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Published on Wednesday, December 29, 2004
in the Ft. Myers News-Press
Barring a major catastrophe before New Year's Day, Lee County's roadways proved a safer place for motorists this year than in 2003.
Unfortunately, that's where the good news stops.
The county of more than 500,000 residents topped triple digits in traffic fatalities for the third time in four years, Florida Highway Patrol statistics show. Through Tuesday, 110 deaths in Lee County were blamed on vehicle crashes, according to FHP figures.
The county's two busiest roads ¯ Interstate 75 and U.S. 41 ¯ also were the deadliest, the scenes of a combined 25 percent of all traffic deaths.
Last year's county total of 123 crash deaths was an all-time high, topping 2001's figure of 118.
What began with just 47 traffic fatalities through June ended with an upward spike during the last three months of 2004. Forty people died in traffic crashes in the county since Oct. 1.
"I don't think it's good in any county, no matter how many people populate it," FHP Lt. Doug Dodson said. "People should take notice of these numbers and don't drive aggressively and don't drink and drive."
Two familiar factors in traffic crashes - lack of seat belt use and alcohol - were prevalent in the figures. More than half of those who died were not wearing seat belts. Alcohol contributed to 29 percent of the crashes.
FHP officials point to other factors, not the least of which were the thousands of additional motorists clogging the roads of the region after September.
"You've also got more new drivers on the road with kids who just got their licenses over the summer," FHP Capt. Eddie Johnson said.
But just one driver younger than 18 died in a crash. That compared with 16 drivers ages 65 and older who were killed on Lee's roads.
Florida's barrage of hurricanes - especially Charley, which struck Aug. 13 - may have helped keep the number from climbing even higher, Johnson said. There's a slight dip in traffic deaths in Lee during the days that storms affected Florida, FHP officials said. Between the landfalls of Charley and Jeanne (Sept. 25), there were 14 traffic deaths.
Although there were thousands of evacuees on the roads leading up to the storms, many people stayed home in the days after the storms unless travel was necessary. Storm debris and downed signs discouraged some motorists from venturing out.
Deputies at the Lee County sheriff's traffic unit said the biggest problems they observed were drivers not judging distance between oncoming cars properly before pulling into an intersection and blowing red lights. Almost 71 percent of the deaths were blamed on careless driving or violating a right-of-way.
FHP and the sheriff's office conducted several traffic details in 2004 designed to curtail aggressive drivers, handing out stiff fines for violators.