SARASOTA, FL- The mysuncaost.com reported lane closures caused by a multi-vehicle accident on Sunday morning at about 11 a.m. The right two lanes of the off-ramp were closed, as were the right lanes of Fruitville Road while the scene was processed and investigated.
The cause of the accident is still unknown and no information regarding injuries has been released.
In 2017, there were 397,924 car accidents reported in Florida resulting in 252,049 injuries and 3,010 deaths. The numbers indicate a slight increase in total accidents, but a small decrease in fatalities as compared to 2016.
Florida has implemented laws requiring all vehicle occupants to use seatbelts. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has seen the number of people buckling up across the state increase year to year. As of 2017, the state reported that a record number of Floridians are now wearing their seat belts. This is good news because it indicates that most drivers, 90.2%, are taking this simple and effective measure to protect themselves. The numbers show an increase from 2016 when Florida set their previous safety belt record with a statewide average seatbelt use of 89.6%.
According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 14,668 people’s lives were saved by seatbelts in 2016. Sadly, NHTSA also estimates that an additional 2,456 people could have been saved if they had worn their seatbelts.
While 37,461 people were killed in car accidents across the United States in 2016, 48% of those individuals killed were not restrained at the time of the accident. When the national average of 90.1% of people on the road using their seatbelt, the fact that such a high percentage of people killed failed to take this step illustrates how important it is to be buckled and to ensure all passengers in your vehicle are as well.
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