State representative Kevin Ambler's driving record has become a source of contention in his hard-fought primary battle. Already embroiled in an appeal of a 2004 truck accident lawsuit he filed, on August 14, Ambler was involved in a car accident that injured another driver and brought him a traffic citation.

Ambler is chairman of the House Public Safety & Domestic Security Policy Committee. The son of a police officer, Ambler has sponsored a number of laws intended to promote public safety, including the student-authored bill that banned smoking in a car where a child is a passenger, as well as legislation to increase pay for state troopers.

However, Ambler has received 10 speeding tickets in the past decade.

"The fact is, I'm on the road a lot, traveling long distances," Ambler told the St. Petersburg Times. "I'm not proud of the fact that I have a citation here and there. I don't think it's an exceptional amount. And it shows I'm treated just like everybody else on the road."

Ambler has vowed to fight the citation he received Saturday, saying that the other driver was at least as responsible for the crash as he was. He was making a left-hand turn onto Cheval Boulevard from North Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz, a suburb of St. Petersburg. He didn't see the other driver, 71-year-old Janet-Lee Thomas Troupe, and the cars collided as he made the turn.

"I had an open right lane," Ambler said. "Then she came barreling down."

The car accident occurred around noon on August 14, as Ambler was driving a loaner Mercedes SUV home after dropping his daughter's car off at a repair shop. Troupe was driving a Toyota 4Runner.

"I was not on the cell phone, I was not texting," he said. According to his account, he was about three-quarters of the way through the intersection when Troupe's car appeared. Troupe's 4Runner struck the rear end of Ambler's vehicle, causing his to spin -- and throwing Troupe's truck into the air.

Troupe was taken to a local hospital for her injuries, which included a broken foot that will require surgery.

Ambler believes he didn't see Troupe because she was behind a car in the left lane, and then passed it on the right.

The Florida Highway Patrol disputes Ambler's account on a number of points and cited him as being at fault in the car accident. Ambler was issued a ticket for making an improper left turn. Troupe was not cited.

Ambler Still Involved in Litigation Over 2004 Truck Accident

Ambler was also involved in a truck accident in 2004 for which he was cited. In that Citrus County accident, he crashed into the back of a semitrailer truck that had slowed down to make a left turn. The accident occurred before dawn, and Ambler has claimed that the semi-truck had no working lights or reflective strips. He subsequently sued the trucking company.

"He rear-ended our truck and sued us," said the attorney for the trucking company. "It's kind of ridiculous." The case is currently on appeal.

Ambler also challenged the traffic ticket he received in that case, and he was found not guilty.

Related Resource:

"Ambler says he will fight citation in crash that left other driver injured" (St. Petersburg Times, August 17, 2010)