Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
Our Broward County car accident lawyers are compiling a county comparison of crash statistics in our area to determine which cities appear to be safer for motorists. We have been examining 2010 crash statistics recently released by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. The report covers crash information related to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, teen drivers and drivers under the influence. We understand that driving behaviors have a lot to do with the number of fatal crashes that occur on Florida roadways, but want to compare which counties appear to be safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.
Overall, the number of car accidents in Palm Beach County and Broward County increased from 2009 statistics, compared to a slight decrease in traffic crashes reported in St. Lucie County from 2009 to 2010. Broward County reported the second highest number of crashes of any county at 26,233, behind only Miami-Dade County. Similarly, Broward County reported the second most number of injuries related to car crashes in 2010, at 20,540, more than any other county in the state except Miami-Dade. St. Lucie County’s reported 2,210 crashes in 2010 is the fewest it has had in any of the last five years.
Broward County, Palm Beach County, and St. Lucie County all reported fewer alcohol-related crashes compared to 2009, with a total of 1,424, 1,123 and 183, respectively. Of the three counties, Broward reported the most drunk-driver crashes in 2010 compared to Palm Beach, which reported the most alcohol-related crashes of the three counties in 2009 at 1,715. Thus, Palm Beach County showed the biggest decrease in alcohol-related crashes from 2009 to 2010 in the three-county comparison.
Over the past five years, Broward County and Palm Beach County have reported a steady decline in fatalities from traffic accidents, with each reporting a five-year low in 2010 at 179 deaths and 123 deaths, respectively. St. Lucie County has also shown a gradual decline in traffic fatalities over the past five years, with the exception of 2009 when it increased by five deaths from the previous year.
St. Lucie County reported three fatalities from alcohol-related crashes in 2010, compared to 13 in 2009. Broward County reported 41 alcohol-related deaths in 2010 compared to 58 in 2009. Palm Beach County reported the biggest decrease of the three counties, reporting half as many alcohol-related fatalities in 2010 (62) as were reported in 2009 (31).
Palm Beach County reported more motorcyclist fatalities in 2010 than Broward County and St. Lucie County. There were 23 motorcyclists killed in Palm Beach County, an increase of five deaths from 2009; 21 in Broward County; and two in St. Lucie County, both of which showed slight improvements from the previous year. More motorcyclists were injured in crashes in Broward County than Palm Beach County and St. Lucie, but each county reported fewer injuries than the previous year. The number of injuries from motorcycle accidents was 525, 315 and 69, respectively, in 2010.
Broward County reported the most bicyclist fatalities in the three-county comparison with five reported in 2010. However, Palm Beach County showed the biggest decrease in bicyclist fatalities, from 11 in 2009 down to four in 2010. Bicyclist injuries in traffic crashes increased in all three counties from 2009 to 2010.
A total of 53 pedestrians died and another 968 were injured in Broward County in 2010, which were seven more deaths and 18 more injuries than the previous year. Palm Beach County reported 21 pedestrian fatalities and 550 injured pedestrians in 2010, both improvements from the 2009 report. In 2010, there were three pedestrian deaths and another 74 injured pedestrians in St. Lucie County.
No matter where you live or how you get to and from your destinations, Florida residents are encouraged to use caution and go to great lengths in preventing a car, pedestrian, bicycling or motorcycling accident.
The car accident attorneys at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez, LLC are experienced in helping victims involved in a pedestrian or bicycling accident in Broward County, Palm Beach County, St. Lucie County or anywhere in South Florida. Call 1-800-561-7777 for a free and confidential appointment.
More Blog Entries:
Sporting Events a High Risk for Drunk Driving Accidents in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, April 18, 2011.
West Palm Beach Bike Accidents a Danger for Commuters, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, May 20, 2011.
Two Killed in a Fort Lauderdale Motorcycle Accident, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, August 5, 2011.