If you drink and drive — or even if you don’t — you might want to avoid these roads in Collier, Lee and Charlotte Counties. Or at least take extra precautions if you do drive these roads: statistics show they are the scene of the most accidents in southwest Florida.
Why would a drunk driving attorney in Naples like me want to warn both impaired drivers and non-impaired drivers? Two reasons:
- Drivers who choose to drink and drive stand a greater chance of getting arrested on these roads
- Drivers who choose not to drink and drive on these roads stand a greater chance of being hurt or killed
What roads are these?
- US 41 in Collier, Lee & Charlotte Counties
- I-75, especially at the five-mile stretch near the Bonita Beach Road and Immokalee Road exits
- State Road 82 near Daniels Parkway south to Sunshine Boulevard in east Lee County
What are caused these accidents on these roads?
- Speeding
- Distracted Driving
- Drunk Driving
In fact, approximately 10 percent of all the crashes involved a driver with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit, aka, a drunk driver. And the most common contributing factor, in addition to drunk driving, was driving a vehicle in a reckless manner.
Here a just a few of the recent alcohol-related crashes in the greater Naples area:
- a Naples drunk driver who simply stopped in the middle of Tamiami North Trail for no discernable reason and was rear-ended by another car. The drunk driver then fled the scene
- a Naples drunk driver who hit and killed a bicyclist on US 41, near Airport Road
- a Naples man who drove the wrong way on US-41, causing a three-vehicle crash that seriously injured another driver
Since 2021, state data has shown a rise not only in crashes in Southwest Florida, but in deaths too. According to the data, 225 people died in area traffic crashes in 2021. Last year that number rose to 242 deaths, with 43 pedestrians killed, 17 bicyclists killed, and 16 who died in hit-and-runs.
Florida mandates ignition interlocks for first-time drunk drivers convicted of a DUI with a BAC of .15 or greater. Also common are sobriety checkpoints, license suspension, laws against open containers and tough repeat offender laws.
