50,000 Florida crashes in 2016 involved distracted driving

A total of 50,000 crashes last year in Florida were blamed on distracted driving, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

That equals about five crashes an hour.

FLORIDA NEWS: ‘We are coming for you. Run': Florida sheriff, flanked by masked deputies, warns heroin dealers

“This is what I see a lot in cars, whether they're driving, whether they're stopped, everywhere,” said driver Amy Hines.

Hines said she sees distracted drivers all too often, and almost got into a crash on Monday because someone in another car was texting.

“I was stopped at the light and she stopped maybe this far from me,” Hines said.

DHSMV said texting is one of the most dangerous distractions, but officials said there are others, like putting on makeup, tending to children in the back seat, eating, turning on the radio or checking GPS.

NATIONAL NEWS: Defendant in Ohio triple slaying dies in jump from court balcony

DHSMV said drivers ages 20-24 were responsible for the largest number of distracted driving crashes in 2016, followed by those ages 25-29.

Hines, who has a daughter in that age range, said she believes that work and social demands play a part in distracted driving.

Cox Media Group