6 Reasons Why Florida Has Such High Car Crash Statistics

Many people enjoy Florida. Some visit, while others live there. They like the warm weather, the plentiful theme parks, the wildlife, and the many vibrant cities.

However, Florida sees many car accidents every year. For instance, 2021 saw 400,431 statewide car wrecks, and that number has stayed pretty consistent as the years pass. Why does Florida have so many car accidents? It’s worth considering, and we’ll mention a few of the main reasons in the following article.

Vacationers Don’t Know the Area

If you know the roads on which you’re driving, it makes sense that you’ll cause fewer accidents. By contrast, if you don’t know the area in which you’re driving, you can more easily make a traffic mistake. You can turn onto a one-way road and hit another vehicle, or maybe you’ll misunderstand who has the right of way in a complicated intersection.

Native Floridians probably won’t cause so many accidents if they know their local roads, but vacationers don’t have that same familiarity. If you’re visiting Florida and you’ve driven there, or you flew down and then got a rental car, you might cause a wreck because you’re out of your element. This happens fairly often, and it’s one reason why the state sees so many vehicular collisions.

Wildlife Causes Car Wrecks

Florida also has many animal species. You can run across a cougar, alligator, or deer. You might also see smaller animals like foxes, opossums, raccoons, rabbits, and skunks.

You can have an up-close encounter with one of these animals if you’re in a public park or a nature preserve, but Florida’s wildlife frequently follows no rules but its own. Any of these animals can show up on a local road, or they might cross one of the state’s busy highways.

As you can imagine, cars usually swerve if they see an animal, and that can cause a wreck as well. No driver wants an animal splattered across their hood. If someone sees wildlife on the road and swerves, they might hit another vehicle. If they slam on the brakes, a driver behind them might rear-end them because they weren’t expecting the sudden stop.    

Older Drivers Cause Many Accidents

Florida has more than its share of retirees. It makes sense since many older individuals like living out their Golden Years somewhere that stays consistently warm. Florida also has some great retirement communities with golf courses, bowling alleys, and other amenities nearby.

Some older motorists understand that once they reach a certain age, they should not drive anymore. Many no longer have very good reflexes, and in some cases, older drivers no longer have excellent eyesight either.

It’s a public service if these individuals no longer drive, but some don’t like giving up the privilege. There’s no age where the law demands you give up your license. The police can only take it if you crash your car repeatedly or it’s obvious you’re no longer a safe driver.

Older Florida residents who shouldn’t have their licenses anymore often cause accidents. It’s sometimes an issue, and you must watch for these older drivers if you visit the Sunshine State.

Alcohol Plays a Part

Alcohol consumption can also cause car wrecks. This happens all over the country and the world, but it’s particularly a Florida issue.  

Some vacationers spend time drinking in bars, and then they try to drive their rental car back to the hotel. That’s problematic, as you might imagine. In those instances, you have drivers who aren’t just over the legal limit. They also don’t know the area very well.

This recipe causes disaster many times. It’s not just Florida visitors who drink and drive, though. Florida has so many bars and local watering holes where you can enjoy lengthy happy hour specials. Anyone who overindulges and then doesn’t take an Uber home can drive up the state’s crash statistics.

Recreational Drugs Cause Car Wrecks

Florida has other drug problems as well. In some areas, the opioid epidemic has devastated entire populations. Other Floridians enjoy smoking marijuana or ingesting edibles. You might also encounter someone who’s a methamphetamine addict.

Anyone who has used drugs obviously shouldn’t drive, but if someone breaks the law once, they’ll likely do it again without thinking twice about it. Someone who has taken an illicit substance will surely drive erratically, and you can’t know who’s under a drug’s influence. Even if you follow all the traffic laws, someone in a nearby car who’s out of their head might not follow your good example.   

Some Florida Drivers Enjoy Racing

There’s one more reason why Florida has many car wrecks. Some individuals who live there or visit have seen one too many Fast and Furious movies. Florida has a healthy street racing culture, sometimes with the winners getting respect on the streets and sizeable cash prizes.  

These races often happen late at night in remote locations. However, some more brazen drivers might arrange races in broad daylight in populated areas. 

If you see cars flying past you at top speed, that might cause a sudden reaction. You may hit another vehicle or an inanimate object. Even if you keep your cool, one of these daredevils might strike your car. If that happens, it’s not likely they’ll stop and give you their insurance information.

You must remember all of these factors if you’re driving in Florida. You can obey all traffic laws, but those around you won’t necessarily do the same thing.

While you don’t know when some other driver will do something unsafe, you can still take certain actions that should lessen your accident chances. You should avoid going out in rush hour whenever you can avoid it. The freeways around Florida’s major cities tend to jam up during rush hour in the mornings and evenings.

You can also avoid night driving and poor weather driving. By doing all these things, you make a costly and potentially dangerous Florida car accident much less likely.

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