TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Three accidents. One person killed on I-10 within the last 24 hours.
As children get out of school and summer approaches, it is one of the most dangerous times of the year to travel on Florida roads.
From distracted driving to hot cars, here's what you need to know to keep you and your family safe.
Florida Highway Patrol says slow down and stay cool as they kick off their Safe Summer Travel campaign on Saturday and their message is clear before you even start driving.
"Think about heat awareness for anything or anyone you have in the car. Especially children and pets. Those are the ones we want to make sure will be here later in life," said Lt. Derrick Rahming, Assistant Chief of Public Affairs for FHP.
The 100 Deadliest Days of Driving began Memorial Day and goes until Labor Day. AAA says that is when the number of deadly crashes involving teen drivers rise.
"They have to watch out for distracted driving number one- and making sure they aren't tired when they get on the road - and making sure their vehicles are prepared to be on the road, like checking tire pressure," said Rahming. "That they don't have any safety recalls up for their vehicles. It's a good time to do all those safety checks before you get on the roads especially for teen drivers."
Whether you are a teenager or an adult, FHP says the number one threat to driving safety across the board is distracted driving.
"You want to make sure your eyes are on the road, your hands are on the wheel and you have your mind on driving," said Rahming. "That's the number one thing we want to make sure everyone is paying attention to what they are doing on the roadway and they aren't distracted."
And of course, don't drive impaired, always wear your seatbelt, and enjoy safe summer travels.
Lt. Rahming says you can avoid forgetting kids or pets in a hot back seat by putting your cell phone back there when you are driving, that way you have to turn your attention to the back seat to get it before you get out.
Also, lock your car door whenever you leave the car unattended to make sure kids don't climb inside and get trapped.
