Deadly crash numbers in Lee County

Cindy Presson said she is no stranger to seeing crashes on the road.

“There is a crash almost, probably twice a week,” Presson said. “I’ve seen vehicles upside down in the ditch. I’ve seen vehicles burned. Its very unsettling to drive on the roads here. I drive defensively because you have to.”

And she notices they happen more during season.

“I think we double the population in the area,” Presson said. “There’s twice as many people on the roads.”

And she is right.

Florida Highway Patrol said during season, there is a major uptick in crashes. There have been 159 deaths from crashes on SWFL roads this year.

Since Sunday, a Naples man died in a Polk County crash; two people were killed at a crash in North Port; and most recently, a 5-year-old was killed last night in Buckingham.

“It just breaks my heart,” Presson said.

And driving instructor, Stephen Emerson, said one thing put lives in danger more than anything else.

“Speed is the number one reason people get in crashes,” Emerson said. “Number two is following too close.”

And he said during season, you need to drive defensively.

“We also have a lot more aggressive drivers,” Emerson said. “We have to have that total awareness of our surroundings to be able to spot those dangers.”