With the aggressive drivers, high levels of congestion and never-ending construction on our roads (the list goes on…), driving in South Florida is no easy task. So it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that both Miami and Fort Lauderdale have been named among the most dangerous places to drive in the U.S., according to recent data.
Life360, a family location safety app, analyzed 60 billion data points of its member’s behaviors behind the wheel, focusing on the following key indicators: crashes, speeding, hard breaking and rapid acceleration.
The two cities topped the list for having the riskiest driving habits, with Fort Lauderdale specifically ranking second across the nation for rapid acceleration.
The study also dubs Florida “The Crash Capital,” as it has the highest percentage of crashes of any state due to frequent rapid acceleration and hard braking. It adds that Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville and Fort Lauderdale make up five of the top eight most crash-prone cities in America. I mean, can we really say we’re surprised?
Other states like California top the nation in aggressive driving, with cities like Riverside, San Diego, Anaheim and Los Angeles listed among the top five worst offenders for rapid acceleration and speeding. Arizona, on the other hand, is the overall worst city in the nation when it comes to speeding, regardless if it’s on urban highways or rural roads.
Additionally, North Carolina topped the list at No. 1 for hard braking and No. 2 for crashes, making it one of the riskiest places to be on the road. See the map below:
So, it’s not just the Sunshine State. Life360’s findings also reveal that 86% of surveyed drivers across the U.S. admitted they have been distracted by technology while driving, and 27% have changed their clothes or applied makeup behind the wheel. The full driving safety report can be found here.