As a Jacksonville attorney who represents auto accident victims everyday, it came as no surprise to me when I read in the Times-Union that a University of North Carolina professor, David Hartgen, ranked Florida’s roads as 41st best in the nation (or ninth worse if you prefer). Dr. Hartgen ranks roads using 12 criteria such as traffic fatalities, congestion, how much money is spent on roads per number of road miles in the state and urban interstate congestion.
Florida transportation officials dismiss Dr. Hartgen’s findings. They say that not every state reports the same statistics so his study compares apples to oranges.
One thing that cannot be debated, using Dr. Hargen’s analysis, is that Florida ranks the 15th worst in traffic fatalities as per the number of vehicle miles driven annually in Florida. Another criteria which Florida ranks high in is urban interstate congestion. Florida ranks 11th worst in the nation with 57% of interstate road miles deemed congested. Anyone who’s driven in Jacksonville during rush hour probably is not surprised by this number. Florida was almost the worst (49th) in spending on roads. This study echos how important it is for drivers to slow down and be careful (especially when driving in Jacksonville).
If you have been a victim of a Jacksonville auto accident please do hesitate to call the Law Offices of Henry Gare at (904) 387-6101.