Florida Highway Safety crash statistics have been released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. For those living in Florida, these statistics are relevant and important.
The statistics are compiled as an annual report, and this tool helps people in the state to better understand the risks they are taking on the roads while reminding them to be mindful while driving.
Overall crash statistics in Florida
For the state of Florida, the total number of crashes for the year was 391,782. The statistics here compare the overall state figures to those of South Florida, and South Florida had 125,754 crashes for the year.
In fact, the total crashes in South Florida account for about 35% of the total crashes for the state. This is incredibly frightening, and it shows that major areas like Miami Dade have some serious work ahead of them to improve these stats.
Motorcycle crashes to car crashes
It is legal to ride a motorcycle in Florida without a motorcycle helmet, which is alarming when you think about how many motorcycles crashes there is each year in this state. However, Biker Justice USA, the Florida motorcycle accident attorney, state on their site: “You must wear a helmet that is approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation while riding a motorcycle in Florida if you are under the age of 21, or when you are 21 or older and do not have insurance that provides at least $10,000 in medical benefits in the case of an accident.”
For 2015 there were 606 deaths recorded for motorcycle riders alone in Florida. That’s actually a 30% increase from the previous year. Of all the auto accident deaths on Florida’s roads, motorcycles are involved 20% of the time. The highest number of motorcycle fatalities occurred in the Miami Dade area, with a terrifying 67 deaths.
Crash injuries
The report revealed a number of statistics compiled related to crash injuries, such as the loss, damage or hurt motorists sustained from a crash.
In South Florida in 2017, there were 45,620 crash injuries. This constitutes about 28% of the entire state’s crash injuries. This is why accident prevention programs are so important. Florida CDC states that “Effective strategies for preventing crashes include graduated drivers licensing laws, sobriety checkpoints, and ignition interlocks for those convicted of driving while intoxicated.”
Not only are motor vehicle crashes badly for your insurance premium, but they are also actually the leading killer of children, teens, and young adults (ages 5 to 34) in the state of Florida.
There’s a handy resource here on what to do if someone hits your car and drives off.
Crashes involving pedestrians
The annual report included statistics on pedestrian crashes. These are tallied every time a driver hits someone on the road, which can happen when the driver isn’t paying attention or the pedestrian walks out onto the road without looking to see if the road is clear. When pedestrians ignore walking signals or are distracted by their phones (which happens to motorists too), this can result in a pedestrian crash, which is often fatal.
Around 22% of all pedestrian accidents for the state of Florida took place in the Southern part. While this is shocking, it should hopefully prompt a call to action for the state and show the seriousness of initiating road safety campaigns.
Final remarks
In order for the roads of Florida to be safe, it will take more than just simply following road signs and obeying the state traffic laws. Drivers need to be properly educated and trained before they hit the road, and they may need to be trained multiple times throughout their lifetime to ensure that they retain their driving skills. But ultimately, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers all have their part to play to make the roads safer for everyone.
Do you have an opinion on the statistics presented here? You may be wondering what could be done to bring these numbers down and to create safer roads for everyone. It seems like there is a lot of work to do to prevent traffic accidents and to ensure people are driving more carefully in Florida and South Florida, but being mindful of these statistics should hopefully ensure drivers stay alert on the roads of Florida.
