South Florida Injury Attorney Blog

Three Florida metropolitan areas top the list of cities where teenage drivers are most likely to crash during the holidays. A study released Dec. 3 by Allstate Insurance identified the top 10 deadliest metropolitan areas for teen drivers during the holidays, as measured by the number of teens who crash between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. The study used the insurer’s own claims data as well as federal crash statistics and data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The results showed three Florida metro areas topping the list of the most dangerous cities. The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area topped the list, followed by Jacksonville and then Orlando-Kissimmee. Other metro areas on the list included Kansas City, Birmingham, Ala., Phoenix and Las Vegas. By contrast, the safest city for teens to drive in during the holidays was Salt Lake City, followed by the San Francisco, Cleveland and Portland, Ore. metro areas. More details are available in MS Excel form here. Pointing out that traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers, Allstate called for teens to pledge to drive safely during the holidays and for states to adopt graduated driver licensing laws, if they have not already done so.

Allstate is right to be concerned about teen drivers, who have less experience than adult drivers with driving in general, alcohol and the challenges of driving in bad weather. But accidents during the holidays should be a concern for drivers of every age. Police agencies set up sobriety checkpoints on holidays for a reason; the probability of intoxicated driving goes up when drivers are going to holiday parties and taking time off work. Unfortunately, teens aren’t the only ones who make bad decisions about alcohol and driving. And when drivers of any age get behind the wheel after drinking (or using drugs), they’re running a substantially greater risk of being involved in accidents that can hurt or kill them and the innocent drivers around them.

As a Florida auto accident lawyer, I encourage drivers of all ages to take traffic safety seriously during the holidays, even if that means turning down one last drink or catching a ride home with someone else. Car and truck accidents can cause wrongful deaths and very serious injuries, including brain damage, severe burns and paralysis. Under those circumstances, it’s hard to feel merry. If you or someone you love has been hurt in a car crash you believe was someone else’s fault, Cohn, Smith & Cohn would like to help. Contact us today for a free consultation on your rights and your case.