These are the areas with the most deadly or serious injury crashes in Miami-Dade

Miami-Dade County is home to more than 2 million people. With that many people, think about how many cars are on the road every year.

How many accidents happen? How many of them end in injury or death?

NBC6 is trying to figure out why different areas might be hotspots for crashes, and what’s being done to make things better.

VISION ZERO

Anyone who lives in Miami-Dade is no stranger to traffic. But some areas are more prone to traffic crashes than others.

NBC6 reached out to Miami-Dade County to see if they could provide a list of their most recent traffic crashes.

In response, the county referred to a website that was made public last December.

The site features an interactive map shows all the serious injury or fatal crashes in the county between 2019 and 2023.

And the reason it only shows crashes where someone was killed or seriously injured is due to Miami-Dade’s Vision Zero Plan, a strategy that was developed in 2018 and enacted in 2021, with the premise that even one death on our transportation system is unacceptable.

The goal is by 2040 to end all traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

“There is no good plan without good measurements. So, we are working together with a task force to establish key performance indicators so we can track out progress year to year,” said Josiel Ferrer-Diaz, interim director for the county’s Department of Transportation and Public Works. He says that the initiative is about improving infrastructure, but also educating the public.

HOW DO YOU READ THE MAP?

If you look at the map., you can see thousands of dots in different colors. Every dot represents a crash.

In 2023 alone, 1,655 people were killed or injured due to traffic crashes. And 44% of the crashes involved a bike, motorcycle or person.

The dashboard shows that from 2022 to 2023 there was actually an increase in crashes and injuries. While the 2024 data is not yet available to the public, the county claims it paints a positive picture.

“Just last year we finalized 17 projects in addition to that 20 quick build projects, projects we were able to turn around quickly. That consists of intersection improvements, crosswalks, bicycle lanes. And what we have been able to do, even from 2022 to today, we have experienced a significant reduction in crashes. In injuries we have experienced from 1,300 injuries to 1,000 injuries, and about a 20% reduction as well,” Ferrer-Diaz explained.

“The number of crashes and particular injuries and fatalities is really dependent on the amount of people driving. It’s also closely tied to the fact that we have seen an increase in ridership in transit in all modes, so therefore we may have less people driving thus contributing to less crashes.”

But that doesn’t change the fact that there are hotspot areas. After sifting through the data, NBC6 found some intersections were the most prone to having accidents happen again and again.

And Miami-Dade County says there are no improvement projects being done at those specific intersections because all of them are on state roads. The county can only make a recommendation for improvements to the state, but it’s up to them to do so.

Also, the county is not looking at intersections but rather at corridors.

HITTING THE ROAD

NBC6 hit the road and our first stop was on NW 17^th Ave and NW 127^th street. The latest fatal crash on record happened June 12, 2023. Our reporters covered that incident.

That intersection had other fatal crash in 2023, and two that ended in serious injury.

While the intersection does not have improvement projects currently underway, just a half mile south on NW 17^th Avenue is one of the county’s highest injury networks.

This spot is the place with the most injuries resulting in death or serious injury. It’s a top priority for the county to address this year.

Then we went to the corner of SW 88^th Street and SW 112 Avenue. And NBC6 witnessed how a crash almost happened right there.

In 2023 alone there were two fatal accidents there.

A man, who once had an accident at the intersection, said that "when you make a left turn here, it is sometimes hard to see the incoming cars.”

THE AREAS WITH MOST DEADLY OR SERIOUS INJURY CRASHES

Those two intersections are part of the unincorporated area of Miami-Dade, which had the most deadly or serious injury crashes in the county in 2023.

There were 659 incidents resulting in 771 people dead or seriously injured.

It’s where the county says they are putting the majority of their $17 million in federal funding.

At number two is the City of Miami with 257 crashes and 292 people killed or seriously injured.

Hialeah is at number three with 107 crashes, 122 people injured or killed. Miami Gardens at number 4 with 93 crashes and 117 people killed or severely injured.

Miami Beach was at number 5 with 59 crashes, 61 lives lost or people injured.

And what might come as a surprise is Coral Gables which comes in at number 6 with 57 crashes, and 63 people affected.

“The way people drive in Miami, they don’t know how to drive, simple as that,” said one driver who was parked at a convenience store at SW 40^th Street and SW 42^nd Avenue in Coral Gables.

In 2023, this spot saw three serious injury crashes, one with seven people involved.

With two schools on the corners and the Shops at Merrick Park just two blocks away, drivers who frequent this road say they aren’t surprised.

“It’s a pretty busy street and avenue, you got the mall you got the school. We live in South Florida, there’s a lot of accidents, a lot of cars, a lot of snowbirds, tourism,” said one resident.

Which is why according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), construction will start in November to repave these roads, add asphalt crosswalks, upgrade curb ramps, and install new signage and lights.

The county says while they have plans in place for what areas they hope to address, they also rely on the community’s input.

The county created a portal where drivers can report problem areas. There is also a request form for more general requests.

Those on the road hope with the feedback of those in the county and the direction of our officials, that Vision Zero Plan can become a reality.

If you go to the Vision Zero dashboard you may notice there are no numbers for 2024 just yet. The county is hoping to have those numbers later this month.