Florida Has Third Highest Number of Traffic Fatalities in the Nation
Nationally, traffic accident deaths have declined in recent years. In fact, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2009 -- a total of 33,808 lives lost -- is the lowest since 1950 (when 33,186 people were killed in auto accidents).
Lawmakers, safety advocates, auto manufacturers, traffic engineers, and others may take credit for making Florida and our nation's roads and highways safer for motorists and pedestrians. But safety advocates say we can still do better. That goes for the Sunshine State as well. Florida still holds the unfortunate distinction of being the state with the third-highest number of auto accident fatalities -- though that number has gone down even as the state population has risen.
According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report (see link below), car crashes in Florida claimed the lives of 2,558 people in 2009 -- down 14% from the 2,980 lives lost in traffic accidents in Florida in 2008. Some 30% of those fatal motor vehicle accidents in Florida were due to alcohol-impaired driving (Florida drunk driving accidents). While states have seen reduction in traffic accident deaths across the board, NHTSA reports that California had the most traffic accident fatalities (3,081) for 2009, followed by Texas (3,071), Florida (2,558), and our neighbors in Georgia (1,284 deaths).
An experienced Fort Myers car accident injury lawyer will tell you -- if you're one of the families who has lost a loved one in a fatal Florida traffic crash, that loss of one life is devastating. The State of Florida is promoting the concept that even one life lost in a traffic accident is one life too many. There were 189 traffic accident deaths in Broward County, Florida, in 2009, and 80 car crash deaths in Lee County, Fla, that same year. Working with clients in and around Fort Myers, Fla., we know the anguish these grieving families suffer when a fatal car crash takes a family member away. Lives are changed forever, in a heartbeat.
Here is a sobering statistic: According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles -- Florida experiences an average of 7 fatalities a day on Fla. roads and highways. A new public safety approach called Toward Zero Deaths is "based on a philosophy that even one road death is morally and ethically unacceptable." State safety officials believe lives will be saved by changing driving behaviors that cause Florida traffic accident fatalities. These include speeding, distracted driving, drug- and alcohol-impaired driving, and failure to wear seat belts.
See link below to a PDF of the full report on the details surrounding traffic accident deaths in Florida.
NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts : Research Note (PDF)
Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes
Florida Traffic Safety Facts October 2010 : Fatalities (PDF)
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Oct. 2010
Related Fort Myers Accident Injury Attorney resources:
Auto Accident Checklist: What to Do if You're Injured a Car Accident in Florida
Video: What to Do When a Car or Truck Accident with Injuries Occurs in Florida
