Study: 2 Gulf Coast cities among top for fatal crashes in tourist destinations

Two Gulf Coast cities are among the 10 most dangerous U.S. tourist destinations for deadly crashes, according to a study compiled by a Fort Lauderdale law firm. Blakeley Law Firm, which specializes in car accident and personal injury cases, found that among the top tourist destinations, Sarasota and Fort Myers had among the highest rates of fatal crashes per 100,000 people.

To conduct its study, the law firm looked at records for 50 cities drawn from AAA’s list of top American travel destinations. Then it evaluated fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2020 to 2024. Finally, it calculated the rate of fatal crashes per 100,000 people using city population estimates.

Topping the list of most dangerous tourist destinations for fatal crashes was St. Louis, which had 22.7 fatal crashes per 100,000 population.

Florida had four cities ranking in the top 10 tourist destinations for fatal crashes: 

• Fort Lauderdale was No. 2.
• Sarasota was No. 4.
• Fort Myers was No. 7.
• West Palm Beach was No. 8.

The study’s authors note Sarasota was the smallest city in the entire study, with a population of 58,458. It averaged 11.2 fatal crashes a year between 2020 and 2024, so its rate of fatal crashes per 100,000 population is 19.2.

Fort Myers averaged 19 fatal crashes a year from 2020 to 2024. With a population of 106,233, its rate of fatal crashes per 100,000 population is 17.9.

According to the study, New York City was the safest tourist destination based on fatal crashes per 100,000 population, with a rate of 2.7. It averaged 228.2 fatal crashes a year from 2020 to 2024 and has a population of 8.3 million.