Drivers with Invalid Licenses Causing Auto Accidents in Florida
Florida Today, published in Brevard County, reports that traffic deaths are on the rise there and drivers with invalid licenses are part of the problem.
There were 65 auto crashes that killed 68 people in Brevard County in 2010, up from 54 the previous year. One of those accidents was caused by a 28-year old Palm Bay driver who did not have a valid license when he struck a motorcycle and killed the wife, who was the passenger, and badly injured the driver-husband. The motorist had been arrested just five days earlier for driving with a suspended license, but those charges had to be dropped because the court found there was no probable cause to pull him over. The Palm Bay man reportedly had five suspensions on his license.
The publication reports that you can blame the increase in suspended license driving on a 2008 law that prevents many habitual traffic offenders from going to prison. Habitual traffic offenders who have at least four major traffic convictions cannot be charged with a felony simply because they have not paid their fines. The move was designed to keep people out of overcrowded prisons.
Brevard County Fatal Accidents
The number of fatalities from other accidents appears to be on the increase in Brevard County. In 2010, Florida Today also finds that there were 15 motorcyclists fatalities, up from a dozen the year before. The average age of those killed was 43. The four-lane highway north of State Road 528 had the highest number of fatal accidents. And 51% of traffic fatalities involved a drunken driver, while 40% is more typical throughout the rest of Florida.
A suspended driver’s license was commonly found in the 65 fatal accidents.
With a vast legal network, the auto accident attorneys of Farah & Farah can help determine if a driver with a suspended license contributed to your accident and was at fault. If so, that driver may be responsible for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. Call our offices in Jacksonville and around Florida and South Georgia at 1-800-533-3555 so we can get started on your case.
