Florida: 7th Largest Spike in Car Crash Deaths

Revealed: The states with the biggest increase in car crash fatalities

A new study has uncovered the states with the biggest increase in car crash fatalities, and Florida ranks #7 out of all 50 states.

The research, conducted by injury lawyers at Bader Scott, analyzed vehicle fatality data (including all fatalities for persons involved in a fatal vehicle crash) collected from 2013 – 2022 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This data was grouped by state, and the total number of fatalities for each year was calculated.

Seth Bader of Bader Scott commented on the findings:

“The findings of this study highlight a concerning trend in road safety across several states,” Scott said. “The significant increase in car crash fatalities, particularly in states like Oregon and Arizona, underscores the urgent need for continued efforts to improve road safety measures and public awareness. 

“While some states have seen reductions in fatalities, the overall rise in numbers is a reminder that there’s still much work to be done to protect lives on our roads.”

The average number of fatalities for the five-year periods of 2013 – 2017 and 2018 – 2022 was calculated. Finally, the percentage change of these averages was calculated and then ranked to determine which states have seen the largest increase.

Oregon has seen the greatest increase in car crash fatalities. The average number of deaths from car crashes in the 2013 – 2017 period was 410.6, and the average number of deaths in the 2018 – 2022 period was 540.4. This represents an increase of 31.61% between the two periods.

Arizona has seen the second-largest increase in car crash fatalities. The state has seen an increase of 23.63% between the 2013 – 2017 and 2018 – 2022 time periods. The average number of deaths totaled 893.8 from 2013 – 2017, growing to an average of 1,105.

In third place is New Mexico, which saw a 21.46% increase. From 2013 – 2017, there was an average of 356 fatalities from car crashes. From 2018 – 2022, there was an average of 432.4. These are the smallest averages in this top 10 listing, but the amount of growth in fatalities has pushed this state up in the rankings.

Following closely in fourth place is Tennessee. In this state, the average fatalities from car crashes numbered 996.2 in the 2013 – 2017 period and 1,206.8 in the 2018 – 2022 period, which represents a 21.14% increase.

Next is Georgia, which saw a 20.04% increase in the number of car crash fatalities in the state. From 2013 – 2017, there was an average of 1,374.4 car crash fatalities, and from 2018 – 2022, there was an average of 1,649.8 car crash fatalities.

Ranking sixth is Washington, which saw an increase of 19.86%. The average number of deaths from car crashes in the 2013 – 2017 period was 509.6, and the average number of fatalities in the 2018 – 2022 period was 610.8.

Florida is in seventh place. In this state, there was an average of 2,825.4 car crash fatalities from 2013 – 2017 and an average of 3,383.4 fatalities from 2018 – 2022, the largest averages in this top ten listing. This growth represents an increase of 19.75%.

Colorado saw the eighth-largest increase in car crash fatalities, with an increase of 19.22%. In the 2013 – 2017 period, there was an average of 554.6 car crash deaths. In the 2018 – 2022 period, there was an average of 661.2 deaths from car crashes.

The penultimate entry on this list is Virginia, which saw an increase of 18.07% in car crash fatalities. From 2013 – 2017, there was an average of 759.2 fatalities and an average of 896.4 fatalities during 2018 – 2022.

The final entry in the ten states with the biggest increase in car crash fatalities is South Carolina. The state saw an increase of 17.96%. From 2013 – 2017, the average fatalities from car crashes numbered 915.6. In the 2018 – 2022 period, the average number was 1,080.

Some states saw a reduction in the number of car crash fatalities.

In Pennsylvania, there was a decrease of -2.41%. In this state, the average number of car crash fatalities from 2013 – 2017 was 1,186. This fell to an average of 1,157.4 for the 2018 – 2022 period.

New York saw the next largest reduction, with a decrease of -2.78%. During the 2013 – 2017 period, there was an average 1,085.2 car crash fatalities, which fell to 1,055 during the 2018 – 2022 period.

In West Virginia, the average number of car crash deaths between 2013 – 2017 was 289, falling to 273 between 2018 – 2022, representing a decrease of -5.54%.

North Dakota saw the greatest reduction in car crash fatalities. From 2013 – 2017, the average number of car crash fatalities was 128.6, falling to 100.8 in the 2018 – 2022 period, a decrease of -21.62%.

10 States with the biggest increase in car crash fatalities

Source:

Methodology:

Vehicle fatality data was collected from 2013-2022 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website. This data was grouped by State, and the total number of fatalities for each year was calculated. 

The average number of fatalities for 5-year periods was calculated. (2013-2017) and (2018-2022)

Finally, the percentage change of these averages was calculated and then ranked it to determine which states have had the largest increase.