Florida’s a big state, so we’d expect more accidents and everything that comes along with them. But the size of our state doesn’t excuse the large numbers of felonies being carried out on our roads. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has started a public awareness campaign after a record number of hit-and-run crashes in 2019. As part of an awareness campaign, they’re highlighting that it’s a felony to leave the scene of a crash where somebody is hurt or if there is any property damage. Part of our problem stems from the felonies many are already guilty of by virtue of legal status and driving unlawfully in the first place. I digress, but the issue of illegal motorists on our roads is a known issue.
First, just how much worse are our problems than the rest of the country? The average auto insurance rate is 52% higher in Florida. So, our problems are generally 52% worse. When it comes to the hit-and-run issue, it’s huge and growing. Last year, the number of hit and runs were 105,000. That’s an increase of 14% in five years.
Clearly a bad trend that’s showing no sign of improving, especially with ongoing population growth. But here's the thing. We’re now averaging 288 hit-and-run crashes per day in Florida. That’s 12 per hour and it costs all of us more with higher auto insurance rates. Even worse, hundreds of deaths are also a result of these crashes. The scorecard for South Florida looks like this:
- Broward: 12,100
- Miami-Dade: 20,000
- Palm Beach: 7,500
In the tri-county area, we account for 38% of all hit-and-runs. We have 29% of the population. That means we’re 31% more likely to be victims of hit-and-run crashes in South Florida, on a relative basis, then the rest of our state. If you’re attempting to take preventative action, minimize the amount of time you’re driving in the dark. State statistics suggest you’re more than twice as likely to become a victim if a crash occurs in the dark.
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