A 22-year-old Auburndale man lost control of his GMC Sierra on State Road 570 near Lakeland Sunday morning while applying stick deodorant, sending the pickup truck careening into a highway safety barrier before it came to rest atop a concrete median wall. No one was hurt in the crash, which happened around 7 a.m. near milepost 14 as the driver headed westbound around a curve on the toll road.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers confirmed after inquiries that the driver was using stick deodorant rather than a spray can, according to a report from Tampa Free Press. The detail, unusual enough to prompt its own line of questioning from investigators, has helped turn a routine single-vehicle crash into a cautionary tale about just how many ways drivers find to take their hands, eyes, and minds off the road. As CBS12 reported, FHP said the driver was navigating the curve on SR 570 when he attempted to groom himself instead of keeping both hands on the wheel.
Crash Cushion Absorbed the Impact
The truck struck a highway crash attenuator, an engineered safety cushion built to decelerate vehicles that veer into rigid barrier terminals or curve hazards, before it landed on top of the concrete median wall, per a report from WENG Radio. No other vehicles were involved, and the driver walked away without reported injuries. Those devices exist precisely for moments like this one: Florida Department of Transportation Section 544 specifications require all highway crash cushions on state roads to meet Manual for Assessing Safety Hardware crash-testing standards before they can capture or redirect an out-of-control vehicle.
State Road 570, better known as the Polk Parkway, is near Lakeland.
A Distraction That Isn't Just About Phones
Grooming behind the wheel can create careless-driving concerns. Under Florida Statute § 316.1925, careless driving is defined as failing to operate a vehicle in a careful and prudent manner with regard for curves, traffic, and roadway conditions, and a careless-driving violation can draw fines and three to four points on a license, according to a legal explainer from Gordon & Partners.
Applying grooming products while steering around a curve can take a driver's eyes, hands, and attention off the road. State safety campaigns point out that taking your eyes off the road for five seconds at 55 mph covers roughly the length of a football field. Distracted driving can contribute to deadly and serious-injury crashes.
Polk Parkway's Recent Crash History
Statewide, Florida's road-safety picture includes fatal crashes. Closer to home, Polk County averages nearly two traffic fatalities per week, per safety analyses cited by the Polk Transportation Planning Organization's Vision Zero initiative, which Hoodline has previously reported on.
The Polk Parkway has seen its share of severe wrecks before this one. In March 2026, a fatal motorcycle crash on a Polk Parkway overpass resulted in a passenger being ejected, underscoring the corridor's history of serious collisions along its curves and interchange ramps. Sunday's crash ended without injury largely because the barrier system did what it was designed to do, but Florida Highway Patrol used the moment to remind drivers to stay focused behind the wheel — and to save their deodorant routine for after the truck is parked.
