It comes as no surprise to anyone who lives, or at least drives, in Miami-Dade County that this is home to some of the worst drivers in the state, and possibly the country. When looking at data regarding traffic accidents in South Florida, the disparity between counties is astounding. Between 2005 and 2009, 155,798 traffic accidents resulting in injuries occurred in Miami-Dade versus 67,462 in Palm Beach County. This is a whopping 43%! Fatal accidents numbered 1,524 in Miami-Dade – nearly 23% higher than the fatalities in Palm Beach.

Anytime you are driving in Miami-Dade, it is easy to spot the reasons for so many of these accidents. One such issue is that being in South Florida, many of our residents don’t speak or read English. Confusion for the driver ensues as they don’t understand road signs, miss their exits, and attempt to maneuver around traffic to make up for errors they may have made. Another major issue in causing traffic accidents is debris. Whether in the roadway or falling out of the back of a vehicle, swerving to avoid hitting objects often results in an accident much worse than if the driver had initially hit the object.

Then there are people who see nothing wrong with strolling down the roadway. Even though it is illegal to walk along interstates, many people do so as they are often to most direct route from point A to point B. Many people doing so are also holding out hope that someone will give them a ride, which is also illegal. They seem to have little regard that cars are whizzing past them at speeds in excess of 60 mph. They are oblivious to the fact that in the four-year period that I mentioned previously, over 7,000 pedestrians suffered injuries by cars.

Finally, the State of Florida doesn’t require vehicle inspections anymore. There was a time when you could get a traffic ticket for not having your car inspected for safety issues. This means that no matter how crappy your car is, you can drive it on our highways with impunity.

All of these issues are problematic and can be annoying, but nothing is as bad as the actual drivers in Miami-Dade. Here are a few facts about driving in South Florida:

• AREA CODE 305 IS #1 IN THE COUNTRY IN CAR FATALITIES AND ROAD RAGE.

Miami also is notorious for drivers receiving the largest number of traffic tickets.

• HIALEAH IS NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY FOR HITTING PEDESTRIANS WITH THEIR CARS.

If you are walking around Hialeah, be on your guard as the odds of you getting hit by a car are 70% greater than anywhere else in the U.S.

• IN 2012, MIAMI DADE WAS NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY FOR HIT AND RUNS.

In an average day in Miami-Dade, 35 people – that’s THIRTY-FIVE – get hit by cars that left the scene. If a pedestrian is hurt by the person leaving the scene, the driver has committed a felony.

• FLORIDA WAS THE 44TH STATE TO MAKE TEXTING AND DRIVING A TRAFFIC VIOLATION.

Only recently did it become illegal to text while driving in the State of Florida. Although it is now illegal, it is a secondary offense. This means that a police officer can’t pull you over for texting; he has to pull you over for another traffic offense, such as running a red light. If you do get a ticket for texting and driving, the fine is only $30 and no points are assessed against your license. Even with all of the data compiled in the last few years regarding the dangers of texting and driving, it seemed to have taken a while for Florida to jump on the no-texting-while-driving band wagon, and the punishment for texting and driving is so ineffective that it is virtually useless.

There are some traffic laws that have a valid purpose, but many times traffic citations are used just to generate money for the local government. There also quotas that cops feel compelled to meet, and sometimes cops are just being jerks and looking for someone to bully.  If you have received a traffic citation, let the Traffic Ticket Team handle it for you. The cost of hiring us is much less costly than paying a traffic citation and dealing with the points that come along with it. Ninety-nine percent of our clients do not get points or have to go to driving school. Give us a call or visit us www.trafficticketteam.com for your free consultation.