Pinellas County Has One Of The Deadliest Roads In Florida

US 19 spans the entire state of FL. It is one of Pinellas County's busiest roads, but unfortunately it also holds the title as Pinellas County's deadliest roads. Between 2020-2022, 94 deaths have been reported on US19 in Pinellas County. Pasco County comes in second with 68 deaths. 

Data reporter, Dieter Holger explains that it is important to pay attention and look closely to why these deaths are happening. “Really what it comes down to is human error is the biggest contributing factor as a spokesperson for the department of transportation told us,” he said. “94% of serious crashes involve human error.” Too many families have lost loved ones on this dangerous road. 

According to WFLA, the Florida Department of Transportation is currently working on a 6 year, $240 million project to address the US19 issue. This project is focused on increasing the capacity of the road while decrease the congestion. The plan is to change the current six-lane divided highway to a six-lane controlled access roadway with one-way frontage roads in both directions. 

This would run parallel to US 19 between SR 580 and CR 95. They also plan to add an underpass dedicated to pedestrian safety. This would be located between Evans Rd and Republic Dr. There are also plans for a new pedestrian bridge over US 19 at Northside Drive. 

According to FOX 35, Pinellas Country (US-19) is the deadliest, followed by Pasco County (US-19), Broward County (I-95), Orange County (US-1), Brevard County (US-1), and then Hillsborough County (US-41.) Drinking, distracted driving and speeding were the leading contributors to the fatal collisions.

We all know how bad the traffic is here in Florida.Whether it's a biker weaving through traffic on the 275 or some nutjob riding the shoulder at rush hour blowing past emergency vehicles at 95. It’s confirmed, Florida has 6 of the deadliest counties for traffic fatalities in the United States.

A new report was recently released by ConvoyCarShipping.com listing the deadliest counties for traffic fatalities in the United States. The report says the team “sought out the U.S. counties with the highest rate of traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2022 using data from the Fatalities Analysis Reporting System (FARS).” And, is based on the Forbes Advisor ranking for the cities with the worst drivers. 

Out of the top 20 counties in the country, Florida claims 6 spots which is more than any other state in the US. With one person killed in a car accident every 12 minutes, there are about 40,000 deaths per year involving traffic incidents throughout the country.

Convoy split the deadliest counties into 4 different categories. They focused on population sizes of (0-19,999), (20,000-149,999), (150,000-499,999), and (500,000+). For the purposes of our list, we’re highlighting the 6 counties within the highest category of 500,000+.

Not only did they find the deadliest counties for traffic in the United States, but Convoy also included the deadliest major US highway or interstate within each county during the five-year period. Just a few weeks ago, we shared a Forbes list of the cities with the worst drivers in the country and once again, Florida cities made the cut.

Earlier this year, there was a fatal accident on East Bay with two people dying. A man was driving through Largo, Florida at 92 miles per hour when he struck a vehicle in the intersection killing the two passengers in the car he hit. 

Drivers have gotten so bad around Tampa Bay that law enforcement has started to use completely unmarked vehicles. The Mustang GT, Toyota Camry, Toyota Rav 4, and more everyday civilian vehicles are being used to blend in to catch dangerous drivers.

Volusia County was the 1st overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 579,192

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 648

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 11.19

Deadliest Road In County: US-1

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 82

Polk County was the 4th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 787,404

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 675

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.57

Deadliest Road In County: US-27 & SR-60

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 70

Pasco County was the 5th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 608,794

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 515

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.46

Deadliest Road In County: US-19

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 112

Duval County was the 6th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 1,016,536

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 830

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.16

Deadliest Road In County: US-90

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 91

Hillsborough County was the 16th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 1,513,301

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 1,069

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 7.06

Deadliest Road In County: US-41

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 101

Pasco County was the 5th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 630,693

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 435

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 6.9

Deadliest Road In County: US-1

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 96