Lee County on track for record year of traffic fatalities

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LEE COUNTY, Fla.- Newly released numbers reveal an alarming upward trend in fatal crashes in Lee County.

So far in 2015, 44 people have died on Lee County roads. That’s a 32 percent increase since this time last year.

At this rate, the count will surpass 100 deaths; the last time it was this bad was back in 2007 with 106 fatalities.

“It’s indicative of two things– that people are not paying attention and that’s very obvious when they’re behind the wheel and we can also associate it with the fact that we’ve had a spike in tourism,” said Jay Anderson, the executive director of “Stay Alive, Just Drive.”

Out of the investigations that have been completed of the 44 fatalities, 10 were the result of excessive speed, eight were not wearing a seat belt, eight were under the influence of drugs or alcohol and five were not wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle.

“Most everyone is taught to drive safely, it’s the most dangerous thing that we do on a daily basis but it’s the thing that we let our guard down the quickest with,” said Anderson.

He says complacency is the biggest issue and that it’s the middle age drivers that begin to let the rules of the road slide.

“Everyone points the finger at the elderly but statistically you’ll find that it is the drivers that are typically in their late 20s to early 40s that are normally involved in these motor vehicle crashes,” said Anderson.

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