When you read about the millions of injuries that occur every year in car accidents across the United States, it can feel as though you have little cause for concern. After all, the United States is a big place with a big population to match, surely it isn’t that bad.
However, it is important to remember car accidents don’t choose people, and they certainly don’t choose places. The statistics you read about on the news can easily happen close to home.
At Fetterman & Associates, PA, we are dedicated to serving injured victims of car accidents in St. Lucie County, Florida by providing the services of an experienced St. Lucie car accident lawyer. Aside from this, we also want to go above and beyond by ensuring that fewer accidents happen on our roads.
Read through these car accident statistics from St. Lucie County, Florida, and keep them in mind the next time you get behind the wheel.
Overview of Car Accidents in Florida
While nationwide data is yet to be released for 2020 or later, the analysis released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for 2019 ranked Florida as the state with the 13th highest rate of deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes (per 100,000 members of the population). The fatalities totaled 3,183.
According to the data collected by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), this number only increased in 2020: 3,332 people were killed on Florida roads, 4.62% more than the previous year.
Here are a few more statistics about the state’s roadway accidents in 2020, as reported by the FLHSMV:
- Total crashes — 341,399 (-15.05% compared to 2019)
- Drivers involved — 569,182 (-17.45%)
- Average crashes per day — 933 (-15.26%)
- Mileage death rate (per 100 million vehicle miles traveled) — 1.60 (+11.35%)
- Fatal crashes — 3,098 (+4.98%)
- Hit and run crashes (included in total crashes) — 92,247 (-12.88%)
- Hit and run fatalities (included in fatalities) — 256 (+17.97%)
- Incapacitating injury crashes — 12,462 (-12.56%)
- Incapacitating injuries — 15,614 (-13.56%)
- Other injury crashes — 127,705 (-16.41%)
- Other injuries — 196,818 (-16.87%)
- Property damage only — 198,134 (-14.56%)
A worrying thing to note is that this data follows a trend seen in other states across the country: fatalities on the road increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, despite fewer vehicles on the road and fewer crashes overall. Possible reasons put forth for this phenomenon was an increase in risky driving behaviors such as speeding, neglecting to wear a seatbelt, or driving under the influence.
St. Lucie Car Accidents
Port St. Lucie, situated in the heart of Florida’s Treasure Coast, is a place that many of us call home. As such, it can be unsettling to learn about car accidents within the county, as they could have affected someone you know. This only underlines the importance of always engaging in safe driving practices to reduce the risk to yourself and to your community.
Here is an overview of 2020 car accident statistics in St. Lucie County, as compiled by the FLHSMV. The data listed here account for crashes that occurred between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020, as finalized on October 19, 2021.
- All crashes — 4,713 (-2.00% compared to 2019)
- Fatalities — 49 (+28.95%)
- Injuries from all crashes — 2,657 (-10.45%)
- Total fatal crashes — 44
- Total injury crashes — 1,799
- Total hit and run crashes — 1,133
- Total hit and run fatalities — 2
- Total hit and run injuries — 218
- Percentage of all crashes investigated by each law enforcement agency — Florida Highway Patrol 18.27% (861), Sheriff Department 18.69% (881), Police Department 63.04 (2,971)
Crashes Involving Drugs and Alcohol
Driving under the influence is one of the leading causes of car accidents worldwide, because of the driver’s impaired senses and diminished capability to react quickly to oncoming collisions. The FLHSMV records crash statistics involving drivers and non-motorists (any person other than an occupant of a motor vehicle in transport) that:
- had a Blood Alcohol Content greater than 0.00 (alcohol confirmed), or
- who tested positive for drugs at the time of the crash (drug confirmed), or
- both (drug and alcohol confirmed)
The 2020 crash statistics for Port St. Lucie are as follows:
- Alcohol-confirmed crashes — 54 (+35.00% compared to 2019)
- Alcohol-confirmed fatalities — 6 (+200.00%)
- Alcohol-confirmed injuries — 23 (+53.33%)
- Drug-confirmed crashes — 8 (+33.33%)
- Drug-confirmed fatalities — 5 (-16.67%)
- Drug-confirmed injuries — 8 (-11.11%)
- Drug and alcohol-confirmed crashes — 5 (+66.67%)
- Drug and alcohol-confirmed fatalities — 6 (0.00%)
- Drug and alcohol-confirmed injuries — 2 (+100.00%)
Crashes Involving Vulnerable Road Users
While cars are the most common motor vehicle on the road, careful consideration must be spared for other road users that are more susceptible to death and injury when a collision happens. This category includes motorcycle drivers and passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and others. These are the vulnerable road user accidents in St. Lucie in 2020, compiled by the FLHSMV:
- Motorcycle crashes — 123 (+18.27% compared to 2019)
- Motorcycle fatalities — 6 (+20.00%)
- Motorcycle injuries — 104 (+15.56%)
- Pedestrian crashes — 86 (-15.69%)
- Pedestrian fatalities — 11 (+175.00%)
- Pedestrian injuries — 71 (-24.47%)
- Bicyclist crashes — 88 (-13.73%)
- Bicyclist fatalities — 0 (-100.00%)
- Bicyclist injuries — 86 (-13.13%)
- Other non-motorist crashes — 7 (-36.36%)
- Other non-motorist fatalities — 0 (0.00%)
- Other non-motorist injuries — 3 (-57.14%)
Crashes Involving Teen and Young Adult Drivers
Younger drivers typically have less experience and skill than older drivers, so they are twice as likely to be involved in accidents. In St. Lucie, there were 1,413 teen and young adult drivers that were involved in crashes in 2020. They are broken down into three age categories by the FLHSMV, as follows:
Drivers aged 15-17:
- Crashes — 206 (-9.25% compared to 2019)
- Fatalities — 1 (+100.00%)
- Injuries — 50 (-10.71%)
Drivers aged 18-20:
- Crashes — 555 (-12.46%)
- Fatalities — 1 (-50.00%)
- Injuries — 123 (-3.91%)
Drivers aged 21-24:
- Crashes — 652 (-8.81%)
- Fatalities — 3 (+200.00%)
- Injuries — 162 (-16.06%)
Injured in a Car Crash? Call an Experienced St. Lucie Car Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one were involved in an accident and were injured due to the negligence of someone else, then you may be entitled to compensation. Call us at Fetterman and Associates, PA to get the assistance of a St. Lucie car accident lawyer who will help you understand your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve. You can reach us at (561) 468-5729 or through our online contact form for a free consultation today.