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Safe Summer Travel Campaign Pushes Floridians To Drive Safer

Andrew Karn
/
Unsplash

June and July are the two most dangerous months for drivers. That’s why the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is kicking off their Safe Summer Travel campaign. 

June and July are the most dangerous months for driving, says Lieutenant Eddie Elmore, the Florida Highway Patrol Public Affairs Officer for the Panama City area. And distracted driving is a huge threat to motorists, he says.

“Ten years ago we weren’t dealing with Facebook, Instagram, all these applications that we are now. So as the technology evolves, so does our awareness campaigns. I would’ve never thought fifteen years ago I’d be talking about not looking at Facebook while you drive down the road but now here we are."

According to new data released by the DHSMV, June and July of 2017 saw over one hundred thousand speeding citations issued to Florida drivers. The DHSMV data also reports there were sixty one thousand crashes in Florida, down from 2016’s nearly sixty five thousand. Leon County only amounted to about one percent of these accidents, but there are still a number of factors the DHSMV wants drivers to look out for. They ask drivers to check their tires, check for recalls on their vehicles, and never leave children or pets unattended in vehicles.

Noah Hertz is a third year Political Science/International Affairs student at Florida State University. Noah is the Chief News Anchor and a DJ at WVFS and an executive contributing writer for Spire Magazine. When he isn't working, Noah likes board games, listening to music and biking.