JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office often shares “Duval Traffic Truth” on its social media profiles. One of the truths: “In Jacksonville, you are more likely to die in a traffic crash than be murdered.”
In another post, the sheriff’s office said there were 205 traffic deaths in 2020 in Jacksonville. Of those crashes, 59 of them had a victim that was not wearing a seat belt.
On Feb. 8, police stressed the importance of the Move Over law after three of its officers were taken to the hospital after being injured in crashes. “All three incidents could have been prevented had drivers paid attention to their surroundings,” JSO said.
Action News Jax also took a look into the number of deadly crashes involving a bicyclist or a pedestrian in Jacksonville over a three-year period -- 2018, 2019 and 2020.
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According to JSO records, in the past three years, 26 fatal crashes involved a bicyclist and 140 fatal crashes involved pedestrians.
In 2020 alone, 205 deadly crashes took place in Jacksonville:
- 67 involved at least two vehicles
- 48 were single-car crashes
- 50 involved a vehicle and a pedestrian
- 25 involved a vehicle and a motorcycle
- 11 involved a vehicle and a bicycle
- 4 were listed as “other”
Overall, JSO said there was a 25% increase in traffic fatalities in Duval County in 2020 compared to 2019.
The sheriff’s office shared what were the top 25 high-frequency crash sites citywide in 2020.
The data shows crashes occurred on several portions of Blanding Boulevard, 103rd Street, and Southside Boulevard.
JSO overall wants citizens to remain safe on the roads, part of the reason it shares Duval Traffic Truth.
Below are some tips and local statistics they have shared to keep you safe.