The nightmarish experience of getting stuck for endless hours in a standstill situation due to a crash on the I-4 is something a lot of people have gone through more than once!

Time and again Interstate 4 has been named as the deadliest highway in the nation.

National statistics

The U.S. Department of Transportation have reported an increase in fatality numbers by a staggering 10 percent since 2015. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, there were 165 deaths on the Interstate 4 between 2011-2015, giving it the infamous tag of being the most deadly highway in the country.

Compiled statistics over the years

Auto Insurance Marketplace EverQuote and its safe-driving app EverDrive have gathered data from a cross-section of US drivers and came up with startling crash statistics on the most lethal highways of the country. While I4 emerged at the top of the list, I-10 running from Florida to Texas and the I-45 that is also in Texas, close behind.

Teletrac Navman went into a detailed study of the crash statistics and broke them down to some very depressing data. It has boiled down to 1.250 death per mile on the I-4. There are also disturbing statistics that have emerged on when individual drivers could get into accidents and perhaps meet death.

I-4 was named the most dangerous American highway in 2017 by the GPS tracking company Teletrac Navman. Using the data of the federal authorities, they have come to the conclusion that I-4 has 1.25 fatalities for each of its miles.

The deadly stretches on I-4

The Orlando section of the I-4 is reported to be the deadliest section with the maximum number of deaths occurring there and the most common date and time of fatalities has emerged to be the 10th of January between 2 to 3 pm. Coming down to even greater details, the 15-mile drive stretching from Champions Gate to Sea World and the stretch between Florida State Fairgrounds and Seminole Hard Rock Casino have been reported to be the most accident-prone.

Further statistics show that 775 crashes have occurred since 2016 on the I-4. Morning 8 am has been reported as the average worst time with August as the worst average month.
Dividing the I-4 up into three section areas of:

• around Tampa
• around Plant city and
• Lakeland to Disney World gives a detailed report on the accident-prone areas tracing from 2016.

In fact, the happiest part of the world also seems to be witnessing the largest number of accidents and fatalities!
Towards the east going through Plant City, 388 crashes have been occurred over the past 22 months with most of them occurring between 4 to 5 pm with, August being the most treacherous month and Sunday being the most dangerous day when fatalities occur.

Why so many accidents on the I-4?

A third of the drivers involved in crashes on the I-4 were in their 20s. Again, statistics show that drivers in the southern states are the most distracted lot. On an average, a Floridan driver checks her/his phone at least 1.4 times per car trip – higher than the national average of 1.1 times.

Getting distracted when driving like texting or talking on the phone, adjusting the radio or reaching out for snacks and several other activities while driving are known to contribute towards car crash on the I-4. The Orange County is reported to have the highest number of distracted drivers that are directly related to crashes taking place on the I-4.
In August 2017, Florida was assessed by SmartAsset to have the worst drivers in the country and the second lowest state having insured drivers (76.2 percent) in the country. They were also found to rank the highest Googling “traffic ticket” in the country.

Get live update on I-4 crashes

You can get regular crash updates on the I-4 or any other US highway by logging on to the official site of Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) https://www.fdot.gov/safety/11a-safetyengineering/crash-data/crash-data.shtm. It states, By law, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) is the official custodian of the crash reports and is responsible for statewide crash data collection and dissemination. The numbers they report are the official numbers.

Top lawyer’s take on I-4 accidents

Florida lawyer Avita Samaroo who is a top Personal Injury and Accident Claims lawyer on the I-4 says that there is a continual rise in the number of crash victims that are suffering injuries of different degrees on this corridor. According to advocate Samaroo, improper lane changing is among the most common causes of crashes leading to frequent rear-ending.

“A phenomenal increase in traffic on the I-4 and change in traffic patterns are also responsible for creating newer and more dangerous driving issues. It is best to avoid this corridor during the rainy season,” advocated Samaroo added.