Lakeland, Florida, has more than 112,000 residents, placing it just outside the state’s 20 most populous cities. As Polk County’s largest city, it sees a lot of traffic from both commuters and visitors. Unfortunately, Lakeland car accident statistics paint a grim picture showing the consequences of this traffic congestion.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney at Law, can help. Contact a Lakeland car accident lawyer today for a free consultation at (863) 999-9000.
How Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney At Law, Can Help After a Car Accident in Lakeland, FL
At Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney at Law, our founding attorney has more than 25 years of experience representing car accident victims in Lakeland, FL, against the drivers responsible for injuring them. Since starting the firm, he has successfully settled or won cases worth millions of dollars for clients in need.
Our office can provide the following services after you suffer a significant injury due to another road user’s careless or aggressive behavior:
- Discuss your injuries and inform you about Florida injury law
- Gather evidence to build your case against the at-fault driver
- File an insurance claim and negotiate to resolve it fairly
- Take your case to court if we’re unable to obtain an insurance settlement
A crash in Lakeland can have impacts like permanent disabilities and disfigurement. Contact our team to schedule a free consultation with a Lakeland personal injury lawyer and learn more about how we can help you pursue compensation for your injury-related losses.
Overview of Lakeland Car Accident Statistics
According to the Florida Traffic Safety Dashboard, Lakeland had 4,931 traffic accidents in 2024.
These crashes included:
- 327 truck accidents
- 167 collisions with pedestrians or bicycles
- 96 motorcycle accidents
Notably, aside from the 167 bicycle or pedestrian accidents, these numbers include both single-vehicle and multi-vehicle crashes.
The former occur when a vehicle runs off the road, hits a fixed object (such as a parked car), or rolls over. Multi-vehicle accidents happen when two or more vehicles collide.
Injuries and Fatalities From Lakeland Traffic Crashes
Auto accidents in Lakeland caused 84 serious injuries and 21 fatalities in 2024. These numbers are significant because Florida’s no-fault insurance system covers all possible and minor injuries up to $10,000. In other words, a crash victim can go outside the no-fault system for fatal accidents, significant and permanent injuries, and harm that costs more than $10,000.
Serious and fatal injury crashes in Lakeland caused the following outcomes in 2024:
- 11 serious injuries and eight fatalities to pedestrians and cyclists
- 19 serious injuries and four fatalities to motorcyclists
These road users are particularly vulnerable to injuries and fatalities because they have little protection in collisions with automobiles.
Factors Leading to Collisions in Polk County
Most crashes in Lakeland occur due to a relatively small set of contributing factors. Specifically, just a handful of risky driving behaviors were responsible for over half of all crashes in 2024.
According to the Polk County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), the leading causes of car accidents over the five years from 2017 to 2021 included the following:
Careless Driving
Careless driving means a driver failed to exercise the caution expected of a reasonably cautious driver. According to the TPO, carelessness caused 28% of serious injury crashes and 22% of fatal crashes in the five years examined.
This behavior category encompasses many dangerous acts, including:
- Improper lookout
- Distracted driving
- Inattentive driving
For example, a driver might cause a crash when they fail to spot a vehicle on the road as they back out of their driveway. The officer investigating the accident might classify this violation as “careless driving” without specifying whether the driver was inattentive, distracted, or simply operating on autopilot.
Speeding
Speeding happens whenever a driver exceeds the legal limit. It also occurs when drivers travel too fast for the current road or weather conditions.
Since velocity directly affects crash energy, high-speed crashes cause more serious injuries than those that occur at low speeds. The TPO reported that speeding contributed to 4% of fatal and serious injury crashes.
Violating Right-of-Way Rules
Right-of-way laws govern which drivers must yield and which may proceed. Accidents happen when drivers proceed when other road users expect them to wait.
For example, a driver commits a right-of-way violation when they make a left turn across traffic without waiting for a gap. Right-of-way violations caused 16% of serious injury crashes and 14% of fatal crashes.
Impaired Driving
Drug or alcohol use can hamper a driver’s judgment, coordination, and reflexes. Intoxicated driving contributed to only 3% of all collisions in Polk County between 2017 and 2021. However, impaired driving was a factor in over 40% of all fatal crashes, according to the TPO’s statistics.
Contact Our Lakeland Car Accident Lawyers for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been hurt in a car accident in Lakeland, you may be entitled to pursue damages. Contact Thomas C. Grajek, Attorney at Law for a free consultation with an experienced Lakeland car accident attorney.