JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — People have heard that Florida drivers aren’t the best. A new report by the Florida Highway Patrol said Florida drivers are getting worse.
Action News Jax anchor Romney Smith spoke to local drivers about their concerns and pinpoints the exact roads that are seeing more issues.
It’s nearly impossible to find a Duval County driver that hasn’t seen a crash on the highway. Smith met with a local mother who frequently drives our roads who says local drivers make her nervous.
“I have definitely noticed having lived in other states that Florida drivers seem to be particularly distracted drivers,” said Emily Redick.
The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting a nearly 27 percent increase in crashes when comparing May to September of this year to last year. In fact, the new report shows a nearly 30 percent increase for crashed on I-295, nearly 19 percent increase for I-95 & just over 19 percent increase for crashes on I-10. Romney Smith spoke with driver Mikella Jeanty about the new report. Jeanty believes the constant construction changes catches people off guard.
“Some people don’t know about the lane changes so it’s like an awkward, ‘Oh! I gotta go like this and swerve quicker this and that,’ and so it's awkward sometimes,” said Jeanty.
But with hundreds more crashes this year, drivers said they’ll take extra precautions so they don’t become a statistic.
“I’m driving with my son in the back seat most of the time, so I focus on being a safe driver, but I can’t control the drivers around me,” said Redick.
FHP and FDOT have both said in the past that decreasing gas prices may lead to more people being on our roads, influencing the amount of increased crashes.