Tampa Bay Auto Accident Statistics

Tampa Bay Auto Accident Statistics

A recent article from the Tampa Bay Times highlighted the latest Tampa Bay Auto Accident Statistics based on a new study*:

  • One more likely to get into an auto accident during the day, but more likely to be killed in a car accident at night.
  • Far more auto accidents are caused by drivers making left turns at intersections than motorists who rear-end other vehicles or drift out of their lane.
  • More Tampa Bay drivers get distracted by things outside their vehicles than by their cellphones.

The Most Dangerous Intersections

Statistically, the Pinellas County the intersections with the most motor vehicle accidents correlated with the most heavily traveled roads of the county: U.S. 19 and Interstate 275. The county’s intersections with the most crashes were along those two roadways.

In Hillsborough the most crash-prone locations include intersections on heavily traveled Dale Mabry Highway Fowler Avenue, Fletcher Avenue, Waters Avenue, Hillsborough Avenue as well as Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and Brandon Boulevard.

Types of Accidents

Over half of Pinellas County’s 106 motor vehicle accident deaths in 2012 were pedestrians, bicyclists or motorcyclists.

The Pinellas County intersections with the majority of pedestrian deaths featured wider, six-lane roads such as Ulmerton Road, Starkey Road, Belcher Road, East Bay Drive, Seminole Boulevard as well as 66th Street N.

On the other side of Tampa Bay in Hillsborough County, pedestrians and bicyclists accounted for 31 percent of traffic deaths.

Speeding Causes Accidents

Regardless of any potential hot-button issues such as red-light cameras, the vast majority of car accidents are caused by drivers that are going too fast and not paying attention.

Nighttime Crashes Are More Severe

More severe crashes tend to happen at night: While only 22% of all Pinellas County accidents happened at night, 56% of all fatal accidents happened at night.

Hillsborough County follows a similar pattern: while less than 30% of all accidents happened at night, 60% of all fatal crashes happened at night.

Additional Auto Accident Statistics

Hillsborough County:

  • Nearly 35% of crashes involved drivers making left turns, while 26% involved rear-end accidents, and 18% involved lane departure crashes.
  • 77% of severe crashes occurred on roads with speed limits of 45 mph or higher.

Pinellas County:

  • Less than 7% of all crashes involved intoxication, however 46% of its fatal crashes involved intoxication.
  • Nearly 30% of crashes involved people between 15 and 34 years of age.
  • Only 11% of crashes involved people 65 or older.

For both Counties, the highest numbers of crashes occur in October, November and December.

John Bales Attorneys want to remind everyone to drive safely.

*Pinellas County officials analyzed almost 18,000 traffic accidents from 2012. Hillsborough County officials analyzed almost 11,000 accidents from 2006 to 2010 that caused deaths or incapacitating injuries.