Are Florida Drivers the Worst in the Country?

Does the Florida Man meme extend to the streets and highways of the Sunshine State? Browsing through memes on X (formerly Twitter) and other social networks will probably make you think Florida is a wild place to drive. Statistically, Florida often ranks high on the list of most dangerous states for drivers and pedestrians; nonetheless, this does not apply to all criteria and metrics.

Some reports list Hawaii and Tennessee as the states with the worst drivers, but they mostly take into account traffic tickets. Many small-town police departments in those two states are known as speeding traps, so the data is surely skewed to that effect. Florida has notorious speed trap towns such as Lawtey and Waldo, where the police departments were eventually disbanded to address scandals. Still, they are not as problematic as in Hawaii and Tennessee.

More nuanced reports base their findings on other dimensions of dangerous driving, and that is when Florida starts topping many lists of the worst drivers in the United States. With this in mind, let’s take a closer look at what makes Florida’s sun-drenched roads so dangerous to drivers and pedestrians.

Unpacking the Bad Driving Data in Florida

When it comes to quantifying dangerous driving, it is generally more accurate to rank metropolitan areas and cities than states. In October 2024, Consumer Affairs published a report that analyzed crash data compiled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). The report focused on fatal crashes per 100,000 residents, including collisions that were caused by driving under the influence (DUI). Three South Florida cities were ranked among the 15 worst in the United States: Pompano Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Davie.

According to data compiled by the American Automobile Association in 2023, Florida has a substantial number of teen drivers, and it ranked ninth on a list of the 20 deadliest states for drivers who have only been on the road for a few years.

A more detailed study about driving in Florida was conducted by housing analytics firm Real Estate Witch in May 2024. The report combined the NHTSA mentioned above with fatal accidents involving bicycle riders; furthermore, it included the percentage of uninsured drivers and correlated data from the Allstate Insurance index of states with the most collision claims. With this data, the report ranked the cities where dangerous driving is a fact of life, and it listed Jacksonville at the top. Orlando was in fifth place, followed by Miami on the seventh spot.

Florida is a Dangerous State for Pedestrians

Although car culture has not developed in Florida as explosively as in California, it follows Texas in terms of states with heavy vehicle traffic that is not friendly to pedestrians. Florida consistently ranks among the most dangerous states for pedestrians in the United States. The state saw a reported 10,198 pedestrian accidents in 2022 resulting in 792 fatalities.

What makes the situation more dangerous for pedestrians are the ill-designed intersections along US-19 in the Tampa Bay region, Colonial Drive in Orlando, and US-41 in Miami. Pedestrians and cyclists are often advised to stay away from intersections along these routes.

All in all, Florida may not be the state with the worst drivers, but it is certainly not the safest for anyone traveling down its sunny roads.