What time is the most dangerous to drive in Florida? It goes beyond the rush hour

Driving in Florida is dangerous. We feel that every day on the road.

But statistically, there is a most dangerous time in the day to drive and a most dangerous day of the week to drive in Florida.

A group of personal injury attorneys based in the Sunshine State looked at data from 2017 to 2021 from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles to see which time and day had the highest percentage of people suffering fatal injuries from vehicle crashes.

Here’s what that study by the Schiller Kessler Group at InjuredInFlorida.com revealed:

Most dangerous days and times

▪ The most dangerous time in the day to drive in Florida is 2 a.m.

The SKG report found that statistically at 2 a.m., the most dangerous time to drive in Florida, 693, or 1.35%, of everyone involved in crashes died from their injuries. The wee hours fared the worst with 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. tied at 1.3% of all accident victims suffering fatal injuries. Night and early morning hours were, not surprisingly, more dangerous than daytime. We’re tired from whatever. It’s dark and we can’t see. And we’re Florida drivers. Deadly combination.

▪ The most dangerous day to drive in Florida is Sunday.

On all Sundays between 2017 and 2021, 0.52% of all people involved in road crashes suffered fatal injuries. Saturdays were the second worst day of the week in that regard with 0.46% of car crash victims dying. Fridays and Mondays tied with 0.32%.

Safest days and times

▪ The safest time to drive in Florida, according to the study, was 8 a.m.

That time was determined because fewer people — 338, or 0.14% — involved in crashes had fatal injuries recorded at that time between 2017 and 2021. In second place, 3 p.m. at 0.17%, followed by 7 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., which were all tied at 0.2%.

▪ The safest day of the week to drive in Florida was Wednesday.

On Wednesdays, during the data period, 0.3% of vehicle accident victims died. Tuesday and Thursday were the next safest days, tied at 0.31%.

“While driving in the early hours of the morning and at night may provide clearer roads and shorter journeys, it doesn’t necessarily mean a safer journey. There are more injuries during rush hour than at these times, but the data shows that fatalities are more than five times likely to occur early in the morning by comparison,” said one of the attorneys’ spokespersons in a statement released by InjuredInFlorida.com.

Florida figures on deaths

The Florida Department of Health maintains figures on deaths related to car crashes per 100,000 population. The Miami Herald entered select counties into the state’s health charts for the most current year to have figures, 2021. Here’s what we found.

▪ Florida’s death rate from motor vehicle crashes in 2021 was 17.0, meaning 3,863 people died statewide from injuries sustained in traffic accidents.

▪ Miami-Dade in 2021: 12.2 or 357 people.

▪ Broward in 2021: 16.4 or 331 people.

▪ Palm Beach in 2021: 14.2 or 218 people.

▪ Monroe in 2021: 20.9 or 17 people.

▪ Manatee in 2021: 15.7 or 68 people.