The Most Dangerous Highways in Florida

Three men died in September when their pickup trucks were struck on the shoulder of I-95 by an out of control car.   On the day of this writing, traffic on I-95 was halted by a crash involving a police car.

In fact, I-95 has been rated the most dangerous stretch of highway in the United States, leading to estimates of between 627 and 667 fatal accidents between 2004 and 2008, which amounts to an average of about 1.73 accidents per mile of roadway.   When one adds the number of severe but non-fatal injuries, and the families, friends and co-workers of those killed and injured, the damage is vast.

What makes I-95 so dangerous?

Part of it may be the design of the road.  For example, US 92 merges onto I-95 South from the left side, an unusual and therefore unexpected merging that is unsafe.

Driving while intoxicated, distracted driving, speeding of up to 95 miles per hour, and driving without a seatbelt are all factors that add to the risk of driving on this highway. These dangerous risk factors, when combined with the unusually high volume of traffic on I-95, make for an often deadly combination.

Route I-4 is not too far below I-95 in terms of danger.   As one of the main roads cutting across central Florida, it has seen massive congestion because of the development of the numerous theme parks in the Orlando area.   As with I-95, the high traffic volume, combined with the other major risk factors for automobile accidents, makes I-4 a dangerous highway to be driven on with extra care.