Police report: Jacksonville father arrested on DUI charge was driving with his children.

A 41-year-old Jacksonville man was charged with driving drunk with his three young children, ages 5, 6, and 9 in the car with him, the Florida Times -Union reports. He was also charged with hit-and-run after the children informed their mother that their father had “hit a car at Target,” according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s office.

Police spotted Oscar Adolfo Gomez driving his Toyota erratically on Collins Road at Ortega Bluff Parkway shortly before 9 PM on Friday. When they pulled him over, they observed that Gomez’s speech was slurred and he emitted a strong odor of alcohol, the sheriff’s report states. The three children were in the passenger side and rear seats of the car.

Dispatchers matched the car to a reported hit-and-run accident where the Toyota had allegedly rear-ended another car. This was confirmed when the victim of the hit-and-run was taken to the scene and identified the car as the one that hit her on San Jose Boulevard then drove off over the Buckman Bridge.

Gomez was charged with DUI while accompanied by a minor, DUI causing damage, leaving the scene of an accident, and careless driving. The children were released to their mother.

Gomez told police he had three beers and had taken codeine. He has a history of traffic violations.

Being under the influence is one of the common causes of a driver leaving the scene of an accident.

Information about Florida’s tough DUI laws can be found at http://jimdodsonlaw.com/2011/09/07/florida-dui-laws/

We are all aware car accidents are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens. Yet research suggests the number of teen driver car accidents are largely preventable with adequate preparation. Florida State Senator Thad Altman, Melbourne, is on the right track. He is proposing a bill for this legislation session. The sole purpose is to strengthen the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL.) GDL in Florida puts us on the right path, but by adding some improvements – we can make teens safer on the road.

Here’s a brief run-down of suggested enhancements to GDL:

• Improve Teen passenger restrictions
• Restrict the use of cell phones for talking & texting
• Requirement to take and pass an advanced driver’s ed course (incl. classroom and behind the wheel education)

Teen driver safety – let’s each do our part to ensure young drivers are ready for the challenges of the road.

The folks at Safe Kids USA, along with the General Motors Foundation, has launched a timely new campaign to keep teens safe behind the wheel – and it’s very appropriately called, “Countdown2Drive.”

This national education program is designed to equip teens, ages 13 to 14,  and parents with safe passenger and driving knowledge before the teen is ready to drive legally. The goal -  to help teens learn how to protect themselves in vehicles as they become more independent.

Some Grim Facts about Teens and Cars:  (NHTSA)

• More than 350,000 teens were injured in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. 
• Teenagers are four times more likely to be involved in a car accident as compared to all other drivers.
•  At age 13 and 14, a teen’s risk of dying while riding with a teenage driver is double what it was when they were younger, and it continues to rise each year. 

Countdown2drive gives parents the opportunity to reinforce safety habits that can protect your teen when they ride with other drivers. It’s  these same behaviors that will help keep them safe when they are given the keys to the car, too.

Please check it out.      Thanks, Safe Kids USA!

Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer, your resource for legal, safety and accident prevention information on the web.

Statistics on teens and distracted driving is a topic we often cover on our Clearwater Car Accident lawyer website to raise public awareness. It is the hope of our personal injury law firm that by posting local crash reports as well as information about safety and injury prevention information, we can reduce the number of serious injuries suffered in a car crash.

Here’s another teen driver study, this one by the University of Texas at Austin. They looked at the relationship between time of day, number of passengers, kind of vehicle and seriousness of  injuries in teen car crashes. Some of  the data you might find surprising!

• Teen age drinking and driving is the deadliest combination.
• Driving a pickup puts teens at a far greater risk of injury than driving a car. (A more powerful engine appears to lead to more aggressive driving.)
• Driving with one young passenger is riskier than driving alone or with two teens in a vehicle.
• Drivers are more aggressive during morning rush hour.
• 16 and 17 year old drivers are more likely to drive aggressively than young people age  18-20 years.

Jim  Dodson and our Clearwater Car Accident Law Firm reminds you to wear white today to White Out Teen Crashes, in support of National Teen Driver Safety Week.

If you find yourself in the awful position of needing helpful  information after your child has suffered a serious injury, request a complimentary copy of my book, “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries” here.

 National Teen Driver Safety Week is observed Oct. 17-23. It’s a week, that nationwide, we raise awareness and educate parents and teens about staying safe behind the wheel. Fatal car crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for teens age 15-20. No one wants to see teens with their whole life ahead of them die, particularly when the cause of death is preventable.

 The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is encouraging all Floridians to participate in a statewide White Out as part of the week’s activities. You can show your support by wearing a white shirt on Oct. 19, 2010, to help white out teen crashes.

 Florida Traffic Crash Statistics 2009 Reports:

• 772,910 teens are licensed to drive in the Sunshine State.
• 29,485 crashes involved teens last year.
• 153 teens died.
• 19,292 teens were injured in car wrecks.

 As a Clearwater Car Accident Lawyer and strong advocate for child injury prevention, I remind you take time with your teen driver during National Teen Driver Safety Week to check and review safe driving habits. Don’t assume because your teen has taken a driver’s education course that they are driving safely.

 To keep teens safe in the driver and passenger seat, visit these websites:

 www.TakeTheWheel.net, an interactive website by teens for teens

www.teendriverssource.org

www.edmunds.com , How to Crash Proof Your Teen

www.flhsmv.gov/teens/booklets/FLDriversGuide_09.pdf, a booklet to educate teens and parents about the importance of parental involvement in teaching teens to drive

 Myth Number Four

 Myth: I have a 4 year old son and he weighs 33 lbs. I recently switched him to a booster because he is now 4. He still fits into his forward facing 5 point harness car seat, but I switched him anyway.

 Fact: In this case, the child is 33 pounds and has not outgrown his harness in the car seat even though he is 4 years old. He can and should continue using his existing 5 point harness car seat until it is outgrown. His harness may cover him until he weighs 40, 60 or even 80 pounds, depending upon the limits for his specific car seat. Parents should always check their child’s harnessed car seat to learn what the upper limits are for that particular seat. Do not rush to remove a child from the harnessed car seat into the booster seat just because he turns 4. The harness and car seat shell afford a child much more protection as long as it is not outgrown.
Signs that a child has outgrown his forward facing harness car seat include: Surpassing the height or weight requirement for the seat, the ears have reached the top of the seat, and/or the child’s shoulders are above the top harness slots. When a parent notices any of these things, it is necessary to obtain a new, properly fitting seat.

 Myth Number Five

 Myth: My daughter is 10 years old and some of her friends are still in boosters, and others are not. I’m overwhelmed by this entire car seat situation and there is no one formally trained to take a quick look at how she fits in the booster and help me figure out what is best for her safety.

 Fact: You’re in luck. There are over 34,000 certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians throughout the country who can help. These qualified individuals can assess your individual situation – whether you have an infant or an older child – and help guide you. It’s always best to bring your child and the car seat/booster when you see the technician to evaluate the fit and decide what steps to take. Remember to also bring your car seat instruction book and the vehicle owner’s manual to the inspection. (courtesy of Safe Kids)

As a personal injury lawyer, I know that child safety seats when used properly, are the most effective tools available to prevent death and child injury in a car crash.  Get involved in Child Passenger Safety Week and prevent child injury by making sure your child is properly restrained in an appropriate safety or booster seat.

Check below for more helpful information about child safety seats and online websites to visit this week:

www.AAA.com/SafeSeats4Kids

www.HealthyChildren.org

www.SeatCheck.org

Clearwater Child Injury Lawyer, your child safety advocate and author of “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries.” Available at No Cost to parents of a child injured in a Florida accident. Law Office of James W. Dodson  @1-888-340-0840   – Working to make safety every child’s reality.

Child Passenger Safety Week is observed every year nationwide. This year we observe it Sept. 19-25. The event sponsored by the “Safe Kids”  organization  is a time to remind parents and caregivers to keep children properly restrained in a car seat that meets their height and weight requirements – every time and everyday.

There still remains a lot of confusion particularly concerning booster seats. How do you know when your child needs one?  When can they ride without one? Booster seats when used appropriately greatly reduce the risk of  serious injury to a child  in a car accident.

 ”Boost” your knowledge about booster seats with the following info from Safe Kids:

Myth Number One

Myth: My child just turned 8 years old and I told him it was okay to not use a booster anymore. He is around 4 feet 3 inches.

Fact: Although this child is 8 years old, he is not tall enough to be out of a booster. A child needs to remain in a booster seat until a seat belt fits properly without the assistance of a booster, which is around 4 feet 9 inches. The purpose of a booster is to help position/raise a child so that the seat belt fits appropriately. If a backless booster comes with a separate shoulder belt positioning strap, use it to help with the proper adjustment of the shoulder belt. High back boosters have a factory installed positioning guide built onto the side of the booster to adjust up or down based on your child’s height. Be sure to use it for proper fit.

To determine whether your child is big enough to no longer use a booster, be sure you have him/her take The Safety Belt Fit Test . If he/she doesn’t pass all the steps, it’s not a big deal. Just be sure they continue using a booster with the seat belt, and retest in a couple months.

Myth Number Two

Myth: Boosters are not necessary for traveling short distances.

Fact: If a child meets the requirements to use a booster, then he/she needs to be in a booster at all times while driving in a car, even if you’re going around the corner to drop your child off at school or a friend’s house, or to pick up groceries at the local store.

Myth Number Three

Myth: Sometimes when I’m driving a lot of kids around (for example carpooling to a birthday party), I don’t have enough boosters for everyone. Since this only happens occasionally I don’t see it as a problem.

Fact: If a child needs a booster at any time, then he/she needs a booster ALL the time. If you don’t have enough boosters, never hesitate to borrow one from the families you are carpooling with. In fact, if all the children in the carpool cannot be properly restrained, then they shouldn’t be in the car.

Tune in tomorrow for Myths Number 4 and 5 and additional child safety seat information on our law firm’s Florida Child Injury Law blog.

 The American Automobile Association conducted a survey and found  76% of parents said safety is their main concern when buying a child safety seat but  the  majority of parents polled didn’t know the specifics in regard to placement, age and height recommendations. In a recent study of 3500 car safety and booster seat installations,  72%  of the safety seats were secured in a way that it could be expected a child would suffer injuries if  in a crash.

With all this in mind, here are some safe practices concerning child seat safety and a website to check the locations of child safety seat inspection stations in this area.

 Safety Checklist

•  Parents should ensure that children up to eight years old or four feet, nine inches tall should sit in a safety seat or booster.
•  All children 12 and younger should ride in the back seat of a vehicle.
•  The safest position for a single car seat is the center of the rear seat.

Florida law regarding safety requirements  for child car and booster seats  is more fully discussed in Chapter 1 of my free consumer guide, “When Kids Suffer Big Injuries: A Parent’s Guide to Child Injury in Florida”  available  on our Florida Child Injury Lawyer website.

Attorney James W. Dodson, working to make safety every child’s reality.

The ad headline, with an eye-catching  graphic read: “Why do most 16-year-olds drive like their missing part of their brain?  Because they are.” 

A teenager’s brain is not fully developed until their 20’s. The dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex, the “missing part of the brain,” plays a major role in teenager’s decision-making and the understanding of consequences. That is why as parents of teen drivers, anxiety and a lot of prayer go along with seeing our young drivers pull out of the driveway; and a sigh of relief and thankfulness when they are home safely!

 Allstate reminds us  teen drivers, yes, even bright, seemingly mature teens sometimes do things the insurance people label as “stupid.”  But  they say- it’s not really their fault!

The company supports  the Standup Act, or the Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2009.

 The law creates a National Graduated Driver Licensing law that would provide teens with  on-the-road experience gradually, while helping them avoid risky conditions.

 States that have implemented GDL programs  have seen the number of fatal crashes among 16-year-old drivers fall by almost 40%.

Florida instituted it’s GDL program on July 1, 1996. 

Florida Child Injury Lawyer Jim Dodson, working to make safety, every child’s reality.

 Florida is joined by only 2 states, Arizona and South Dakota as not requiring booster seats for children under the age of 7 years old.   It’s been reported that the National Transportation Safety Board has criticized all three states for its lax legislation regarding the matter. Florida lawmakers have resisted however.

 Our current state law requires child restraint devices through age 5.  Exceptions are made to children 4 and 5 who can wear a seat belt instead of a specialized restraint. 

 A child who is properly restrained in a booster seat is less likely to be injured in a car accident. Children who are not properly restrained are at risk of being thrown from the car or inside the car and may seriously injure themselves or other passengers in the car.  Booster seats allow children to sit higher, so car seat belts fit them better and  protect them from head and abdominal injuries. 

 A bill sponsored by Rep. Rich Glorioso (R-Plant City) and Rep. Richard Steinberg (D-Miami Beach) would require booster seats for children ages 4 to 7. Sen. Thad Altman (R-Melbourne) is offering his support to this responsible measure in the Senate.

 The Dodson Law Firm offers its support for responsible legislation leading to increased safety for the children of Florida. 

For information concerning car seat safety inspection stations visit our Florida Child Injury Lawyer website, working to make safety a reality for every child.