Orange County Auto Accidents Down, But Numbers Remain Among Highest in Florida Counties

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles compiles auto accident data from across the state and charts trends from these data on an ongoing basis. The most recent accident data on the DHSMV site is from 2009 and shows a drop in the crash rate for Orange County. Orlando personal injury lawyer James O. Cunningham and other Central Florida auto accident lawyers welcomed the news but caution that the accident rate in Orange County is still dangerously high. From a statistical standpoint, Orange County is the fourth-most dangerous county in the state for auto accidents, behind Miami-Dade, Broward and Hillsborough Counties.

All of the top four counties registered lower auto accident rates from 2008 to 2009, which is good news, but much remains to be done to make Florida roadways safer for everyone. Accident rates in Miami-Dade County dropped 1.7 percent from 43,376 accidents in 2008 to 42,244 in 2009. Broward County showed a more modest 0.8 percent drop from 26,417 accidents in 2008 to 25,957 in 2009. Hillsborough County registered a dramatic 10 percent drop in accidents from 20,162 in 2008 to 18,168 in 2009. Finally, Orange County’s accident rate fell from 16,712 in 2008 to 16,092 in 2009, a drop of 3.9 percent.

Any drop in the auto accident rates in Florida is good and very welcome, given our state’s ranking near the top in the country for total number of auto accidents and people injured and killed each year in these accidents. However, Mr. Cunningham would like to remind readers that these numbers are still unacceptably high, and each of 2009’s 16,092 auto accidents in Orange County represents lives that have been altered and lost. Indeed, those accidents claimed 142 lives that year, and 66 of those people were killed in accidents involving alcohol.

If you or a close family member has been hurt in an auto accident caused by a negligent driver, you have a right to seek damages to help pay medical bills, replace lost time at work and compensate you for pain and suffering and other damages. If you want to learn more about your legal options and speak with an experienced Orlando personal injury attorney, call James O. Cunningham today at 888-425-2004 or 407-425-2000 to schedule a free consultation.