Drew Dixon
It’s no secret Florida is reliant on the billions of dollars spent by tourists visiting the Sunshine State every year. But a new analysis says the peak of tourist season in Florida makes roads more dangerous.
A five-year study of crash data on Florida roads from 2018 to 2023 indicates that there are more accidents in March than any other time of the year. During that month, the number of tourists visiting the state is at a peak. The study showed there was a 12% jump in serious car crashes in Florida in March compared to other times of the year.
Fasig Brooks Law Offices, based in Tallahassee, looked at accident figures from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles pertaining to the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities. The firm found that tourists make driving more dangerous on roadways throughout the state.
“March is the month that Florida is flooded with college students who visit from out of state to celebrate their spring break from classes,” commented Jimmy Fasig, a lawyer at the firm.
Based on this information, it can be inferred that the influx of college students is what makes the roads more dangerous this time of year, the analysis concluded. In March of last year alone there were 36,280 car crashes in Florida. March 2022 saw even higher numbers, when there were 36,556 wrecks. The most dangerous March in the past half decade was March 2018, when there were 36,793 accidents in the state.
December is another month when many tourists flock to Florida, and from 2019 through 2021, March was the second-most dangerous month in the state, behind December. But December usually brings more family-friendly tourists to the state. Given that, March is generally still more hazardous than any other time of the year on Florida roads, the study found.
“This hypothesis is supported by the fact that many of the auto accidents that happen in March involve serious injuries and fatalities, both of which are associated with drunk driving, an offense committed by many college students who leave spring break parties intoxicated,” Fasig said.
Accidents fall off more in the most inhospitable time of the year: the brutally hot month of August, when even visitors try to soak up air-conditioned rooms indoors. August of last year saw 32,408 accidents in Florida, substantially lower than the March figure.
“While 32,408 may seem like a lot of accidents at first, it becomes clear that August is a much safer month for drivers since the crashes that do occur rarely include serious injuries or fatalities,” the Fasig Brooks analysis concluded.
