Florida’s Deadliest Roads and Fatal Accident Statistics

10 Deadliest Road Stretches in Florida

Drunk Driving Involved in 21.2% of Fatal Accidents

Of the 8,965 fatal crashes in Florida between 2018 and 2020, 1,903 were connected to drunk driving.

Drunk driving was involved in 21.2% of the state’s fatal accidents, outnumbering those involving both speeding and distracted driving combined.

Having alcohol in your blood can severely affect your behavior behind the wheel and endangers yourself and others. You can be visibly impaired, even if your blood alcohol concentration is only 0.2%. If it reaches 0.8%, the state of Florida officially considers you legally intoxicated.

The costs of drunk driving are numerous, even when it doesn’t involve a fatal accident. A DUI charge can result in restricted driving privileges and even possible jail time. Finding cheap car insurance after a DUI can also be challenging; you need to carry FR-44 insurance in Florida if you have a DUI, which is more expensive than other types of coverage.

Speeding Is a Factor in 8.9% of Fatal Crashes

Speeding-related crashes made up 8.9% of fatal accidents in Florida. That translates to 797 crashes between 2018 and 2020.

There are multiple consequences for driving above the allowable speed limit in Florida. These include increased difficulty in making quick stops, often leading drivers to lose control of their cars. It results in a high likelihood of severe injuries or even fatal car accidents.

Distracted Driving Contributed to 8.1% of Fatal Accidents

Distracted driving was involved in 726 of the total fatal car crashes in Florida from 2018 to 2020. To lower these numbers, Florida enacted a hands-free law in 2019. Law enforcement officers started apprehending and issuing citations to drivers caught texting while behind the wheel on January 1, 2020.

December Had More Fatal Accidents Than Any Other Month

In the three years studied, December had the highest number of fatal accidents. There were 848 crashes in that state recorded that month resulting in fatalities — that’s 9.5% of Florida’s fatal crashes. March had the second-highest number of fatal accidents (9.2%), followed by October (8.8%).

Driving Safely Protects You, Others and Your Wallet

Being a safe driver comes with multiple benefits. Aside from making Florida’s roadways safer, you also ensure fewer expenses in the long term. But sometimes accidents happen, regardless of how many precautions you take.

This reality makes having insurance essential. A full coverage car insurance policy could help protect you, your car and your family against possible costs of damages if such an unfortunate event occurs.

Drivers pay an average of $2,208 per year for full coverage car insurance in Florida, but your premium is subject to change depending on where you live. For instance, auto insurance in Hialeah costs an annual average rate of $2,812 for coverage. In comparison, a car insurance policy in Tallahassee is $1,331 less — similar coverage in that city only costs $1,481. Meanwhile, auto insurance in Jacksonville — Florida’s most populous city — is $1,739 per year, on average.

Car insurance companies use a variety of factors to set premiums. These include your age, driving history and credit standing. The best way to find cheap car insurance in Florida is to gather and compare quotes from multiple carriers.

Fatal Accidents and Most Dangerous Roads: County Breakdown

From 2018 to 2020, the five counties with the highest numbers of deadly crashes made up one-third of all accidents resulting in deaths in Florida. That’s 3,115 accidents recorded from the three most recent years of available data.

Among Florida's 67 counties, Miami-Dade was the site of the highest number of fatal crashes of any county, with 849 accidents in total. Most of these occurred along US-1 and involved speeding or drunk driving.

Methodology

MoneyGeek analyzed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS) crash fatality data from 2018, 2019 and 2020. Currently, 2020 is the latest data available in the system.