Residents of Marion County and people who travel through the area on a regular basis should be conscientious about the frequency of motor vehicle accidents in and around Ocala. A staggering number of drivers on high-traffic roadways such as I-75 have experienced serious accidents involving injuries or fatalities. Numerous factors contribute to the high number of crashes including distracted driving, speeding, and roadwork.
It is also worth noting that many accidents involve pedestrians, so it is important to stay vigilant about unsafe driving even when you are not behind the wheel. Detailed information from several helpful sources can help residents and commuters learn more about accidents in their area.
Florida’s crash dashboard
Florida’s Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles compiles information about all documented crashes within the state, and the department makes statistics available to the public on a crash dashboard website. The site displays information specific to individual counties. The website reports over 5900 crashes in Marion County in 2020 alone.
511’s traffic alerts
If you are planning on taking I-75, you can stay up to date about road conditions and traffic alerts with the FL511 program. You can listen to information over the phone by dialing 511, see live tweets from @511_state, or going to FL511.com. You can learn about lane closures, accidents, and heavy traffic.
Unfortunately, safe and experienced drivers simply cannot count on everyone else on the road to drive safely. Keeping your guard up and knowing what to expect may help to avoid a collision.