A fatal crash on highway 41 in Marion County claimed the lives of a woman and a teen. (Photo: Joseph Perez)
A fatal crash on highway 41 in Marion County claimed the lives of a woman and a teen. (Photo: Joseph Perez)

According to statistics from Ocala’s police chief, officers responded to 14 traffic fatalities and more than 3,500 vehicular accidents in city limits in 2024, meaning the city averaged more than 10 accidents a day for the entire year.

Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken reported the traffic data as part of his update to the Ocala City Council during its regular meeting on Tuesday, January 7.

According to the chief, his department received approximately 168,194 calls for service in 2024.

Of note, the department responded to five homicides, 14 traffic fatalities, and approximately 3,665 traffic crashes.

Additionally, the department handled 683 Baker Acts.

At the Ocala City Council’s last meeting in December, the chief and council members discussed measures that his department has taken to curb traffic accidents and speeding on Ocala roadways.

During that meeting, Balken and the council all agreed that the state should seek a “handsfree” law prohibiting cell phone use in cars, suggesting that measure would have the greatest impact in diminishing vehicular accidents.

Last year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that Ocala had the third-highest rate of fatal accidents in the country. That accident data, which was from 2022, showed that there were 20 recorded vehicular fatalities in city limits that year.

At the time, the NHTSA reported a fatal crash rate of 30.54 accidents per 100,000 people, estimating Ocala’s population at around 65,487 residents.

In December, Ocala-News.com reported on at least two separate fatal accidents within city limits, as well as several others that happened around Marion County: