JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Two people died on University Boulevard last week. They were the 7th and 8th traffic deaths on that major road in 2023. That makes it the deadliest city street in the county this year.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
So far in 2023 -- at least 113 people have died on the roads from crashes throughout Duval County.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
“That’s a lot, one is too many I think,” Khalil Abdul, a daily driver said.
Records from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office show some of the deadliest roads in Duval. University Boulevard is one of them, with a total of 8 lives lost in crashes this year.
“It gets crazy, it gets really hectic,” Abdul said.
JSO’s statistics show eight more crash deaths -- four each on Lane Avenue and Philips Highway are also among the highest for traffic deaths.
But the deadliest roads in Duval are the interstates.
This year, 15 people were killed in crashes on Interstate 95 and Interstate 295, but some of this year’s traffic deaths haven’t involved drivers and passengers.
Out of JSO’s 113 reported deaths in Duval, 14 were pedestrians. Many of the crashes happened outside of rush hour.
Action News Jax found the most dangerous time for driving in Duval is on the weekend. That’s when almost half of this year’s deadly crashes happened. The deadliest day to drive is Sunday.
Twenty-two people have died in Sunday crashes in 2023 with a third of those happening before dawn. Last week’s crash on University Boulevard happened right before 1:30 a.m.
Drivers like Abdul are asking others to be careful.
“Slow down and keep your distance,” Abdul said. Stay back, you’re gonna get where you’re gonna go.”
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Action News Jax did reach out to Councilman Carrico whose district where the University Boulevard crash happened. Carrico said that JSO is working to mitigate racers around the county, including in that area. He also said he filed legislation to help pedestrian safety, adding they’re looking into speed studies throughout his district for potential modifications.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.