Why Do Repeat Offender Drivers Get to Keep Their Licenses and Increase the Risk of Causing a Tampa Car Accident?

Because of recent horrific car accidents Tampa that have resulted in deaths, there has been more focus than ever on whether Tampa is too lenient on bad drivers who are repeat offenders of the rules of the road. Because our newspapers only run stories of people injured or killed by repeat offenders in Tampa, you should realize that this is a state wide problem. Throughout the state of Florida, motorists routinely keep their licenses by attending traffic school. Unfortunately, studies show that attending traffic school is largely ineffective in getting repeat offenders to pay attention to the rules of the road.

You may be aware that there is a limit to how many times you can attend driving school, this is true. But if the court rules that you should attend driving school, that doesn't count toward your lifetime limit. As a result, a savvy driver can attend driving school many times past the limit set by the State. A Tampa car accident attorney will tell you that these are the drivers most likely to cause auto accidents in the future.

So what's the answer? Well, research suggests that education in not going to help reduce crashes and injuries cause by Tampa car accidents. In a 2004 study, it was found that license suspension and revocation were the most effective ways to reduce violations and also reduce car crashes.

Remember, that a motorist loses their license or has it suspended only if they accrue a certain number of points on their license. To get points, a Tampa driver must admit guilt or be found guilty of a moving violation. No points are assessed against the driver if adjudication is withheld. Although there were more than two million non-criminal moving violations in 2009 according to the data, nearly two-thirds of the moving violation tickets didn't result in a conviction. In 30 percent of the cases, the defendant admitted to guilt. In 6 percent, the court ruled the defendant guilty. It's even worse in Pinellas and Hillsborough where only 2 percent of the drivers were found guilty in traffic court.

Unless the laws are changed in Florida, there's not much that can be done to keep bad drivers off the road. In order to reduce your risk of being in a Tampa car accident attorneys will tell you that you need to stay alert. If you see someone weaving, slow down and don't try to pass them. That can be dangerous and actually cause a Tampa car accident. You might pull to the side of the road, get off at the next exit and alert the police to the problem. If we do these things, Tampa injury accident lawyers believe you will significantly reduce your risks.

To contact Dale Appell, an auto accident lawyer in Tampa serving all surrounding cities such as Clearwater, St Petersburg, and Sarasota, please call or e-mail our law firm today.