With much legislative and media focus on curbing the impact of driving behaviors such as drunk driving or distracted driving, it can be easy for motorists in Florida to overlook the impact that speeding and aggressive driving has on making the state’s roadways less safe for all motorists. In fact, recent statistics from Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles show that speeding and aggressive driving is a major factor in a large percentage of the state’s auto accidents.
The figures from 2016 – the most recent that have been compiled – show that speeding and aggressive driving were implicated in more than 10 percent of Florida’s fatal crashes. That year, there were 2,935 crashes that resulted in 3,176 fatalities in Florida. Of these accidents, speeding and aggressive driving was implicated in 393, or nearly 14 percent of the state’s fatal crashes.
Of course, not all accidents are fatal, but speeding and aggressive driving play a role in all types of crashes. Statewide, in 2016, there were 395,785 crashes involving 668,699 drivers. These include 165,940 injury crashes resulting in 254,155 injuries, including 21,645 incapacitating injuries. Of the accidents that included citations for speeding or aggressive driving, 1,389 caused incapacitating injuries, and more than 10,000 other types of injuries.
In 2016, the were 27,660 total crashes in Hillsborough County alone. Of this total, 21,280 resulted in injuries and 228 were fatal. While speeding and aggressive driving statistics were not available at the county level in the FHSMV annual report, it is certain that these behaviors played a significant role in the area’s car, truck and motorcycle accidents. Anyone who has been the victim of an accident caused by a speeding or aggressive driver should seek the advice of an experienced personal injury attorney.
