Palm Beach crash data: 51,181 in 2022. How we're doing in 2023 with teen drivers, motorcycles
With funding help from Florida's traffic records coordinating committee, the University of Florida's Signal Four Analytics interactive map for car crashes in the state of Florida has worked with the state's Department of Transportation to collect data on collisions throughout the state for the last 11 years.
The data that UF and the FDOT have compiled for this year was last updated in April and shows that intersections are the most common spot for car crash-related injuries and deaths in Palm Beach County for the sixth year in a row.
The higher rate of deaths and injuries at intersections is most likely due to the higher concentration of pedestrian activity at intersections than on sidewalks or roadsides. Florida places second nationally, right behind New Mexico, for yearly pedestrian deaths.
According to yearly pedestrian safety data collected by the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America from 2016 through 2020, for every 100,000 pedestrians around Florida's roads, over 3,000 lives are taken.
Car crash data: One road linked nearly half of Palm Beach County's most dangerous intersections in 2022
Which intersections in Palm Beach County have the most car crashes?
According to 2022 Palm Beach County traffic statistics, Palm Beach County drivers are most likely to crash on intersections on a 15-mile stretch along Military Trail.
The intersection of Military Trail and Forest Hill Boulevard in Palm Springs had 100 car crashes in 2022, nine more car crashes than the second most-dangerous intersection, Military Trail and PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens.
10 Palm Beach County intersections with the most crashes
Military Trail and Forest Hill Boulevard, Palm Springs, 100 crashes
Military Trail and PGA Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, 91 crashes
Military Trail and Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, 84 crashes
(tie) Atlantic and Congress avenues and Atlantic Avenue and Interstate 95, both in Delray Beach, 82 crashes
Military Trail and Atlantic Avenue, Delray Beach, 79 crashes
Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard and Robbins Drive, West Palm Beach, 79 crashes
Military Trail and Northlake Boulevard, Palm Beach Gardens, 76 crashes
(tie) State Road 7 and Forest Hill Boulevard, Wellington, and Congress Avenue and 45th Street, West Palm Beach, 74 crashes
According to UF's Signal Four Analytics map, there were 890 serious injuries and 215 deaths due to car crashes in Palm Beach County during 2021. The same map shows that in 2022, the number of injuries dropped by 74, to 816, while the number of fatalities rose by 5, to 220.
Most dangerous intersections: Intersections in Wellington, Delray Beach tied for most crashes during 2021, county figures show
His passenger died when his car crashed: Here's how a Delray-area man fared in court.
How many car crashes have there been in Palm Beach County during 2023?
UF's Florida car crash data shows that Palm Beach County saw 51,181 car crashes in 2022, a monthly average of over 4,200 car crashes. The data for 2023, through the month of April, shows a decrease in the monthly average so far, with 14,310 car crashes recorded through April of this year, a monthly average of just under 3,600 collisions.
Both years, violations at intersections were the leading cause of the county's collisions. In 2022, crashes at intersections contributed over 330 injuries to the 816 total for that year and 78 of the 220 total fatalities.
UF's data shows that there have been over 230 total crash-related injuries recorded so far in 2023, with 115 of them coming from intersection collisions. Of the 59 car crash fatalities recorded in the county so far this year, 27 of them were because of intersection collisions.
What are the leading causes of Palm Beach County car crashes in 2023?
According to UF's 2023 data for Palm Beach County, the second most common cause for collisions in Palm Beach County is aging drivers. "Aging road users" have been the cause behind 82 of the 237 serious injuries 21 of the 59 fatalities recorded so far this year.
Here are the seven leading causes of Palm Beach County car crashes from Jan. 1, 2023 through April 8, 2023:
Intersections - 115 serious injuries, 27 fatalities
Aging road users - 82 serious injuries, 21 fatalities
Lane departures - 63 serious injuries, 22 fatalities
Pedestrians and bicyclists - 53 serious injuries, 14 fatalities
Teen drivers - 34 serious injuries, 6 fatalities
Speeding and aggressive driving - 33 serious injuries, 9 fatalities
Motorcyclists and motor scooter riders - 29 serious injuries, 6 fatalities
An earlier version of this story included data for the most dangerous intersections for 2021, not 2022.
Lianna Norman covers trending news in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her reporting on social media@LiannaNorman on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Car crashes in Palm Beach, Florida in 2023: teen, senior driver data
