Unfortunately, stereo types exist for a reason -- even if those reasons are often politically incorrect.
In the case of Florida drivers, we've once again (for a second consecutive year, that is) earned our reputation for terrible drivers according to Smart Asset's 2017 study.
The analysis says is all:
Florida is often plagued with a reputation for bad drivers. The numbers seem to show that this might, in fact, be true. Floridians google “speeding tickets” and “traffic tickets” more than any other state. They also have the second lowest number of insured drivers in the nation.
We've earned our rank by having:
- 2nd lowest percentage of insured drivers nationally: 76.2 percent
- 9th highest rate of citations
- 9th highest rate of fatalities
I mean, think about it: TONS of people on the road do things without signaling, looking or seemingly caring (sorry, that wasn't part of the study...just my two cents). Practically every time I get on the road I can point out several illegal maneuvers.
It is pretty alarming when you consider that nearly one in four cars on the road isn't even minimally insured.
When nearly a quarter of drivers aren't abiding by the law when they get behind the wheel, why would we expect them to start minding the store otherwise?
This speaks to Florida's, especially south Florida's, extremely high auto insurance costs. We are essentially among the highest risk drivers in the country.