Life in Miami moves at a fast pace. Unfortunately, the same frenzy of activity that makes Miami so exciting and attractive often carries over to its roads.

Drivers often become impatient and aggressive when faced with Miami’s congested roads and bumper-to-bumper traffic. As a result, car accidents in Miami are incredibly common. In fact, statistics show that Miami-Dade County is one of the most dangerous areas in Florida for drivers.

Contents

1 Miami Leads the State in Total Crashes
2 Miami Car Accidents Resulting in Physical Injury
3 Miami Car Accidents Causing Property Damage
4 Car Accidents Involving Bicyclists and Pedestrians in Miami
5 Miami Is Home to Some of the State’s Most Dangerous Roads
6 Contact a Miami Car Crash Attorney

Miami Leads the State in Total Crashes

There are more car accidents reported in Miami-Dade County than anywhere else in the state of Florida. Broward County and Orange County often have the next highest numbers of crashes. The pandemic significantly reduced the number of cars on the road. That’s reflected in the significant decrease in crashes in 2020 and 2021.

Reported Car Accidents in Miami, 2014-2021

Car accidents in Miami rose nearly 10 percent between 2014 and 2017. Then, there was a slight dip in 2018. After a jump back up in 2019, the number decreased significantly in 2020 due to less traffic during the pandemic. Unfortunately, statistics indicate that crash numbers seem to be rebounding in 2021, with a 6% increase over 2020.

2014: 60,191
2015: 63,523
2016: 64,118
2017: 65,986
2018: 64,627
2019: 65,143
2020: 51,543
2021: 54,749 (as of December 2, 2021)

However, despite a nearly 26% decrease in the number of crashes in Miami between 2019 and 2020, there were more fatalities in 2020 than in 2019. Unfortunately, this upward trend of fatalities from crashes continued in 2021.

Fatal Crashes in Miami, 2014-2021

Fatal crashes have increased a staggering 14% between 2014 and 2021. This percentage could still increase since there is nearly a month left in 2021.

2014: 269 fatal crashes, 281 fatalities
2015: 316 fatal crashes, 340 fatalities
2016: 281 fatal crashes, 296 fatalities
2017: 270 fatal crashes, 285 fatalities
2018: 273 fatal crashes, 293 fatalities
2019: 282 fatal crashes, 298 fatalities
2020: 205 fatal crashes, 314 fatalities

As of December 2, 2021, there have been 294 fatal crashes and 320 fatalities in Miami-Dade.

Miami Car Accidents Resulting in Physical Injury

Car accidents can be incredibly violent and have devastating consequences for those involved, even when they are not fatal. Physical injuries can cause long-lasting pain and require costly medical treatment.

Car Accidents Resulting in Injury, 2014-2021

Statistics show that approximately one-third of all car accidents in Miami result in at least one physical injury.

2014: 21,203 (35.2 percent of total crashes)
2015: 21,815 (34.3 percent of total crashes)
2016: 21,658 (33.8 percent of total crashes)
2017: 21,571 (32.7 percent of total crashes)
2018: 21,117 (32.6 percent of total crashes)
2019: 21,375 (32.8 percent of total crashes)
2020: 16,459 (31.9 percent of total crashes)

As of December 2, 2021, there have been 17,027 crashes (31 percent of total crashes) resulting in physical injury.

Total Injuries Reported Following Miami Car Accidents, 2014-2021

It’s also important to note that most car accidents don’t just leave one victim suffering from an injury. It’s common for multiple people to sustain injuries in a Miami crash.

2014: 31,763 injuries
2015: 32,798 injuries
2016: 33,418 injuries
2017: 32,389 injuries
2018: 31,270 injuries
2019: 31,698 injuries
2020: 24,228 injuries

As of December 2, 2021, 25,180 people have been injured in Miami-Dade car crashes.

Miami Car Accidents Causing Property Damage

Car accidents in Miami don’t just cause physical, emotional, and psychological injuries. Crashes can also do a great deal of damage to vehicles and surrounding property. Most car accidents in Miami cause more than $1,000 in damage to property.

Car Accidents Resulting in Property Damage, 2014-2019

2014: 38,719 (64.3 percent of all accidents)
2015: 41,392 (65.2 percent of all accidents)
2016: 42,179 (65.8 percent of all accidents)
2017: 44,144 (66.9 percent of all accidents)
2018: 43,177 (66.8 percent of all accidents)
2019: 43,486 (66.7 percent of all accidents)

Information is not yet available through 2021. During the last few years for which data are available, from 2017-2019, roughly two-thirds of all accidents resulted in property damage.

Car Accidents Involving Bicyclists and Pedestrians in Miami

Miami’s beautiful weather and climate make it a fantastic place to ditch the car and opt for alternative modes of transportation. It’s common to see Miami’s roads populated with people walking and riding bicycles.

Since cars are driven right alongside pedestrians and bicyclists, accidents happen quite frequently.

Miami Car Accidents Involving Bicyclists, 2014-2021

Thanks to new safety initiatives and dedicated infrastructure, the number of accidents involving bicyclists has actually decreased significantly in recent years when compared to 2014. However, fatalities have not decreased at the level you might expect with a declining number of crashes.

2014: 989, resulting in 18 deaths
2015: 895, resulting in 18 deaths
2016: 758, resulting in 17 deaths
2017: 805, resulting in 14 deaths
2018: 822, resulting in 20 deaths
2019: 828, resulting in 16 deaths
2020: 757, resulting in 15 deaths

There have been 691 reported bicycle accidents, 15 of which were fatal, in Miami-Dade county as of December 2, 2021.

Miami Car Accidents Involving Pedestrians, 2014-2021

After a welcome decrease in pedestrian crashes between 2015 and 2016, the number of accidents jumped back up in 2017. There was a steady rise through 2019. The number of accidents dipped in 2020, likely due to decreased cars on the road during the pandemic. Accidents rose again slightly in 2021.

2014: 1,522 accidents, resulting in 77 deaths
2015: 1,605 accidents, resulting in 93 deaths
2016: 1,405 accidents, resulting in 84 deaths
2017: 1,546 accidents, resulting in 58 deaths
2018: 1,589 accidents, resulting in 107 deaths
2019: 1,644 accidents, resulting in 93 deaths
2020: 1,221 accidents, resulting in 84 deaths

There have been 1,282 pedestrian accidents, 83 of which were fatal, through December 2, 2021.

Miami Is Home to Some of the State’s Most Dangerous Roads

According to a recent study, Miami is home to 4 of the 15 most dangerous stretches of road in the state of Florida. There are more crashes and fatalities on these specific stretches of road than anywhere else in the state.

I-95 Express Toll in Little River, Miami: This 3.85 mile stretch of road is actually the most dangerous place to drive in the entire state of Florida with a rate of 7.01 fatalities per mile.

I-95 in North Miami: This 7.88 mile stretch of road has a rate of 6.60 fatalities per mile.

NW 54th Street: This stretch of road, measuring less than 2 miles, has a rate of 5.08 fatalities per mile.

NW 7th Street: This 2.56 mile stretch of road in downtown Miami has a rate of 4.69 fatalities per mile.