Florida Vehicle Accident Statistics
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, there were more than 400,000 vehicle crashes in 2017. These crashes on dangerous Florida roads involved more than 686,000 drivers. There were almost 1,100 crashes each day on Florida interstates, highways, and other roads. More than 3,100 people died in these crashes. Over a quarter-million people were injured. More than 20,000 vehicle accident victims suffered injuries that were incapacitating.
Florida’s Highway System
The state of Florida has nearly 1,500 miles of interstate highway roads. There are more than 10,600 miles of highways that are non-interstate roads. The Florida Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining the state’s interstates, state highways, and federal highways. Many drivers are out-of-state drivers who travel to Florida because of its warm weather – especially in the winter. In addition to cars, trucks, and motorcycles; Florida attracts several bus lines including Megabus, Greyhound, and Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach.
Some of the main Federal roads
The Florida Turnpike crosses through the state.
Interstate 4 (I-4) runs 133 miles. It bisects Florida. I-4 connects Orlando, Tampa, Daytona Beach, and Lakeland. It connects with I-75
I-10 runs 362 miles. It cuts through the Florida panhandle. The interstate connects Jacksonville, Pensacola, Tallahassee, and Lake City. It connects with I-75 and I-95.
I-75 runs 570 miles. It runs through Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and Bradenton. It’s the second-longest north-south road in the country and runs up to the Canadian border.
I-95 runs for 382 miles in Florida. It connects Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Vero Beach, and other Florida cities. I-95 runs down to Miami. I-95 is the number one north-south highway in America. At the northern end, it extends to the Canadian border through Maine.
Deadly Florida Roads
Roads can be dangerous for a variety of reasons. These reasons include:
- Poor design
- Poor maintenance
- High-speed limits
- Extensive use by trucks as well as other vehicles
- Numerous curves
- Lack of ability to handle the elements such as sun and rain
A recent traffic study of dangerous Florida roads
According to the Sun-Sentinel, some of the country’s most dangerous roads are in Florida.
The Sun-Sentinel based its conclusions about Florida’s deadly roads based on a study performed by Geotab. Geotab is a fleet management company based in Canada. Geotab’s study found that four of the five deadliest roads in the United States were located in Florida – even though Texas, California, and New York have larger populations. The four deadly Florida roads were:
- U.S. Route 1. The highway runs along the state’s eastern coast for more than 500 miles. Travelers can drive through 13 counties. The Geotab study found that there were 1,000 fatal crashes within the last decade. These crashes killed, 1,079 people.
- U.S. Route 41. This road ranked second in the country with 772 deaths due to vehicle crashes
- U.S. Route 27. Travelers on this route had 614 deaths during the last decade due to 529 crashes.
- U.S. 441 had 442 deaths and 418 fatal crashes.
Other Deadly and Dangerous Florida Roads
U.S. 17 which runs from Punta Gorda through to Jacksonville was the ninth-worst road according to the Geotab study.
Rounding out the top 10 was U.S. 98 which runs from West Palm Beach through to the Panhandle region.
Among interstates, I-75 and I-95 ranked 30th and 66th respectively for deadly crashes.
One positive note was that State Road 826 was ranked the third least-deadliest highway in the United States, according to the Geotab investigation. Route 826 is known as the Palmetto Express.
The Geotab study was conducted by using statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The study bases its ranking on the number of fatal crashes per one million vehicle miles traveled on the road.
Another study
Another study found that in 2014, the most dangerous Florida road was U.S. 41. 559 crashes in 2014 caused death or an incapacitating injury. Some of the dangerous US. 41 stretches include roads near Charlotte, Collier, and Lee counties and North Fort Myers.
Other dangerous roads according to Winknews.com were Interstate 75 and State Road 82.
Liability in vehicle accident cases
In most vehicle accident cases, the driver of one of the vehicles is responsible for the deaths of passengers, drivers of other cars, pedestrians, and bicycle riders. Accidents happen for numerous reasons including speeding, running through a red light, improper merging, and reckless driving. Driver distraction, drowsy driving, and drunk driving are also known to cause numerous fatalities.
In addition to the driver, the owner of the vehicle may be liable if they permit the driver to operate the vehicle.
Trucking companies may be liable if their truck driver gets into an accident
If the car or vehicle had a defective part; then the manufacturer, distributor, or seller of the vehicle may also be legally liable.
An experienced Florida car accident lawyer can help accident victims get justice.
Governmental Liability
The state of Florida and its agencies (such as the Florida Department of Transportation) and its subdivisions (such as counties) can be held responsible if county employees caused an accident or if the state (or agency or subdivision) caused an accident. For example, if the Department of Transportation failed to design a road safely, it could be held liable.
There is a condition to holding governmental units such as Florida, the Florida DOT, or a county liable. According to Florida Statute 762.28, the amount of any damage in a personal injury or death cases is capped. The amount of the damage award cannot be more than $200,000 for any one person and not more than $300,000 for anyone crash