Motorcycle Crash Data Analysis
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has officially finalized the data for 2021, and while crash rates have not yet returned to what they were pre-2020, several trends have persisted through the years. One of these being the areas in which motorcycle accidents are most frequent.
Crash Hotspots
The Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard maps out areas in the state where crashes with certain characteristics occur. When looking only at crashes involving motorcyclists and motor scooter riders, counties with higher crashes of this nature include:
- Broward
- Duval
- Hillsborough
- Miami-Dade
- Orange
- Palm Beach
- Pinellas
- Volusia
In 2021, Miami-Dade county recorded the highest number of crashes involving motorcyclists and motor scooter riders. It’s important to note that there was about a 4% increase in these crashes from 2019, and although more serious injuries were reported in that year, fatalities were higher in 2021.
Factors to Consider
Population
Unsurprisingly, the majority of the counties where motorcycle crashes are most frequent have some of the highest populations in the state. However, Volusia County, which has approximately 37% of the population of Palm Beach, had a motorcycle crash rate 15% higher in 2021. Volusia also had more motorcycle crashes than Duval, Orange, and Pinellas counties despite having a significantly smaller population than the three.
Overall Crash Rates
In comparison to overall crash rates in these counties, the skew is fairly consistent with which areas had higher rates of motorcycle crashes. Miami-Dade had higher overall crashes, followed by Broward; however, in terms of percentage of overall crashes, Volusia County had a higher rate of motorcycle crashes comparatively (4.3% of crashes involved motorcycles).
Registered Motorcycles
While looking at population rates and overall crashes can provide important context, it's also helpful to look at the number of registered motorcycles. Among the counties with the highest motorcycle crashes, Volusia County had the highest number of registered motorcycles in Fiscal Year 2021 (65 per 1,000 people), followed by Pinellas County (32 per 1,000 people). Comparatively, Miami-Dade had the lowest number with about 20 per 1,000 people.
This data gives us a general idea as to why the rate of motorcycle crashes compared to overall crashes may be disproportionately higher in Volusia versus Miami-Dade and other counties.
Motorcycle Crash?
Our Florida attorneys are dedicated to helping motorcycle riders and their loved ones seek justice for the injuries and fatalities caused by other negligent individuals on the road. With over 85 years of combined experience, we have the knowledge and skill to help you obtain the highest compensation possible for your case.
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