincidentally, March is also considered to be the peak of the annual winter tourist season. Adding to the increased dangers are the Holiday and Spring Break seasons. Some may believe that New Year’s weekend represents the highest number of traffic accidents, but it is actually the Thanksgiving Holiday during which the most crashes happen – there were 52 statewide in 2008. Spring Break presents another potentially dangerous driving situation, when thousands of college-aged visitors arrive here to bask in the sun and party with their friends. While it would be unfair to categorize all of the Spring Break visitors as more likely to drink and drive, the numbers indicate that drivers in the 20 to 24 year-old age group who had been drinking were involved in the highest number of crashes than were other age groups, according to the DMVHS.

The attorneys of Goldberg, Racila, D’Alessandro & Noone remind you to exercise extra caution while driving during the busy tourist season. If you or someone you love has been injured as a result of a car, truck or motorcycle crash, our team of experienced trial attorneys are ready help put your life back together, and to help you attain the financial compensation you deserve. To learn more, contact us at 239-461-5908, or visit our website at www.goldberg-law.com.