What Cities in Florida Have the Most Car Accidents?

Even though Florida doesn’t go through the typical seasonal changes like most states do, Florida does go through its own special seasonal change. Being sunny and warm practically the whole year round, Florida cities experience the Snow Bird Season. This season identifies the times of the year where northerners come down to Florida to escape the cold weather. Typically around October and November, these months mark the beginning of the population increase. Around April and May, the northerners return to their respected states to escape the summer sun Florida has. Florida car accidents are no stranger to these seasonal times.

We appreciate all our seasonal visitors! We know they come down to visit family, enjoy our sandy beaches, and take trips to our countless amusement parks or historic museums. But with the increase of people in our state, we have an increase of drivers, which ultimately leads to an increase in Florida car accidents. You should know what to expect on both sides of the coin, whether you are a Floridian or a visitor, don’t get caught not knowing what to do if you find yourself involved in a Florida car accident. Our expert Florida car accident lawyers are here for you and can help you every step of the way through your case.

Which Florida Cities Have The Most Car Accidents?

According to the FLHSMV, in 2019, there were over 400,000 crashes across the entire state of Florida. That’s over 1,000 Florida car accidents a day. A bulk of the Florida car accidents occur across these counties:

1. Miami-Dade at 65,143 crashes
2. Broward at 41,114 crashes
3. Orange at 31,595 crashes
4. Hillsborough at 29,155 crashes
5. Palm Beach at 26,817 crashes
6. Duval with 23,473 crashes

These counties include very popular and populated cities across the state of Florida, so it makes sense that they would have the most crashes every year. Miami and Fort Lauderdale are both very populated cities in the Miami-Dade and Broward county areas. These Florida cities have a lot of nightlife that can lead to drinking and driving, but also both have wonderful beaches that attract mass amounts of Floridians and tourists. Apart from being a popular area during the winter, spring break is known to be high traffic and high car accident time of the year.

Orange County isn’t far behind, and this area houses the popular and populated Orlando area. In the Orlando area, many tourists and Floridians like to visit popular theme parks like Universal and Walt Disney World. During the influx of Snow Birds, the amount of traffic on roads surrounding those places spike! It is important to know your way around the Orlando area, as construction is an ongoing project and has been known to cause accidents for out-of-state tourists.

Seasons in Florida That Make it More Dangerous to Drive

Although we don’t have true summer, fall, winter and spring seasons, as it tends to be hot year round in the Sunshine State, we do have a rainy season! Through the months of June to November, we have hurricane season. As this time runs into Snow Bird season, it is important for out-of-state tourists to educate themselves about the possible dangers that can occur from a hurricane and excessive rain. With just rain alone, it caused over 87,000 car crashes in 2019!

Rain in Florida has been known to cause flash flooding, which severely affects driving. Vision can be compromised when rain is heavy or if it is raining heavily at night. Hydroplaning occurs during rain storms and occurs when a driver accelerates quickly or slams on their brakes, causing their car to lose traction with the road. Hydroplaning is another major cause of Florida city car accidents, so it is important to drive safely during rain storms or in areas where flash flooding occurs. Learning how to handle hydroplaning is very important. Wiki-how has a great 3-step method explaining hydroplaning, how to avoid it, and what to do if you find yourself hydroplaning in your car.

Tips for driving in the rain:

1. You should always look over your car if the weather calls for rain.
   • Balding tires reduce traction on the road during rainstorms, which can lead to a higher chance of hydroplaning.
   • Making sure your headlights and tail lights work is very important in everyday driving. But especially in rainy conditions, for vision in front of you and for drivers to see you from behind.
2. Use your windshield wipers properly.
   • Making sure your windshield wipers are clean for optimal use.
   • Applying a rain repellent on your windshield can also help the wipers clear off the rain.
3. Drive slower and avoid quick braking.
   • Having a safe braking distance from the car in front of you to avoid quick braking and sliding into another driver.
4. Avoid areas of standing water.
   • Certain cars, like trucks, have no problem driving through areas of standing water, but smaller cars closer to the ground should avoid deep puddles. The water can easily flood your engine, causing it to stall.
   • The middle lane is normally a safe, flood-free lane.

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Florida Cities

Apart from rain being a cause of Florida city car accidents, there are other human causes. Speeding and alcohol related car accidents are at the top of the list for Florida car accidents. Other common causes for car accidents in Florida cities are:

• Distracted driving
  • Texting while driving and passenger distractions
• Aggressive and reckless driving
  • Tailgating
• Failure to follow traffic laws
  • Unsafe lane changes, running red lights and not yielding to the right of way

In 2019, a total of 10,501 alcohol related car accidents in Florida cities occurred, making it one of the top causes for car accidents in Florida. It is very important to remember not to drink and drive! There are many safer alternatives for getting home after a night out or gathering. Setting someone as a designated driver or taking an Uber/Lyft to and from the location will increase your safety when driving.

If you find yourself the victim of a car accident in a Florida city, reaching out to a Florida car accident lawyer at Steinger, Greene & Feiner to help you get the compensation you deserve will be the safest option for you! Whether you are a Florida native or an out-of-state visitor, we will help you win your case! We fight the insurance companies for you, so you can focus on getting better. Our family is here for you. We will fight tirelessly on your behalf; working to secure the compensation you are entitled to. Don’t count on the insurance company to do the right thing, count on us instead! Give us a call 24/7.