Driving can be a risky proposition and the number of deaths and injuries will surprise you. Drive defensively to protect yourself, your family and others on the road. Be safe. Don't be a statistic.
There were 243,342 car accidents in Florida during 2008, the equivalent of 665 every day.
From those accidents, 2,983 people died and another 199,658 were injured. That’s more than the number of residents of Martin County.
Drivers 15 to 19 years old had the highest rate of crashes in 2008.
Drivers 20 to 24 years old had the highest rate of fatal crashes that year.
What’s the most common time of day for a crash? Friday at 5 p.m. What time of day is that crash most commonly fatal? Saturday at 2 a.m.
Of children ages 0 to 17, 68 percent of those killed in accidents in 2008 did not use safety equipment.
Drivers 88 years of age had the highest rate of involvement in all crashes and the highest rate of involvement in fatal crashes during that year.
While the number of car crashes that resulted in only property damage fell statewide between 2007 and 2008, the number increased to 638 from 606 in Martin County and 991 from 965 in St. Lucie County.
The number of alcohol-related crashes that resulted in injuries increased in St. Lucie County to 172 in 2008 from 139 in 2007; Martin County followed the state trend and fell to 120 from 135.
Alcohol was involved in 11 percent of all car crashes in Stuart, 12 percent in Port St. Lucie and 10 percent in Fort Pierce.
In St. Lucie County, 6 out of every 1,000 residents was involved in a car crash in 2008.
Source: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
