Tampa Car Accident Statistics In the Last Year
By Space Coast Daily // July 26, 2019
crash stats trending downward for the past few years, but they are still quite high
The car crash statistics of Florida and its various counties have been trending downward for the past few years, but they are still quite high.
The reasons for this are numerous, but ultimately it means that drivers need to be more responsible and that they need to find the right car accident attorney to help them if they do get into an accident.
Anyone in the Tampa area who is unfortunate enough to end up as a part of those car accident statistics should contact 1-800-INJURED to help take care of the legal aid that they need.
Car Accident Statistics For Tampa and Hillsborough County
Tampa may not have as high a number of traffic accidents as some other Florida counties, but it still has its fair share of them.
Here is a closer look at some of the accident statistics from Tampa and the surrounding Hillsborough County in 2018:
- Total Number Of Crashes – 29,037
- Injuries From All Crashes – 20,114
- Fatalities from Crashes – 179
- Total Bicycle Crashes – 519
- Total Bicycle Fatalities – 10
- Total Motorcycle Crashes – 628
- Total Motorcycle Fatalities – 29
- Total Pedestrian Crashes – 625
- Total Pedestrian Fatalities – 54
Overall Florida Accident Rate
Of the states that have the worst drivers, Florida ranks fourth. This is an improvement because in 2017, Florida ranked number one. In this case, quality—or lack thereof—of the drivers is measured by the number of drivers who have insurance, the frequency of Google searches for terms like “traffic ticket” or “speeding ticket,” the number of DUIs issued, and the number of deaths per miles driven.
Florida has the highest percentage of uninsured drivers and is only second to Alabama in the number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven.
However, that number has been steadily dropping since 1994.
- Percentage of Insured Drivers – 73.3%
- Deaths per 100 Million mIles Driven – 1.47
- DUI Arrests per 1000 Drivers – 2.17
Despite these statistics, traffic fatality rates have been falling in Florida and across the country for the past few years.
Common Causes Of Tampa Car Accidents
The problems that cause car accidents in Tampa are similar to the problems that cause accidents in the rest of the country.
- Distracted Driving – Texting, or other uses of smartphones, while driving are the biggest offenders in this category. However, other distractions include eating, drinking, talking to passengers, or engaging in personal grooming.
- Speeding – As always, driving too fast often leads to accidents because the speed of the car prevents the driver from being able to react quickly enough to something unexpected.
- Driving Under The Influence – This can be driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs, both of which slow down reaction times and lead to poor judgment.
- Bad Weather – Heavy rain and thunderstorms lead to accidents because of poor visibility or slick road surfaces.
- Drowsy Driving – This can be the result of sleeplessness and/or fatigue and can be dangerous even if the driver does not fall asleep at the wheel.
Common Types of Car Accidents in Tampa
There are generally two types of car accidents, relatively minor ones like fender benders or rear-end collisions, which result in small amounts of damage and little, or no, injury. However, there are more serious accidents that can cause significant damage to the vehicles involved, as well as their occupants.
The following are just a few of the more common accident types in Tampa:
- Head-On Collisions – When two cars traveling in opposite directions collide, the damage can be significant because the combined speed of each vehicle intensifies the impact.
- T-Bone Collisions – This is when the front or back of a vehicle smashes into the side of another one. This can be more dangerous for the driver of the impacted vehicle since they have less protection.
- Rollovers – These are particularly dangerous if the occupant is not wearing their seatbelt, but even if they are, the injuries from this type of accident can be severe.
Don’t Become a Statistic
If you exercise safe driving practices, then that will lower the chance of your becoming involved in an auto accident.
However, your good behavior cannot prevent other people from exhibiting poor judgment. So, if you are ever involved in any kind of auto accident in Tampa, or anywhere else, make sure to contact a diligent car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
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