Miami Personal Injury Lawyer, Auto Accident Lawyers, Serious Injury Attorneys

It usually takes some time for a state to compile traffic statistics, and the Florida car accident statistics for 2009 are now available.  The comparison of Florida car accidents between 2009 and 2008 appears to reveal a mostly positive trend in regards to a downturn of several types of crashes, but one set of statistics stood out – Florida drug-related car accidents and injuries are on the rise.

There could be any number of reasons for this rise in Florida drug-related car accidents, but it appears to be moving in the opposite direction in terms of a trend when compared to Florida alcohol-related car accidents, which fell by almost 10 percent from 2008 to 2009.  Of course, Florida drunk driving public safety campaigns continued to saturate the airwaves during the past year, while Florida drug-related crashes got little notice.

2009 Florida Drug-Related Car Accident Statistics

Specifically, the number of Florida drug-related car accidents rose in 2009 to 1,283 after the state recorded 1,161 in 2008.  In terms of the number of injuries these car accidents caused, that number rose by almost 20 percent, to 977 in 2009, which was up from 819 in 2008.  However, the number of fatalities from these crashes fell to 113 in 2009, which was down from 136 in 2008, a drop of almost 17 percent.

Florida Car Accident Lawyers

What does this mean?  Initially, those who have been harmed by a driver who has ingested any sort of intoxicant should understand that many times, the mere fact that the other driver was under the influence of a substance would equate to negligence, with the negligence being displayed merely by getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.  There is no difference in this analysis between someone who drinks and drives and someone who consumes some other controlled substance or even prescription medication and then gets behind the wheel and causes an accident.

What this should also tell anyone who drives in Florida is that risks are encountered every time such a step is taken.  If you or someone you love has been harmed by a driver who was under the influence of an intoxicant, you need to seek the help of Florida car accident lawyers who have been holding negligent drivers accountable for their actions for many years.  Contact Bernstein & Maryanoff today at 800-429-4529 to schedule a free initial consultation.