Vehicles on the road today are safer than ever before. It’s hard to believe that just over five decades ago, cars were not required to have seat belts. Even when the federal government passed a law requiring lap and shoulder belts in the front seat of vehicles in 1968, it was more than a decade before states started passing laws mandating their use.
Today, nearly all states (excluding New Hampshire) and the District of Columbia require adults in the front seat to use seat belts, and 35 states and Washington, D.C. have primary enforcement. This is good news because nearly half of people who die in crashes aren’t wearing a seat belt.
Other safety features have also been added over the years, including:
- Airbags
- Antilock brakes
- Automatic emergency braking
- Pedestrian detection
- Proximity sensors and alarms
- Back-up cameras
- Electronic stability control
- Advanced rear seat belts
- Automatic crash notification
However, these features can’t necessarily prevent a car accident, and collisions aren’t uncommon. Here are a few things Florida drivers should know about crashes in the state.
Types of Crashes
When you think of car crashes, you probably assume that accidents involve two or more cars colliding, but several types of crashes warrant their own statistics.
Crashes may involve vehicles like cars, trucks, and motorcycles. There are bicycle and pedestrian accidents. Collisions can occur when a car smashes into a stationary object, like a parked car, a highway median/divider, a light pole, or a building. There is also data on injury versus fatality accidents.
It’s important to understand that there are many different types of crashes, and all can disrupt your life.
How Does Florida Compare to the Rest of the U.S.?
Reporting from 2021 shows that there were over six million car accidents reported to police across the U.S. for the year. Of that number, less than 1% were fatality crashes. While vehicle safety likely played a huge role in saving lives, millions of crashes still resulted in property damage and personal injury.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 42,939 people died in traffic crashes in 2021. The number saw a very slight decrease in 2022, with 42,795 deaths related to traffic crashes.
Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) reported 397,514 crashes in 2022, accounting for roughly 6% of crashes in the U.S. These incidents resulted in over 252,000 injuries and 3,565 deaths, or about 8% of traffic crash fatalities in America.
This data breaks down to include:
- 3,321 fatality crashes
- 163,088 injury crashes
- 9,262 crashes involving motorcycles
- 614 motorcycle fatalities
- 7,253 crashes involving bicycles
- 220 bicycle fatalities
- 10,201 crashes involving pedestrians
- 790 pedestrian fatalities
- 107,833 hit-and-run crashes
- 23,430 hit-and-run injuries
- 291 hit-and-run fatalities
In Hillsborough County alone, where Tampa is located, there were 28,356 crashes in 2022, representing about 7% of traffic crashes in the state. These incidents resulted in 19,273 injuries and 228 fatalities.
What To Do if You’re Involved in a Crash
No matter how careful or attentive drivers are, you can’t control the weather, road conditions, or the actions of others on the road. Whether you’re involved in a car or motorcycle accident, it’s important to stop, assess the situation, and then contact the authorities, your Tampa personal injury lawyer, and your insurance provider.
With thousands of traffic collisions in Florida each year, it may only be a matter of time before you’re involved in an accident. When that happens, you’ll want to be prepared to protect yourself and ensure the best possible outcome.
Contact the Tampa Car Accident Lawyers of Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for Help Today
For more information, please contact the legal team of Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers for a free initial consultation with a car accident lawyer in Tampa. We have convenient locations in Florida: St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor, Clearwater, New Port Richey, and Tampa.
We serve throughout Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and its surrounding areas:
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Clearwater Office
1811 N. Belcher Road, Suite I-1
Clearwater, FL 33765
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Congress Ave Office
2360 Congress Avenue
Clearwater, FL 33763
(727) 591-5610
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Tampa Office
6601 Memorial Hwy Suite 202
Tampa, FL 33615
(813) 686-7588
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - New Port Richey Office
2515 Seven Springs Blvd.
New Port Richey, FL, 34655
(727) 815-8442
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - St. Petersburg Law Office
840 Beach Dr NE Suite 202
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(727) 787-2500
Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers - Safety Harbor Law Office
202 9th Ave S Suite A-2
Safety Harbor, FL 34695
(727) 787-2500
