ESTERO
Being safe on the road gets more challenging as Southwest Florida gets further into the season.
Lee County is among the ten most dangerous countries in Florida for motorcyclists, according to the Department of Highway Safety.
On average, 15 people are killed in motorcycle accidents, and we’ve already seen two just over the weekend.
The deadly crash happened at Coconut Road and Imperial Parkway in Estero on Friday. A 23-year-old motorcyclist died of his injuries after getting rushed to the hospital.
The crash had so much force one of the motorcycle tires was tossed into the center of the Bonita Springs intersection.
A wheel forced by the crash into the middle of an intersection. CREDIT: WINK News
Wendy Richards is a driver who spoke with WINK News about driving in the area.
“I see a lot of people without helmets,” Richards said. “I see people dodging in and out of traffic without using their turn signals. I see people going very a lot of what I see is hesitating to get out into the traffic, they’re not brave enough to deal with the traffic. And so they’re really cautious.”
Richards told WINK News she practices safety behind the wheel by being a defensive driver and remaining alert. Words she believes drivers around her need to hear.
Over the weekend, the Cape Coral Police Department said a crash resulted in the death of a second motorcyclist.
Stella Marcel, another driver, told WINK News with bumper-to-bumper traffic on the roads, it’s important every driver do their part to keep everyone safe.
“I’m extremely careful. I look everywhere where I am,” Marcel said. “We all do need to slow it down. But if I could ask everybody to not hug the right lane. It’s very hard to turn on to traffic because everybody’s in the stupid right lane. Don’t sit there. And then everybody can have a better time on the road.”
Part of prevention is education. The Collier County Sheriff’s Office said it offers a free motorcycle safety and training course open to the public.
Click here for more information about the Collier County Sheriff’s Office’s free motorcycle safety and training course.
WINK NEWS