The Florida Attorney General will be joined by other state officials on Thursday, May 23, 2024, as the “100 Deadly Days of Summer” are discussed.
The Sunshine State is known to many as the home of the most visited theme park resort in the world. Walt Disney World Resort, which opened over five decades ago in 1971, has attracted millions of guests throughout the years.
Like the Disney parks in Orlando, guests also flock from both domestic and international locations to Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando, and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, to name a few.
The theme park environment is a key driver for tourism, even with Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent onslaught against The Walt Disney Company over the last two years.
But those tourists need to heed a stark warning this summer as Florida Attorney General Ashely Moody declares a deadly season is soon to be upon the state.
Ahead of the official’s public address on Thursday, May 23, 2024, information has been shared by Click Orlando regarding the so-called “100 Deadly Days of Summer.”
The 100 days reference the number of days between Memorial Day (May 27, 2024) and Labor Day (September 2, 2024), a time–which the outlet reports–is “nationally considered the most dangerous time for teen drivers.”
The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports that this time frame is usually when a spike in fatal vehicle incidents occurs involving teenage drivers.
“[The Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles] reports that as of May 5, over 200,000 Florida teens ages 15-19 are driving with a learner’s license,” Click Orlando notes.
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Florida Attorney General Ashely Moody will be joined at the conference by Florida Highway Patrol Col. Gary Howze, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving Program Manager Sharon Hall.
While the focus is now on these “100 Deadly Days of Summer,” the worst month for teen driving fatalities is March, thanks to the likes of Spring Break.
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This period is also when Florida becomes a hive of tourism thanks to school breaks in the United States and overseas, with places like the United Kingdom–one of Florida’s biggest international markets–also being let out for the summer.
In 2023, 1.1 million flew from the UK to Florida, the second largest market behind Canada—3.3 million Canadians headed to the state (via Visit Florida).
Visit Florida also states that, in 2023, the Sunshine State received a total of 140 million visitors, up 2.3% versus 2022. As for international visitors, such as those from Canada and the UK, 11.5 million people were reported as visiting Florida last year.
With such a robust summer season, all visitors to Florida should take note of the Attorney General’s grave warning. Driving to the Walt Disney World Resort parks and other such locations is a popular mode of transport for many, so being aware that the summer has been recognized for potentially fatal incidents should be heeded.
Were you aware of this upcoming deadly season in Florida? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!