Car Accident in Winter Park

The Orange County suburb of Winter Park is home to some 30,000 people who enjoy the city’s open parks, affluent neighborhoods, expansive golf courses and bustling shop district on Park Avenue. There is also Rollins College, a small liberal arts school located near Lake Virginia. Leaders have dubbed Winter Park the “City of Culture and Heritage” since its founding in 1882.

Once upon a time, this was a resort community for successful businessmen in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The city has hosted numerous presidential visits, from Grover Cleveland to Barack Obama. For decades, the Langford Resort and Hotel was a prime attraction for movie stars and politicians, including Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and Ronald Reagan. After it was demolished in 1999, a portion of the parcel was redeveloped into the quaint Alfond Inn, which is owned and operated by Rollins College.

The Winter Park car accident lawyers of Freeman Injury Law understand that as the city has evolved, so too have the traffic patterns and roadway safety priorities. The city’s regularly updated transportation plans have historically prioritized motor vehicle travel, though that has been changing in recent years.

For example, the city launched a Pedestrian & Bicycle Advisory Board, and its latest Pedestrian and Bicycle Circulation Plan spells out ways to balance motor vehicle traffic with complete streets designs that make each road safe for pedestrians and bicyclists too. In particular, city officials are working to make sure:

• Students have a safe means of walking and biking to and from school;

• Every arterial and collector-level street will have sidewalks on both sides of the street, while every local street will have a sidewalk on at least one side of the street;

• There is a better bicycle circulation system that connects with those in other cities to make bicycling a viable alternative travel mode.

These efforts should help to alleviate some of the traffic woes in Winter Park as its population continues to grow. Still, car accidents remain a serious problem here.

Winter Park Car Accident Statistics

According to the Winter Park Police Department, as reported to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, car accidents in Winter Park have increased by nearly 200 percent just from 2011 to 2015.

In 2011, police officials reported 270 total crashes, with 146 of those resulting in injury (189 injuries total) and three resulting in fatalities. There were also 121 accidents with property damage. Further, there were 4 pedestrian accidents (one of those fatal) and three bicycle accidents.

Fast-forward to 2015. That year, there were 787 total motor vehicle accidents, with 339 resulting in injury (467 injuries total). One person was killed. There were 447 car accidents that resulted in property damage, plus 28 pedestrian accidents and 22 bicycle accidents with cars – one of those fatal.

Winter Park Crash Solutions

This ongoing problem has fueled efforts by the police department and city officials to step up traffic enforcement and develop traffic calming measures. The city also uses red light traffic cameras to try to slash instances of red light running.

City leaders a few years ago mapped out a series of nearly two dozen proposed transportation projects that included things like:

• Rebuilding traffic signals at Lakemont Palmer;

• Adding Minnesota Avenue Bike Facilities;

• Reconstruct the intersection at New York Fairbank;

• Add a traffic signal at Temple Drive and Palmer Avenue intersection;

• Reconstruct Lakemont Avenue geometry and include bicycle lanes;

• Rebuild traffic signals at Glenridge and Lakemont Whitehall to include additional crosswalks;

• Implement a “wayfinding plan” throughout the city that will help direct guests and visitors to places of interest in the city with clear, informative signs help lower traffic congestion caused by motorists looking for these destinations.

Traffic engineers in the report noted that drivers tend to be creatures of habit, which is created through comfort. That means one of the best ways to reduce traffic problems is to create discomfort. This could be through physical discomfort, financial discomfort or psychological discomfort. Some of the ways this can be achieved:

• Speed humps
• Traffic circles
• Center islands
• Speed trailer/ display
• Traffic citations from law enforcement

If you have been injured in a Winter Park car accident, our successful team of experienced accident lawyers can help.

Freeman Injury Law – (800) 561-7777 -- Someone on YOUR Side

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