NBC6 goes to the hot spots for traffic crashes in Fort Lauderdale to understand why these intersections are dangerous and what’s being done to keep drivers safe.
Have you ever been driving in your neighborhood and seen intersections or cross streets that just seemed to be like a place where accidents happen?
NBC6 is figuring out the hot spot areas for traffic crashes in your area, why that might be, and what’s being done to make things better.
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WATCH HEREToday we’re hitting the streets in the City of Fort Lauderdale.
THE DATA
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Fort Lauderdale is known for its white sandy beaches, shopping strips and beautiful A1A.
What you may not know is that in 2023 and 2024, a total of 27,108 traffic crashes took place in the city, according to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, who sent NBC6 all of the addresses of every accident that took place within that period.
They divide their crashes into three categories: Accident, Hit & Run, and Drunk Driver.
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We don’t know how many people were involved in the crashes or which of them were fatal, but it’s a good indication to know about areas that might have traffic congestion or insufficient signage, lights, or road signals.
TOP FOUR AREAS KNOWN FOR CRASHES
First we head to East Oakland Park Blvd and North Federal Highway. In the two year span of 2023 and 2024, 199 crashes happened in the intersection, making it the third with the most traffic crashes in the city.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all. At any given point in the day, even on a weekday, the traffic gets so crazy and it can get backed up to the bridge sometimes. So I know there’s a lot of people who get impatient, there’s people who drive 80 or more sometimes. I’ve seen it way too often, way too often,” saod Amanda Dolan, a Fort Lauderdale native.
The intersection is surrounded by a shopping mall, a shopping plaza, another shopping center and a Citibank that looks to have new residential units nearby.
While there are cross walk signals, there were quite a few jaywalkers, which might be the reason for the more than 50 hit and runs that have taken place here.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), this intersection is part of a project called State Road 5/North Federal Highway from NE 17th Way to NE 33rd Court.
Construction started in fall of 2023 and is expected to be completed in spring of 2025. And the work is extensive: repaving both main roads, upgrading pedestrian curbs, improving signage and traffic signals.
Another area that is undergoing lots of improvement is W Commercial Blvd and Powerline Road, or NW 9th Avenue.
It’s part of various projects, one of which will improve CCTV cameras and detectors near railroads.
And yet another project will resurface Powerline Road and better pedestrian signals and lights.
This intersection is surrounded by three gas stations and the 1-95 on ramp.
And it is the number one intersection for traffic crashes in Fort Lauderdale with 244 crashes from 2023 to 2024.
In the number two spot is NW 9th Avenue and W Sunrise Blvd.
We already visited the intersection with the third most crashes, East Oakland Park Blvd and North Federal Highway.
But in at number four is NW 9th Avenue and NW 62nd Street with 192 crashes.
Construction and detours can be seen across the area as FDOT continues construction on the Powerline Road Resurfacing, Restoration and Rehabilitation Project.
One of the highlights is improving walkability in the city, which currently scores 49 out of 100 on walk score.
CRASH SITES YOU WOULDN’T CONSIDER
But crashes not only happen at those busy streets.
A parking garage off SW 2nd Street had 27 crashes, and a grocery store parking lot off E Sunrise Blvd had 36.
Stacey has been living in Fort Lauderdale for 20 years and has seen accidents at that lot before
“It’s very busy here in this particular parking lot, but also in the surrounding area, and sometimes people are not nice to each other, and they are in a rush with nowhere to go and they end up getting in accidents,” Stacy said.
It’s a reminder to keep your eyes on the road, check your mirrors and follow the road signs.
There are ongoing road improvement projects constantly taking place to try to lower the number of traffic crashes, not just in Fort Lauderdale but across South Florida.
Download the traffic crash data here
If there’s an intersection you want us to check out NBC6 is on your side and wants to hear from you!
