The Auto Insurance Center gathered data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System to identify America’s deadliest driving counties and states. The Auto Insurance Center looked at a total of 714,956 fatal accidents over a 20-year period and indexed stats against the number of people living in each county and state. The results purport to show the safest and most dangerous driving counties and states in America.

According to the results, the top five safest areas for drivers were (1) Massachusetts; (2) Washington, D.C.; (3) New York; (4) Rhode Island; and (5) New Jersey. For Massachusetts, there were 11.66 fatal crashes per 10,000 people. Conversely, the deadliest states for drivers were (1) Mississippi; (2) Wyoming; (3) Montana; (4) Alabama; and (5) West Virginia. In Mississippi, there were 48.27 fatal crashes per 10,000 people.

Despite the inclement weather, the Northeast outpaced Southern states for driving safety. The Auto Insurance Center noted that speed limits could be a significant factor: “The Northeast typically enforces top speeds of 65 mph, while the South and West enforce 70–75 mph.” For the deadliest states, the Auto Insurance Center noted that the rural nature of these states contributed the risks of driving in these states. In particular, these states have a lack of resources, through legislation and enforcement, to reduce fatal crashes. This can increase the temptation to speed or to drive recklessly and can hinder the ability to reach victims in car crashes.

Deadliest and Safest Driving Counties in Florida

As a whole, Florida ranked in the middle for the number of fatal crashes. From 1994 to 2013, the fatal crash rate in Florida per 10,000 residents was 26.85. There were a total of 52,209 incidents during this period. Within Florida, however, the state had some of the safest and most dangerous counties in the country. A majority of the safest counties for drivers were in South or Central Florida. Some of the safest counties included Miami-Dade, Broward, Collier, Palm Beach, Lee, Seminole, and Clay counties. Miami-Dade County was actually the safest county for drivers with .0013 fatalities per capita. Hillsborough County was also relatively safe with .0027 fatal crashes per capita.

Conversely, a majority of the most dangerous counties in Florida occurred in the northern part of the state. These included Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Baker and Columbia counties. In Southern Florida, the most dangerous counties were Glades, Hendry, and Monroe counties. Jefferson County was the most dangerous county in Florida for drivers with .0094 fatalities per capita. Madison and Glades counties tied for second with .0093 fatalities per capita.

Contact a Brandon Florida Car Accident Attorney

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, it is important to reach out to an experienced Florida car accident attorney who can help protect your rights. At Reed & Reed, our Florida car accident attorneys have extensive experience helping car accident victims obtain compensation for their injuries.From our office in Brandon, we help clients in Tampa, New Tampa, Plant City, East Hillsborough County and throughout the state of Florida. Contact Reed & Reed for a free consultation.