The roads in three Florida metro areas — including Jacksonville — are tops nationwide for fatal car crashes involving teens around the holidays, according to a study released this week.
The Tampa Bay area, Jacksonville and Orlando rank first, second and third in the study by Allstate Insurance Co. The company analyzed federal crash statistics and claims in major metropolitan areas over the past eight holiday seasons to come up with the list of 50 most dangerous teen-driving areas for 2000 to 2007.
One possible reason why Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville topped the list is that they are all spread-out cities where teenagers don’t usually rely on public transportation, said Amy Moore, a spokeswoman for Allstate.
Lt. Bill Leeper, spokesman for the Florida Highway Patrol, agrees that holidays are a dangerous time for teen motorists. Some of the reasons: an increase in Jacksonville drunk driving because of holiday parties and aggressive driving during the shopping season. On occasion, he said, troubling winter weather could also be a factor.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation’s Safety Office, there were 983 teen-involved Florida traffic deaths in 2006 and 1,000 in 2007. Between Christmas Day 2006 to New Year’s Day 2007, there were 12 fatal crashes involving teens. There were nine reported during that same period the next year.
Make sure your teenager is safe this holiday season. If you or a loved one is injure be sure to call your accident and injury attorney Henry Gare at (904) 387-6101