Region's Driving Deaths Soar

Central Florida, with its mix of menacing highways and twisting rural roads, is among the most deadly areas in the state this year, leading the way to an increase in fatal traffic accidents in 2004.

In all, 110 more people have died on Florida roads during the first six months of the year, compared with the same period in 2003. Almost all of the increase can be traced to more deaths in seven Central Florida counties, where 99 more people lost their lives in crashes, according to preliminary figures Friday from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

As the Fourth of July weekend, which is considered the deadliest weekend on the nation's roads, gets under way, experts say they won't know for months the reasons for the increase -- from 1,472 in the first six months of 2003 to 1,582 this year. But they have countless possible explanations, ranging from more tourists driving on unfamiliar roads to inexperienced, poorly trained drivers.

"With an improving economy and more people driving to Central Florida, there tends to be more accidents," said Robert Sanchez, spokesman for the highway safety department.

And, at least in the first half of the year, Central Florida is host to many large events such as Bike Week, the Daytona 500 and spring break, which bring more drivers to the area.

Kim Miller, a spokeswoman for the Florida Highway Patrol, offered other possible reasons for the increase, the latest in a trend in which annual traffic deaths have grown 9 percent in five years, to 3,179 in 2003.

"There seems to be a lot of single-vehicle accidents," Miller said. "That tells us some things," and could mean morecrashes caused by drunken drivers, inexperienced motorists or even road debris, she said..

"There seems to be a lot of driving mistakes," she said, noting the lack of "behind-the-wheel" driver education at schools. "Moms and dads are supposed to log so many hours with their children behind the wheel, but if the moms and dads are bad drivers, they are just passing on bad habits."

Still, she said, it remains a puzzle why fatalities are increasing this year.

"We do see seat-belt use going up," she said. "But maybe the people who don't use seat belts are the at-risk drivers that are getting killed."

Those "at-risk" drivers, Miller said, tend to ignore speed limits, drive while impaired and not wear seat belts.

Whatever the reason, it's clear that Central Florida's roads are deadly, especially in Volusia County, which had the highest increase of traffic fatalities in the state.

More than 25 percent of the statewide increase this year came in Volusia, where 67 people have died. That is 30 more than in the same six-month period last year.

Other counties also have shown an increase. For example, in Seminole, the death count has nearly doubled to 25 in the same time period.

Orange County has seen 14 more deaths; Osceola is up 10; Lake had six more fatalities; Polk is up 21; and Brevard increased by six. .

The numbers should make people realize they can't take driving for granted, Miller said.

"They get in the car, turn the key and go, just like brushing their teeth," she said. "If they got in their car and thought, 'I'm going to get into an accident today,' they would drive more careful. At least they would put on their seat belt."

Jim Buynak of the Orlando Sentinel Staff

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