A young Alva, Fla., woman was killed while she was showing off for her boyfriend while driving, according to witnesses and investigators.

The 23-year-old woman was driving north on Henry Avenue in Lehigh Acres at about 7:30 p.m. Monday when she started speeding down an unpaved road to show off. She lost control and the pickup she was driving rolled over. Although she was wearing her seat belt, she was partially ejected and died at the scene. Her boyfriend suffered serious injuries.

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This accident is another terrible tragedy that didn’t have to happen. When you are driving, it’s no time to be playing or joking around. Taking unnecessary risks can be dangerous not only for the people in the car of the driver taking the risk but also for everyone else on the road.

There are a variety of sources looking at reckless driving but many agree about 30-35% of fatalities are blamed on reckless driving. In some cases, distracted driving such as texting while driving is included in the statistics. Speeding is another risk many drivers take.

A case like this has to be particularly hard on family members. It could have been avoided. The most important tip for drivers to avoid an accident like this — don’t show off (yes, it’s the obvious answer). Drivers should also maintain a safe speed and stay on the roadway. Just because the road isn’t paved, it’s a country road or a side road that isn’t travelled as much does not mean it’s safe to speed or take risks.

It isn’t very common for us to see cases like these but they do happen. If you or someone you know was injured when another driver was being reckless and you need some advice, contact us at (239) 332-3000 or toll free at 888-428-8943, or email us at gethelp@injuryinfo.org. You can learn more on our website at injuryinfo.org and see some of our case results.