FHP: Spike in car crashes caused by debris in Duval County, statewide

Road debris crashes have tripled in Duval County in the last four years and are blamed for thousands of crashes nationwide.

The Florida Highway Patrol reports a roughly 125 percent increase in state road crashes cased by debris from 2011 to 2015.

Troopers say a lot of these are preventable if people just tied down their cargo loads.

From 2011 to 2015 the number of crashes involving debris increased 215 percent in Duval County.

An Action News Jax crew saw what looked like a large cardboard box fly right towards them on the highway while driving through Jacksonville on Wednesday.

"I just swerve, move out the way and keep moving,” driver Casper Clayton said.

FHP said there were 20 crashes involving road debris in Duval in 2011.

The number of crashes increased to 63 in 2015.

During the same time-frame, the numbers across the state show a similar trend.

There were 284 crashes caused by debris statewide in 2011. The number of crashes rose to 641 in 2015.

AAA says crashes involving road debris are often caused by debris falling from vehicles.

“Bungee cords are typically used to obviously hold materials in the back of pickup trucks," Sgt. Dylan Bryan with FHP said. "In some cases, bungee cords may not be sufficient enough to hold that item.”

FHP says they have troopers working to make sure roads are clear of debris and if necessary, they stop drivers with dangerous loads.

“If the debris or the load actually shifts or falls into the roadway, whether it causes a car or not, that is also a violation,” Bryan said.

FHP suggests that beyond using bungee cords, drivers can use rope, webbing or some sort cargo net to make sure items don't shift or fall onto the road.

Cox Media Group