Experts: I-4, the most dangerous Florida interstate, sees improvement in safety
KNOW ANYTHING, CALL NEW SMYRNA BEACH POLICE. SADLY, FATAL CRASHES HAPPEN FAR TOO OFTEN ON OUR BUSIEST LOCAL HIGHWAY. OF COURSE, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT I-4, AND AS WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE EVENING RUSH TO GET HOME, THE MOSTRILLIONECENT AVAILABLE CRASH DATA SHOWS I-4 IS THE MOST DANGEROUS INTERSTATE IN THE ENTIRE NATION. WESH TWO’S GREG FOX IS LIVE ALONG I-4 RIGHT NOW, AND GREG, SAFETY MAY ACTUALLY BE IMPROVING ALONG CERTAIN SECTIONS OF THE HIGHWAY. EXACTLY. WE HAVE TO TAKE YOU BACK TO THE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT THAT TOOK SEVEN YEARS HERE. $2.3 BILLION TO RECONSTRUCT I-4 ALONG A 21 MILE STRETCH, INCLUDING A STRETCH THAT GOES RIGHT BY WESH TWO NEWS RIGHT HERE, IN WHICH THEY NOT ONLY ADDED GENERAL USE LANES, BUT ALSO TOLL LANES, ANOTHER LANE IS BEING ADDED DOWN BY DISNEY AND THAT EXTRA PAVEMENT MIGHT RESULT IN FEWER CRASHES IF YOU THINK YOU PASS A LOT OF CRASHES ON I-4, IT’S NOT YOUR IMAGINATION. DAILY COMMUTERS TELL US IT CAN BE ONE SCARY STRETCH OF PAVEMENT. I MEAN, WE ARE CONSTANTLY HAVE TO BE CAREFUL ON THE ROAD AND STUFF LIKE THAT WITH PEOPLE YOU KNOW, CUTTING IN AND OUT AND STUFF LIKE THAT TOO FAST. LIKE TO ME, IT’S TOO FAST. I’M OLDER, BUT I WOULD SAY YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE CAUTIOUS BECAUSE THERE ARE LIKE CRAZY DRIVERS, LIKE YOU CAN’T JUST DRIVE FOR YOURSELF, YOU HAVE TO DRIVE FOR EVERYBODY. DRIVERS SHOULD BE A LOT MORE CAUTIOUS, ESPECIALLY ORLANDO FLORIDA LOUISE SHEARER IS A DATA RESEARCHER WITH THE INSURANCE COMPANY ASSURANCE IQ. IT ANALYZED THE MOST RECENT GOVERNMENT CRASH DATA AVAILABLE AND FOUND I-4 HAS THE MOST FATAL CRASHES OF ANY INTERSTATE IN THE U.S. THE RATE IS 3.4 FATAL CRASHES FOR EVERY TEN MILES. THAT’S 45 FATAL CRASHES PER YEAR FOR THE 132 MILES OF THE HIGHWAY, STRETCHING BETWEEN DAYTONA BEACH AND TAMPA, AND THE NUMBER ONE CAUSE OF FATAL CRASHES IS. A GOVERNMENT STUDY SAYS EXCESSIVE SPEED IS A VERY POPULOUS STATE AND CITY, AND BUSY AND CONGESTED AND, UM, SO CAUTIOUS DRIVING WITH SPEED, UM, IS DEFINITELY VALUABLE THERE. WHILE IT CAN’T MAKE DRIVERS SLOW DOWN, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION CAN IMPROVE SAFETY WITH BETTER ROADS. THE LOCAL SECRETARY BELIEVES IT DID JUST THAT WHEN IT OPENED THE TOLL AND GENERAL USE LANES BETWEEN LONGWOOD AND INTERNATIONAL DRIVE TWO YEARS AGO. WE’RE SEEING A 60% REDUCTION IN TRAFFIC CRASHES AND LANE BLOCKING INCIDENTS. WE’RE ALSO SEEING TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS OF 4 TO 5 MINUTES IN THE GENERAL USE LANES. THAT’S THREE HOURS A MONTH FOR THOSE COMMUTERS THAT THAT ARE USING I-4 EVERY DAY. AND DRIVERS WHO MAY FEEL LESS HURRIED AND STRESSED OUT JUST MIGHT TAKE I-4. OFF THE MOST DANGEROUS LIST. AND ONCE AGAIN, THE NUMBER ONE THING YOU CAN DO TO IMPROVE YOUR SAFETY ALONG I-4 TO AVOID CRASHES IS TO SLOW DOWN, KEEP IT AT OR SLIGHTLY UNDER THE LIMIT. AS YOU’RE DRIVING ALONG, YOU KNOW THERE’S A TWO YEAR LAG TIME WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING THE LATEST CRASH DATA. SO THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION. WE HAVE IS A COUPLE OF YEARS OLD. BUT WE’RE WORKING RIGHT NOW WITH THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO GET MORE RECENT FIGURES THAT DIRECTLY APPLY TO THE RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT, ALONG I-4, AND WE EXPECT TO HAVE THAT IN THE COMI
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Experts: I-4, the most dangerous Florida interstate, sees improvement in safety
Reporter
I-4 is the most dangerous interstate in America, but the $2.3 billion overhaul of 21 miles between Longwood and International Drive may be helping to make that portion of the highway safer. If you think you pass a lot of crashes on I-4, it's not your imagination.Daily commuters said it can be one scary stretch of pavement."I see a lot of crashes. I mean, you know we have to be constantly careful with people cutting in and out. Stuff like that," driver Robert Brutico said. "It’s too fast. To me, it's too fast, but I'm older," driver Christeena Zwieska said. “I would say you have to be cautious because there are like crazy drivers and you can't just drive for yourself. You have to drive for everybody," driver Elisecia McKinna said. “Drivers should be a lot more cautious, especially in Orlando, Florida,” said Louise Shearer, of the insurance company Assurance IQ.As a data researcher, Shearer analyzed the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data available and found I-4 has the most fatal crashes of any interstate in the U.S.The rate is 3.4 fatal crashes for every 10 miles.That's 45 fatal crashes per year for the 132 miles of the highway, stretching between Daytona Beach and Tampa.And the number one cause of fatal crashes? The most recent NHTSA study says it's "excessive speed.""It's a very populous state and city (Orlando) and busy and congested, so cautious driving with speed is definitely valuable there," Shearer said. While it can't make drivers slow down, the Florida Department of Transportation can improve safety with better roads.The local secretary believes it did just that when it opened the toll and general use lanes of the I-4 Ultimate construction project in February 2022."We're seeing a 60% reduction in traffic crashes and lane-blocking incidents. We're also seeing travel time savings of four to five minutes in the general use lanes. That's three hours a month for those commuters that are using I-4 every day," Secretary John Tyler said. And drivers who may feel less hurried and stressed out, just might take I-4 off the most dangerous list. There's a two-year lag time when it comes to obtaining this data from the federal government so the figures in this article are for 2021, the most recent year available.WESH 2 News is working with FDOT to provide more recent information on crashes along the I-4 Ultimate stretch and hope to bring that to you in the coming days.Top headlines: Rare earthquake rattles off Florida coast Orlando-bound flight canceled after collision with another aircraft at Boston Logan International Airport Police: Volusia man arrested for brutally beating, biting woman who refused to have sex with him
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —
I-4 is the most dangerous interstate in America, but the $2.3 billion overhaul of 21 miles between Longwood and International Drive may be helping to make that portion of the highway safer.
If you think you pass a lot of crashes on I-4, it's not your imagination.
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Daily commuters said it can be one scary stretch of pavement.
"I see a lot of crashes. I mean, you know we have to be constantly careful with people cutting in and out. Stuff like that," driver Robert Brutico said.
"It’s too fast. To me, it's too fast, but I'm older," driver Christeena Zwieska said.
“I would say you have to be cautious because there are like crazy drivers and you can't just drive for yourself. You have to drive for everybody," driver Elisecia McKinna said.
“Drivers should be a lot more cautious, especially in Orlando, Florida,” said Louise Shearer, of the insurance company Assurance IQ.
As a data researcher, Shearer analyzed the most recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration crash data available and found I-4 has the most fatal crashes of any interstate in the U.S.
The rate is 3.4 fatal crashes for every 10 miles.
That's 45 fatal crashes per year for the 132 miles of the highway, stretching between Daytona Beach and Tampa.
And the number one cause of fatal crashes? The most recent NHTSA study says it's "excessive speed."
"It's a very populous state and city (Orlando) and busy and congested, so cautious driving with speed is definitely valuable there," Shearer said.
While it can't make drivers slow down, the Florida Department of Transportation can improve safety with better roads.
The local secretary believes it did just that when it opened the toll and general use lanes of the I-4 Ultimate construction project in February 2022.
"We're seeing a 60% reduction in traffic crashes and lane-blocking incidents. We're also seeing travel time savings of four to five minutes in the general use lanes. That's three hours a month for those commuters that are using I-4 every day," Secretary John Tyler said.
And drivers who may feel less hurried and stressed out, just might take I-4 off the most dangerous list.
There's a two-year lag time when it comes to obtaining this data from the federal government so the figures in this article are for 2021, the most recent year available.
WESH 2 News is working with FDOT to provide more recent information on crashes along the I-4 Ultimate stretch and hope to bring that to you in the coming days.
Top headlines:
- Rare earthquake rattles off Florida coast
- Orlando-bound flight canceled after collision with another aircraft at Boston Logan International Airport
- Police: Volusia man arrested for brutally beating, biting woman who refused to have sex with him
