St. Johns County sees increase in traffic fatalities in 2017

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles says they've seen a dramatic increase in the number of deadly crashes in the St. Johns County this year despite there being fewer crashes overall.

In 2017 44 people lost their lives from traffic fatalities in St. Johns County, which is 14 more than the county saw in 2016.

The study does not give an explanation for the spike, but it coincides with the dramatic population boom in St. Johns.

More people, means the potential for more crashes.

F-DOT launched a safety study in January after a 4-year-old boy was killed in a crash on I-95.

Researchers are still gathering data, but current data for Duval County show a drop in the number of deadly crashes this year at 136, down from 156 traffic fatalities in 2016

Cox Media Group