Florida traffic deaths increase, are you prepared for a crash?

Young families in Florida are constantly on the go. Parents load up the children into the car and rush them to the activities included on their busy schedules from tutoring to soccer to dance. Most young parents will strap their children safely into their seats and drive carefully, knowing that the precious children are in the back seat.

Although young families take care, most don't want to think that they could be involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. While parents don't want to think that an accident could happen to them, serious motor vehicle collisions occur on Florida roads every day. In fact, traffic fatalities in South Florida measurably increased in 2012.

According to Florida Highway Patrol officers, the number of fatal accidents in the state increased in 2012. In some counties there was a significant increase such as the 17 percent increase experienced in Palm Beach County and the 11 percent increase in Broward County. In fact, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data shows that there was an overall 7.1 percent increase across the entire United States.

Reasons for the increase range from changes in individual driving habits due to distracted driving to an increase in the overall mileage traveled per day. Others say that the increase is simply unexplainable. For our readers, the important part is to be prepared.

We never want an accident to happen and we certainly hope one never does, but that doesn't mean that young families shouldn't prepare for an accident that could change their lives. How would you pay for your medical care? Who would you want to make medical decisions for you when you can't? What do you want those decisions to be? Who would take care of your children if you didn't survive? These are all questions that an estate planning attorney helps young families answer before an accident occurs so that family members don't have to deal with them at a difficult time.

Source: WPTV, "Palm Beach County traffic death statistics: South Florida traffic deaths jump in 2012," Angel Streeter, Jan. 7, 2013

Our Florida website provides information about estate planning for newlyweds and young families with children who want to prepare for any unexpected event.