We’ve all had our moments driving in Miami. Those close calls, those crashes we drove by slowly, vowing we’d be more careful. The fact is, Miami is a tough place to drive, and the numbers are increasing quickly as the population explodes.
Overall, 1 in 3 crash deaths in the United States involve drunk driving. Nearly 1 in 3 crash deaths involve speeding, and In addition to fatalities, more than 2 million people per year are injured in auto accidents. In Miami, all of these factors come into play.
In Miami-Dade County, for all of 2020, there were 51,406 crashes, with 24,188 of those producing injuries and 335 involved fatalities. A distant second, In 2020, Duval County came in second behind Miami-Dade County in traffic-related injuries and fatalities compared to any other city in the state of Florida. Approximately 20 percent of all crashes happen within the city limits of Miami. Only Broward County and Orange County frequently report a similar number of crashes. Here’s the breakdown…
2020 Car Crash Statistics Miami-Dade County
All Crashes = 51,406
Injuries = 24,188
Fatalities = 335
Bicycle Crashes = 755.
Bicycle Fatalities = 13
Motorcycle Crashes = 899
Motorcycle Fatalities = 48
Pedestrian Crashes = 1,212
Pedestrian Fatalities = 77
Hit & Run Crashes = 17,128
Hit & Run Fatalities = 41
Approximately 20 percent of these crashes happen within the city limits of Miami. Only Broward County and Orange County frequently report a similar number of crashes.
A Sam Schwartz study of 22 states (chart, below) shows Florida leading traffic fatalities with 1,500 in mid-2020 compared to 1,597 in 2019. That’s of course taking into account that dip in April.
“Had the fatality rate for the first six months of 2020 remained at the 2019 level for these 22 states and the District of Columbia combined, the expected number of traffic deaths during the first 6 months of 2020 would be about 5,636, versus the 6,357 reported. This represents an estimated 719 more deaths than would be expected based on vehicle miles traveled in 2020.”
FATAL ACCIDENTS BY STATE
What can we learn from this data? We can take driving more seriously. Being inside of a two-ton steel object traveling at speeds of up to 80 MPH just feet away from dozens of other two-ton metal objects traveling at the same speed — is inherently dangerous. NOT something to take lightly.
In May of 2020, the Washington Post reported a dramatic increase in speeding activity a few months into the pandemic, even up by 27% on average. With the speeding also came an increase in distracted driving. Hard braking was up by 25%, while phone usage was up by 38% in mid-April.
According to the Post, “Reckless driving has increased dramatically since March, leading to a disproportionate number of speed-related crashes and fatalities, according to law enforcement and traffic experts.” In Minnesota alone, over 40 people were killed from traffic collisions in the first 45 days after the state’s stay-at-home order in early March. Half as many people were killed in 2019 during the same period of time.
Those stay-at-home orders led to a 41% decrease in overall traffic nationwide, but traffic accidents were only down by 21%.
Incidentally, the Florida stretch of I-95 was ranked the most dangerous road in America in 2010, so take care there as well. NE First Avenue and NE Sixth Street: Miami This intersection was labeled the most dangerous in Miami- Dade due to the high number of accidents and how catastrophic they were.
Stated dangerous roads—- well you did not give the bad roads only stats
Valid point Sandy. I think the stats highlight the fact that Miami has dangerous roads, but your point is valid. Let’s highlight the most dangerous roads in Miami.