Florida Fatal Accident Study:
Florida’s Deadliest Roads and Fatal Accident Statistics
MoneyGeek analyzed the 8,792 fatal crashes in Florida from 2017 to 2019 to determine the deadliest roads in the state. We also explored the factors associated with accidents resulting in fatalities, including drunk driving, distracted driving and speeding.
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To date, Florida is one of the most populous states in the U.S., only surpassed by California and Texas. Out of Florida’s 275,376 miles of road, MoneyGeek studied 2,665 roads to determine which were deadliest to drivers. Using data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, we looked at the state’s 8,792 fatal accidents from 2017–2019 — the most recent years of available data.
Our analysis also examined the various factors contributing to fatal accidents in Florida, including speeding, drunk driving, distracted driving and time of year. The study broke down data for all of Florida's counties and identified the deadliest stretch of road in each.
Key Findings
- US-19 from Denton Ave. to San Marco Dr. is the deadliest stretch of road in Florida. The road is located in Pasco County and had 25 fatal accidents.
- Drunk driving contributed to more fatal accidents than speeding and distracted driving combined.
- The month of March had the most fatal accidents, with 846 in the three years studied.
- Miami-Dade had more fatal accidents than any other county. US-1 was its deadliest road.
10 Deadliest Road Stretches in Florida
- DEADLIEST ROAD IN FLORIDAUS-19 from Denton Ave. to San Marco Dr.Pasco County
- Fatal Accidents:25
- fatalities:25
- Crashes Per Mile:5.1
- distance:4.9
- US-41 from 23rd Ave. to Pearl Ave.West Bradenton | Bradenton
- Fatal Accidents:22
- fatalities:23
- Crashes Per Mile:4.7
- distance:4.7
- US-41 from N. Macdill Ave. to N. 40th St.Tampa
- Fatal Accidents:21
- fatalities:21
- Crashes Per Mile:4.4
- distance:4.8
- US-19 from 54th Ave. N. to Queensboro Ave. S.St Petersburg | Saint Petersburg
- Fatal Accidents:20
- fatalities:20
- Crashes Per Mile:4.3
- distance:4.7
- SR-816 from NW 35th Ave. to NE 8th Ave.Oakland Park | Wilton Manors | Wilton Manor | Lauderdale Lakes
- Fatal Accidents:18
- fatalities:19
- Crashes Per Mile:4.9
- distance:3.7
- SR-580 from Webb Rd. to W. Waters Ave.Tampa
- Fatal Accidents:18
- fatalities:18
- Crashes Per Mile:3.7
- distance:4.8
- US-19 from Lake Tarpon Dr. to Royal Blvd.Pinellas County
- Fatal Accidents:17
- fatalities:21
- Crashes Per Mile:3.8
- distance:4.4
- US-19 from Royal Blvd. to Lake Tarpon Dr.Pinellas County
- Fatal Accidents:17
- fatalities:21
- Crashes Per Mile:3.8
- distance:4.4
- US-19 from Embassy Blvd. to Marine ParkwayNew Port Richey | Port Richey
- Fatal Accidents:17
- fatalities:19
- Crashes Per Mile:3.9
- distance:4.4
- SR-50 (East Colonial Dr) between Old Cheney Hwy to Lake Downy DrOrlando
- Fatal Accidents:16
- fatalities:16
- Crashes Per Mile:3.3
- distance:4.8
Drunk Driving Involved in 21% of Fatal Accidents
Of the 8,792 total fatal crashes in Florida between 2017 to 2019, 1,888 were connected to drunk driving.
Drunk driving was involved in 21% 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 less affordable car insurance in Florida, restricted driving privileges and even possible jail time. 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 9% of Fatal Crashes
Speeding-related crashes made up 9% of fatal accidents in Florida. That translates to 829 crashes between 2017 and 2019.
There are multiple consequences of 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% of Fatal Accidents
Distracted driving contributed 662 to the total fatal car crashes in Florida from 2017 to 2019. 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.
March Had More Fatal Accidents Than Any Other Month
In the three years studied, March had the highest number of fatal accidents. There were 846 crashes in that state recorded that month resulting in fatalities — that’s 9.7% of Florida’s fatal crashes. Florida is a popular vacation spot, leading to people traveling there in March during Spring Break. Having more cars on the road typically leads to higher numbers of accidents.
December had the second-most deadly crashes (9.5%), followed by January (8.6%).
Average Fatal Accidents by Month
Month | Fatal
Accidents | Drunk
Driving
Related | Distracted
Driving
Related | Winter
Conditions | Speeding
Related | % of
Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
January | 763 | 152 | 39 | 0 | 75 | 8.7% |
February | 707 | 133 | 50 | 0 | 68 | 8.0% |
March | 846 | 191 | 77 | 0 | 80 | 9.6% |
April | 755 | 171 | 56 | 0 | 59 | 8.6% |
May | 757 | 153 | 48 | 0 | 78 | 8.6% |
June | 708 | 148 | 54 | 0 | 79 | 8.1% |
July | 636 | 156 | 59 | 0 | 68 | 7.2% |
August | 627 | 136 | 54 | 0 | 60 | 7.1% |
September | 681 | 156 | 54 | 0 | 66 | 7.7% |
October | 723 | 136 | 51 | 0 | 63 | 8.2% |
November | 752 | 161 | 67 | 0 | 57 | 8.6% |
December | 837 | 195 | 53 | 0 | 76 | 9.5% |
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. An affordable full coverage car insurance policy can protect you, your car and your family against possible costs of damages if such an unfortunate event occurs.
The average cost of car insurance in Florida is $2,208 per year, but your premium is subject to change depending on where you live. For instance, car insurance in Hialeah costs an annual average rate of $2,812. In comparison, auto insurance in Tallahassee is $1,331 less — a policy in that city with similar coverages only costs $1,481 annually. Meanwhile, car insurance coverage 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 2017 to 2019, the five counties with the highest numbers of deadly crashes made up one-third of all accidents resulting in deaths in Florida. That’s 3,010 accidents recorded from the three most recent years of available data.
Among Florida's 67 counties, Miami-Dade contributed the most fatal crashes, with 876 accidents. Most of these occurred along US-1 and involved speeding and drunk driving.
Fatal Accidents and Contributing Factors By County
County | Fatalities | Fatal
Accidents | Drunk
Driving
Related | Distracted
Driving
Related | Speeding
Related | Most Deadly
Road
(Fatal Accidents) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miami-Dade | 876 | 825 | 78 | 31 | 72 | US-1 (51) |
Broward | 677 | 639 | 79 | 27 | 54 | I-95 (43) |
Hillsborough | 585 | 556 | 133 | 46 | 72 | US-41 (51) |
Orange | 538 | 503 | 103 | 77 | 40 | SR-50 (53) |
Palm Beach | 519 | 487 | 68 | 15 | 64 | I-95 (45) |
Duval | 452 | 433 | 113 | 20 | 29 | I-295 (41) |
Pinellas | 357 | 346 | 72 | 26 | 44 | US-19 (75) |
Volusia | 362 | 345 | 72 | 33 | 31 | US-1 (36) |
Polk | 359 | 332 | 77 | 21 | 36 | US-27 (40) |
Pasco | 303 | 293 | 58 | 17 | 16 | US-19 (55) |
Lee | 305 | 283 | 67 | 26 | 45 | US-41 (49) |
Marion | 264 | 243 | 74 | 25 | 24 | SR-40 (25) |
Brevard | 252 | 233 | 47 | 19 | 35 | US-1 (49) |
Osceola | 196 | 182 | 43 | 26 | 7 | US-192 (42) |
Manatee | 185 | 175 | 42 | 6 | 12 | US-41 (38) |
Escambia | 179 | 166 | 34 | 11 | 13 | US-90 (31) |
Lake | 171 | 158 | 50 | 11 | 11 | US-441 (21) |
Alachua | 178 | 150 | 44 | 6 | 12 | I-75 (19) |
Sarasota | 157 | 144 | 42 | 10 | 9 | US-41 (40) |
Seminole | 131 | 122 | 19 | 15 | 16 | I-4 (16) |
Collier | 119 | 107 | 25 | 17 | 14 | US-41 (15) |
St. Lucie | 120 | 105 | 26 | 8 | 11 | US-1 (12) |
St. Johns | 107 | 100 | 22 | 5 | 10 | US-1 (22) |
Leon | 99 | 95 | 30 | 7 | 15 | I-10 (9) |
Okaloosa | 98 | 92 | 20 | 13 | 6 | US-98 (26) |
Putnam | 98 | 89 | 35 | 1 | 9 | US-17 (17) |
Hernando | 90 | 88 | 19 | 9 | 3 | US-19 (17) |
Bay | 87 | 85 | 12 | 12 | 5 | US-98 (21) |
Citrus | 90 | 81 | 24 | 4 | 6 | US-19 (17) |
Indian River | 85 | 81 | 17 | 4 | 2 | US-1 (15) |
Martin | 76 | 71 | 22 | 3 | 6 | I-95 (14) |
Charlotte | 76 | 68 | 18 | 9 | 7 | US-41 (14) |
Columbia | 71 | 68 | 20 | 3 | 7 | I-75 (14) |
Sumter | 73 | 66 | 10 | 5 | 4 | US-301 (10) |
Clay | 66 | 63 | 16 | 4 | 5 | SR-21 (14) |
Highlands | 69 | 61 | 13 | 2 | 3 | US-27 (26) |
Santa Rosa | 65 | 60 | 9 | 10 | 5 | US-90 (12) |
Walton | 64 | 56 | 16 | 7 | 6 | I-10 (10) |
Levy | 58 | 52 | 23 | 5 | 2 | US-27 (9) |
Monroe | 56 | 52 | 7 | 9 | 4 | US-1 (31) |
Flagler | 59 | 51 | 13 | 1 | 5 | I-95 (13) |
Nassau | 53 | 48 | 16 | 3 | 1 | SR-A1A (8) |
Jackson | 53 | 45 | 5 | 9 | 2 | US-231 (9) |
Suwannee | 48 | 44 | 12 | 1 | 5 | I-10 (14) |
Gadsden | 39 | 37 | 14 | 7 | 8 | I-10 (12) |
Okeechobee | 41 | 36 | 12 | 0 | 5 | US-441 (7) |
De Soto | 38 | 34 | 15 | 2 | 2 | US-17 (10) |
Glades | 38 | 29 | 10 | 4 | 3 | US-27 (9) |
Hendry | 31 | 29 | 9 | 3 | 1 | US-27 (7) |
Hardee | 34 | 28 | 8 | 2 | 0 | US-17 (7) |
Washington | 29 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 2 | SR-77 (9) |
Wakulla | 24 | 23 | 14 | 6 | 3 | US-98 (4) |
Taylor | 24 | 22 | 7 | 5 | 3 | US-19 (9) |
Bradford | 28 | 21 | 6 | 0 | 1 | US-301 (8) |
Holmes | 23 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 1 | SR-2 (4) |
Baker | 19 | 19 | 6 | 0 | 2 | I-10 (5) |
Hamilton | 18 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 4 | I-75 (9) |
Madison | 18 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 1 | I-10 (11) |
Gilchrist | 22 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 2 | US-129 (4) |
Gulf | 15 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | US-98 (3) |
Jefferson | 14 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | I-10 (4) |
Dixie | 11 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | US-19 (3) |
Calhoun | 13 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 0 | SR-20 (4) |
Union | 10 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | SR-238 (2) |
Lafayette | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | US-27 (4) |
Liberty | 7 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | SR-20 (3) |
Franklin | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | US-98 (2) |
Methodology
MoneyGeek analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration FARS (fatal accident reporting system) database using fatality data from 2017, 2018 and 2019. Currently, 2019 is the latest data available in the system.
About the Author

sources
- National Highway Safety Administration. "Fatal Accident and Reporting System (FARS)." Accessed November 1, 2021.
- Federal Highway Administration. "Highway Statistics Series." Accessed November 1, 2021.
- Florida International University. "Florida Bans Texting While Driving." Accessed November 1, 2021.