Preliminary data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles indicate a decline in the number of fatal accidents occurring in the state this year compared to last year. So far this year, there have been 2,202 fatal accidents across the state. Last year, there were 2,313 fatal accidents during the same period.According to the data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, some Florida counties are seeing an increase in the number of fatal accidents. For instance, in St Johns County, there were 29 fatal accidents in 2013, which was an increase of 12% from 2012. Duvall County also has one more fatal accident this year, an increase of 17% from the same time in 2012. There have been declines in fatal accidents in Nassau, Putnam and Clay Counties.However, those are preliminary statistics, and until the official number of fatalities caused during the Christmas and New Year holidays come in, it is hard to say for sure that 2013 will have a higher fatality toll, compared to last year. Already, there have been several fatal accidents caused in these counties, with multiple fatalities in these accidents.Typically, the week before Christmas is the most dangerous period of the year for highway safety with a lot of accidents, many of them fatal ones. Besides, the New Year's Eve is also a deadly holiday for Florida motorists, with higher rates of alcohol-heavy driving, and therefore more numbers of drunk driving accidents.Further, the number of motorists not just in Florida, but across the country is likely to be heavy this year. According to estimates, approximately 5 million motorists will be travelling at least 50 miles away from home during these holidays. Higher volumes of traffic typically translate into a higher accident rate.
