JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two people died in two separate crashes in Jacksonville Friday morning.
The first incident occurred on Jacksonville’s Westside off Roosevelt Boulevard. The second happened on the Southside off Gran Bay Parkway.
RELATED | 1 motorcyclist dead, another in critical condition following crash on Old St. Augustine Road near Baptist South | Woman killed in rollover crash near Blanding entrance ramp on Roosevelt Boulevard
Statistics from North Florida Safety Training reveal that between 48,000 and 52,000 people die on U.S. roads each year. In Jacksonville alone, there have been 145 crash-related deaths, 27 of which involved motorcyclists.
The first crash on Roosevelt Boulevard involved a woman who lost control while merging onto an entrance ramp on Blanding Boulevard. She hit a curb, collided with a light pole, and flipped her car. She was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
The second crash involved two motorcyclists found on Grand Bay Parkway with life-threatening injuries. One of them died, and the other was in the hospital in critical condition. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has not yet determined if the motorcyclists collided with each other.
Ben McCorkel from North Florida Safety Training emphasized the importance of adhering to speed limits and avoiding distractions while driving.
“Remember, 55 miles per hour in the split second that you turn and look, you’ve already gone approximately 1000 approximately 100 yards, and in that 100 yards, anything can happen. Someone can pull in front of you and you’re not stopping in time, you’re getting hit by them, or you’re in a curve where you weren’t paying attention and you run off the road,” McCorkel said.
When asked how people can avoid crashes, McCorkel advised people to be alert while they are behind the wheel.
“Following distance is very important, make sure you have at least a two-second rule. Remember two-second rule is, whenever the rear bumper of the vehicle in front of you reaches a stationary object, you start counting 1,000 1,002 then your front bumper should not reach that same stationary object until you hit 1,002,” McCorkel said.