These Are Florida's Deadliest Roads, According To New Study

FLORIDA — U.S. Route 19 in Pinellas County is the deadliest road in Florida, according to a new study citing state and federal data.

A new study by consumer review website ConsumerAffairs revealed where the most fatalities occur on Florida’s roads in all 58 counties by analyzing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation.

To determine which roads were most dangerous, researchers looked at data from 2020 to 2022 to see where fatal accidents happened and what factors contributed to the crashes. According to the study, the most recent data from 2022 was released this year.

As a result, US-19 earned the No. 1 spot on the list of the top 10 deadliest Florida roads by county. Ninety-four people died on US-19 from 2020 to 2022, according to the study.

Here's a look at the top 10 deadliest roads by county:

1. U.S. Route 19 in Pinellas County

• Fatalities: 94
• Fatalities with drinking: 12 (13%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 7 (7%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 4 (4%)

2. U.S. Route 19 in Pasco County

• Fatalities: 68
• Fatalities with drinking: 11 (16%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 8 (12%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 4 (6%)

3. Interstate 95 in Broward County

• Fatalities: 62
• Fatalities with drinking: 10 (16%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 3 (5%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 3 (5%)

4. State Road 50 in Orange County

• Fatalities: 61
• Fatalities with drinking: 9 (15%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 13 (21%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 6 (10%)

5. U.S. Route 1 in Brevard County

• Fatalities: 60
• Fatalities with drinking: 8 (13%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 5 (8%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 3 (5%)

6. U.S. Route 41 in Hillsborough County

• Fatalities: 59
• Fatalities with drinking: 11 (19%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 7 (12%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 6 (10%)

7. U.S. Route 41 in Lee County

• Fatalities: 59
• Fatalities with drinking: 15 (25%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 4 (7%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 8 (14%)

8. Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County

• Fatalities: 56
• Fatalities with drinking: 7 (13%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 5 (9%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 4 (7%)

9. U.S. Route 1 in Miami-Dade County

• Fatalities: 49
• Fatalities with drinking: 3 (6%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 0
• Fatalities with speeding: 0

10. U.S. Route 90 in Duval County

• Fatalities: 48
• Fatalities with drinking: 10 (21%)
• Fatalities with distracted driving: 2 (4%)
• Fatalities with speeding: 2 (4%)

Find the deadliest road in your county via the searchable table here.

ConsumerAffairs' study found drinking, distracted driving and speeding were the most prevalent factors in fatal crashes.

Among Florida’s 10 deadliest roads by county, U.S. Route 41 in Lee County ranked highest for crashes in which a driver had a positive blood alcohol test and crashes involving drivers exceeding the speed limit. State Road 50 ranked highest for distracted driving.

U.S. Route 1 earned the top spot for the deadliest Florida road overall. Since 2020, 394 people have died in crashes on US-1.

Meanwhile, Polk County was the deadliest area for driving among Florida’s 10 most populous counties with 23 fatalities per 100,000 licensed drivers in 2022.

Deaths from car collisions spiked in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic but decreased in 2022 and have continued to fall, according to the study. In 2023, there were around 19 deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers, down slightly from between 19 and 20 deaths in 2022 and down sharply from around 21 in 2021, according to early government estimates.

However, the numbers are still higher than they were before the pandemic. In 2018, there were around 18 deaths per 100,000 licensed drivers. Overall traffic fatalities were also lower that year than in 2023 at 3,135 versus 3,436.