Florida Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A real estate data firm, Clever Real Estate, analyzed the cities with the best and worst drivers in the U.S. and discovered that three Florida cities rank in the top 5 in the country for worst drivers, earning Florida the top spot as the worst state for drivers.
Here are the top 5 rankings, according to analysis from Clever Real Estate:
- Jacksonville, FL
- Louisville, KY
- Orlando, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Nashville, TN
The study looked at various metrics to determine the cities with the worst drivers, such as yearly DUI-related traffic deaths, annual traffic-related fatalities, number of days of inclement weather, percentage of uninsured drivers in the area, average insurance premium costs in the area, Allstate’s best driver’s rankings, and the number of auto body repair shops in the area.
While Jacksonville took home the top spot for worst drivers, New York City has the best. Jacksonville has 2.9 DUI fatalities per 100,000 residents, which is 66% more than the average city for this study (1.7 per 100,000 residents). Jacksonville ranks number 7 in the U.S. for the highest number of DUI-related traffic fatalities. NYC, on the other hand, has only 0.6 DUI-related fatalities per 100,000 residents as well as very few driving fatalities in general each year (3.3 per 100,000 residents).
Jacksonville has 10.9 annual traffic-related deaths per 100,000 residents, which is 65% more than the average (6.6) of cities studied. Interstate 95 happens to run right through Jacksonville, and it is considered one of the deadliest Interstates in the U.S.
The high cost of car insurance in Florida means that there are a lot of drivers operating their vehicles without insurance. Average auto insurance premiums in Jacksonville are at $2,745. Orlando’s average insurance premiums are $2,698. Tampa’s average premiums are $3,459. This study found that 20.40% of drivers in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa are uninsured, which is 54% higher than the national average of 13%.
Orlando sees about 130 days of precipitation every year and has 9.1 driving deaths per 100,000 residents annually, which is much higher than the average city, which has 6.6 traffic deaths per 100,000 residents.
Tampa has 10 deadly traffic accidents per 100,000 residents annually, which is 51% more than the average city in the study.
There are various factors that account for the high number of traffic deaths in the state of Florida, but distracted driving is one major reason that these numbers continue to remain high each year. In 2020, Florida saw 215,000 distracted driving-related deaths, which was lower than previous years dating back to 2015 where the Sunshine State saw between 265,000-295,000 distracted driving-related fatalities.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, so it is important to refamiliarize yourself with safe driving practices and aim to limit the number of distractions in your vehicle. Our Florida Car Accident Attorneys at Whittel & Melton understand that some distractions are unavoidable for motorists, but you can do things to reduce these distractions, such as:
- Input your destination into your GPS before you leave your driveway or street. Check your route ahead of time and turn on the voice guide so that you do not have to look down at your phone while driving.
- Leave the personal grooming for at home, or at least when you are not driving. Applying makeup, fixing your hair, etc., are all things you should not do while operating a vehicle.
- If you are listening to podcasts or music, then keep the volume moderate and make sure you keep your eyes on the road.
- Do not eat or drink while operating a vehicle.
- Do not online shop, play games, scroll through social media, text, or use your cell phone at all while driving.
- If you have passengers, you can engage in conversation, however, do not make important decisions or try to plan a big event while driving. Topics that require a lot of focus will cause your mind to wander away from the main task at hand – getting to and from your destination safely.
If a distracted or careless motorist is the reason that you were involved in a car accident in Florida, then we can help. Call us now at 866-608-5529 or contact us online for a free consultation. We handle distracted driving car accident claims in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, and elsewhere in the Sunshine State.