FHP: Fatal accidents caused more by locals than tourists in Osceola County

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — With over 3 and 1/2 weeks left in 2019, Osceola County is just one deadly crash away from last year’s entire count, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Lt. Kim Montes said people often blame those accidents on tourists, but that’s not the case.

“It's not the people visiting, it's the people that live here. Most crashes happen within 30 miles of your home,” Montes said.

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In 2016 the FHP investigated 34 fatal crashes in Osceola County. In 2017 that number jumped to 43, and then to 50 in 2018.

With one month left in 2019, Montes said she expects this to be the deadliest year in the county yet for car crashes.

“It falls back on drivers' error,” she said.

Montes said State Road 60, U.S. Highway 192, Interstate 4 and Florida's Turnpike are the areas troopers are most frequently called to for fatal accidents.

“We see a lot of violations of right of ways where people are making left turns in front of oncoming traffic. They are not being patient and waiting for traffic to clear,” she said.

The Florida Department of Transportation said it is working on a study at U.S. Highway 192 and Old Melbourne Highway specifically analyzing turning movement counts to try to improve safety.

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Cox Media Group