Published on Wednesday, September 6, 2006
in the Orlando Sentinel

Drivers took to road 'more carefully' during Labor Day weekend

Wet weather kept some drivers off the road Labor Day weekend, but Florida Highway Patrol officials said Tuesday that a drop in holiday-traffic deaths shows those who did venture out heeded warnings to be careful.

Between Friday and late Monday, 19 people died in roadway crashes, the Florida Highway Patrol said. Of those, five were in Central Florida, Sgt. Jorge Delahoz said.

The number is fewer than last year's preliminary Labor Day weekend count of 25 fatal accidents statewide, authorities said. That final number grew to 44, when deaths investigated by other agencies were added and some of the people injured in accidents later died.

"You have to give the public credit because they're the ones driving more carefully," patrol Maj. Ernesto Duarte said. "Unfortunately, despite the collaborative effort of troopers and law enforcement across the state, we still lost people."

Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties each had one person die in separate traffic crashes. Two people died in separate Brevard County crashes. Of those, the Orange County death was a bicyclist, and the Seminole death was a pedestrian, reports show.

Of the deaths statewide, 91 percent of those killed in vehicles equipped with seat belts were not wearing them, authorities said.

Statewide, troopers arrested 197 drivers for DUI and issued 8,102 speeding citations, and 1,460 seat belt and child-restraint tickets.

Of the 1,615 collisions FHP investigated, 102 were alcohol-related, authorities said.