411: Driving Too Slowly on Florida’s Highways

As experienced personal injury attorneys, the lawyers at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg have dealt with virtually all types of personal injury cases. The majority of our cases, however, stem from car accidents, in which an individual is injured due to the negligence of another driver. In the United States, and in Florida especially, one of the prime causes of negligent auto accidents is what is commonly referred to as “road rage,” when one driver becomes agitated by the driving of another and, as a result, causes an accident due to anger-spurred, reckless driving.

It is well known that overly aggressive driving leads to reckless operation of a motor vehicle and an increased likelihood of car crashes. Additionally, as our personal injury attorneys know, slow drivers occupying the fast lane (the passing lane on the far left) on our highways often leads drivers stuck behind the slow drivers to become enraged. The left lane is designated for faster drivers attempting to pass the other drivers on the highway in other lanes, and when a slow driver going below the speed limit blocks the passing lane, traffic slows and people get annoyed.

Perhaps due to the national media frenzy surrounding the George Zimmerman trial during the summer of 2013, a move by Florida’s state legislature during that same time to make it a violation of state driving regulations to travel more than 10 miles per hour below the posted speed limit in the passing lane went largely unnoticed. That’s right; individuals who are found to be driving more than 10 miles per hour below the speed limit in the fast/passing lane can be cited with a moving violation and can thus face both fines and dreaded points on their driver’s licenses, which can cause insurance rates to spike.

When the bill was signed into law this past summer, law enforcement officials from around the state lauded the move as one that will prevent auto accidents. The argument is that if the “slowpoke” drivers are aware of the new law, they will stay out of the passing lane, allowing for more fluid travel on the left-most lane on state highways; this will result in less road rage, less reckless driving, fewer auto accidents and fewer car crash-related injuries.

It is our hope that with this new law, passed last year around the same time that the law against texting while driving was passed, will do a great deal in minimizing the avoidable injuries and loss of life that occur on Florida’s highways due to auto accidents.

If you or someone you know has been injured due to the negligence or recklessness of another driver on a Florida highway, street or road, contact the dedicated personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg; we will put our combined decades of experience to work representing you and fighting for your rights. For a free consultation, call us at 561-266-9191 or email us at daronberg@build.simple.biz

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