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Florida's Roads Saw Fewer Fatalities In 2008

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By RICH SHOPES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 27, 2009

TAMPA - Florida's roads were measurably safer in 2008.

The number of fatalities for the year declined 7.3 percent – 2,986 traffic deaths compared with 3,221 the year before, according to the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

The number of deaths was the lowest since 2000, when 2,999 people were killed on Florida roads, and follows a three-year trend of declines in fatal accidents.

Officials can't point to any one reason for the declining numbers. Since 2000, the state's population has grown by more than 2.8 million, nearly 18 percent.

"We can only speculate as to why it went down," said Capt. Mark Welch, a department spokesman.

Welch suggested a combination of fewer miles driven, along with several years of safety campaigns aimed at teens, drunken driving and seat belt usage, among others, might have led to the lower numbers.

The Federal Highway Administration reports Americans drove fewer miles during every month of 2008 compared with the previous year.

The total miles driven were down 1.2 percent to 3.7 percent for each month from January to November 2008, the most recent months for which statistics were available.

"Any time you have fewer vehicles on the road you have less potential for accidents," Welch said.

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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