BARTOW, Fla. – Every day, approximately 8 people die and 49 more are seriously injured in preventable crashes on our state’s roadways. To help bring awareness to this concern, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will host an event with its law enforcement partners on Thurs., June 08, at the Bradenton Motorsports Park located at 21000 FL-64, Bradenton, Fla. starting at 6 p.m. to discuss the launch of an innovative safety campaign that aims at putting a stop to aggressive driving on Florida’s roads.

The exhibit booth will include a vehicle and motorcycle rollover simulator, seatbelt convincer, a crashed car, (live) crash suit dummies, fatal vision simulation goggles test, handouts, prizes and a capable team of experts to talk candidly about the repercussions of aggressive driving behavior. Individuals who have experienced serious injuries or the loss of loved ones due to others’ reckless behavior will be on hand to share their experiences while advocating for behavioral changes.       

Nationally, the majority of traffic crashes involve driver error as a contributing factor. Most of these crashes result from drivers departing their lane along the roadway, colliding at intersections, or striking people who are walking or biking. Over 50% of the fatal and serious injury crashes involve a young male driver, and West Florida is one of the top regions of the state where young males live who have been involved in these fatal and serious injury crashes.

Through focus groups, FDOT learned that young male drivers often feel stressed with many commitments in their lives and tend to react to the aggressive driving of others, especially tailgating. Together, these issues intensify aggressive driving behaviors on our roadways and has the potential to result in a fatal crash. 

“Staying calm and keeping your distance from other drivers while behind the wheel is one of the best defenses for preventing fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways,” said District One Interim Secretary John Kubler. “Each time you’re behind the wheel, remember to ‘embrace the space’ and avoid engaging in aggressive driving behaviors – let’s get everyone home safely.”

To go beyond the traditional education of laws and promotion of safe driver behaviors, FDOT launched an innovative marketing campaign to prevent speeding by providing tools to help young male drivers address these common life challenges. At TargetZeroFL.com/Aggressive, drivers can access custom music playlists to help them stay calm behind the wheel, as well as custom Do Not Disturb auto reply messages for their mobile device to let others know they are focused on driving.

Let’s get everyone home safely. Visit TargetZeroFL.com for more information on Florida’s target of ZERO fatalities and serious injuries.