Distracted driving crashes on the rise in Florida, troopers say

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - As part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Florida Highway Patrol is highlighting the dangers of not paying attention while driving.

In March, troopers say a distracted driver crashed into the side of an Orange County Fire Rescue truck while the crew was responding to a medical call. This happened at the intersection of Kirkman Road and Old Winter Garden Road. The truck's lights and sirens were activated.

"These crashes could definitely be prevented if we're all doing our part and paying attention when we're driving," FHP assistant public information officer Trooper Migdalisis Garcia said.

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Garcia says the driver was taken to the hospital, but the crew in the truck did not require transport. Surveillance video captured the impact.

"In this case, as the video shows, the fire truck was slowing down, trying to make sure that he is seen and heard so that traffic stops for him," she said.

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According to FHP, in 2023, there were 54,766 crashes involving distracted drivers in Florida. Of those crashes, there were 2,510 serious injuries and 299 deaths. That's 23 more deaths than in 2022.

"At the end of the day, if your eyes are on the road, and you're not distracted, that's [299] fatalities that wouldn't have happened," Garcia said.

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Garcia hopes the agency's messaging hits home, especially with drivers under 30. That age group made up almost half of all distracted driving crashes last year. 

"Hopefully, for 2024, it's not 299 fatalities as a result of distracted driving," Garcia said. "We want to bring that down to zero."