According to a recently released report from the Governors Highway Safety Association, there were 3,359 motorcyclists killed in the first nine months of 2009, while the nation saw only 3,279 bikers die in the same period in 2010. Of those deaths, Florida had 293 bikers who died in accidents in 2009, and 286 (seven fewer) in the same time period in 2010, making the Sunshine State second in line behind Texas for the number of motorcycle fatalities for the first three quarters of last year. (The number-one state, Texas, had 311 motorcylist fatalities.)

Overall in 2010, the state of Vermont had the fewest number of bikers who died in wrecks, with just two posted.

Speaking about the lower number of biker deaths in her state, Ann Howard, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, said, “Seven is a good number.” She credits the state’s requirement that a safety course must be taken in order to get a motorcycle endorsement on your drivers license as a major factor in the reduced fatalities.

This decline follows an even more dramatic drop – 16 % – between 2008 and 2009, the first such decrease in fatalities after eleven years of increased fatalities.

Figures for the fourth quarter should be released in June, but last year’s third quarter was less than positive, with increased numbers of motorcycle deaths. Across the country, there was a dramatic increase in such accidents in the third quarter of the year.

The same study also said that 13% fewer bikers were wearing federally approved helmets in the first nine months of last year. Such helmets reduce the motorcycle drivers’ chance of being killed in an accident by roughly 40%, according to safety advocates.

Currently 20 state require that motorcyclists wear helmets, but only 13 specify that the helmets must meet minimum federal standards, the National Transportation Safety Board says.

Atwater touted the operation as representative the state’s commitment to ending auto insurance fraud, saying, “This case is just one example of the hundreds or similar fraud schemes run daily by accident clinics operating throughout Florida.” He added, “The fraud schemers bill insurance companies for procedures that never happened and we all get stuck with the bill through increased auto insurance premiums.”

These arrests involved fraudulent billing by five clinics in Miami-Dade county, including AB Diagnostic, Coral Way Rehabilitation, Medico de la Familia, New Horizon Practice, and Therapium Health Corporation.

According to investigators, Else Terrero, owner of New Horizon Practice, allegedly helped to organize staged accidents, directing participants where to go for treatment afterward. Dr. Gerald Amado then signed paperwork documenting follow-up visits and treatments that had never actually occurred.

At Medico de la Familia, it was alleged that the staff recruited and paid people to come to the clinic and be coached on how to commit fraud by learning specific responses to insurance company inquiries. As well, Dr. Gustavo Acosta signed paperwork for examination that were never performed.

Investigators charged that all five clinics had employees who were involved in obtaining and creating fake claims which were then submitted to insurance companies for payment.

Katherine Fernandez Rundle, Miami-Dade State Attorney, spoke to the press, saying, “When professional healers become professional criminals in order to make some easy cash we all lose and this insurance fraud scheme could not have worked without medical professional claiming serious injuries where none existed. Lies upon lies led to dollars upon dollars for all the parties charged today.”

In addition to the seventeen people already arrested, investigators are still seeking eight other people involved in the case. Between them, the twenty-five involved individuals face a total of 142 charges, including insurance fraud, grand theft and organized theme to defraud, racketeering, and staging accidents. Under Florida state law, staging an accident alone carries a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison. Collectively, the involved parties face up to 1,115 years behind bars.

Working along-side state investigators were the investigative units of several insurance companies, including, Gainsco, GEICO, Imperial Fire & Casualty, Mercury Insurance, and State Farm. The units were praised for their substantial assistance to the overall investigation, as were the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force and the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

According to the NICB, Florida ranks first in the nation for staged accidents, with Miami having the third highest number of questionable claims. The Insurance Information Institute says that the average Florida family with two cars pays $100/year more in insurance premiums because of insurance fraud.

“If you multiply that by 11 million cars in our state it amounts to nearly a billion dollar fraud tax,” said Atwater.

The arrest comes just days before the opening of Florida’s legislative session where reforming the state’s no-fault system is a top priority of lawmakers, insurers and consumer groups.

Projecting a spike in business, Esurance, the auto insurance company that works primarily online, is looking for ten new hires in Tampa, Florida. The company has been expanding into the Tampa Bay area recently in order to gear up for this winter, the time when many consumers either renew existing policies or begin shopping for new ones. Of twenty new positions at it’s office at 701 S. U.S. 301 in Tampa, it had already filled ten as of December 28th, according to a company spokesperson.

The ten positions Esurance has yet to fill are full-time spots, including sales branch manager, sales agent, salvage claims assistant, total loss representative, and adjuster. So far there are 163 people in the Tampa location, and 1,660 Esurance employees across the country.