ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A new report ranks U.S. Highway 19 in Pinellas County as the deadliest road by county in Florida.
Consumer Affairs, a journal of consumer research, published a study that compared traffic deaths across the state. Researchers found that U.S. 19's stretch in Pinellas County is the deadliest road by county with 94 fatalities since 2020.
Just east, Polk County was found to be the deadliest area for driving among the state's 10 most populous counties with 23 fatalities per 100,000 licensed drivers in 2022, according to Consumer Affairs.
Researchers examined data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which showed the Pasco County stretch of U.S. 19 came right behind Pinellas with 68 deaths since 2020. Hillsborough County ranked as the No. 6 most deadly road by county with 59 deaths since 2020 along U.S. 41.
Taking a deeper dive, out of Pinellas' 94 deaths, 12 were caused by drinking, seven by distracted driving and four involved speeding.
The report also ranked Florida's deadliest local roads since 2020 with Central Avenue in Pinellas County coming in at No. 6. The city of Tampa ranked No. 2 with the most car crash deaths per 100,000 people in Florida's 10 most populous cities.
U.S. Route 1 holds the top spot for traffic deaths in the state with 394 deaths since 2020, but it spans the entire state.
Although these numbers may be daunting, deaths from car crashes have been on a downward path since after the COVID-19 pandemic.
To try and combat issues on U.S. 19, the Florida Department of Transportation is working on a project to decrease traffic on the road. It will change the six-lane divided highway to a six-lane controlled access roadway with one-way frontage roads in both directions parallel to U.S. 19 from State Road 580 to the north of County Road 95/County Road 39 in Pinellas County, according to the department's website.
There will also be new interchanges added to improve traffic flow and a pedestrian underpass and bridge. It's projected to be finished in 2029.
