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Florida is the Most Dangerous State to Ride!

Ruggybuggy

Ruggybuggy

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I've been riding a long time and have visited most of the provinces and states in Canada and the US. Florida is by far the most dangerous state or province to ride.

I'm visiting the state of Florida for 3 weeks and brought my bike down so I could do a little tour of the state. I took a four day tour and rode from Arcadia up the middle of the state to St. Augustine and then down the A1A highway along the coast. Great ride and got a chance to see some whales south of St Augustine. In the four days I rode I was involved in 3 very close calls. All of them were completely the other persons fault and just by luck I was able to avoid injury. Anyone who rides motorcycles always has that close call but the reason I voted Florida one on the worst states to ride in is because of a very unique condition. When you ride though the heart of Florida you encounter the poorest of the population. There are many uninsured drivers and most don't even have a valid driver's license. Many vehicles I saw were in a condition that they shouldn't even be on the road. As you ride from the center of Florida to the coast the demographics change and now you encounter a new threat. The elderly drivers and the drivers in holiday mode. People living on the coast have money and many are retired and elderly. The elderly driver is one that is unpredictable and that makes them dangerous. They back up without looking and if they can't see if it's safe to go they do it anyways. My last situation was an elderly man driving a Cadillac that cut across traffic without looking and just about took me out. He was like a heat seeking missile coming from my left and just my luck I found my out. The other type of coastal driver's are the tourist. They are unpredictable and will change direction at any time. They are on holidays and so is their brain and driving in an area that is unfamiliar. Also forgot to mention the traffic. It is so busy down here almost everywhere along the coastal areas. Everything comes together to make for a very bad situation. Everywhere you drive there are billboards and ads everywhere stating "if you have been injured in an accident call (lawyer's name) and we will fight for you". Other states have this kind of advertising as well but not to the extent I've seen in Florida. This must be a huge industry down here.

So in my 35 years of riding and all the states I've rode Florida gets my vote for the most dangerous state to ride. Next year when I come back down I'm leaving the bike home. When it's time for me to retire it will be be out west in a nice quite area of Texas or Arizona.
 
I'm not a big Florida rider but I've ride from Miami to Key West and back a couple years ago where I rented a BMW 1200GSfor 2 days... I have the same conclusion as you...Maybe too much snowbirds from Quebec there ? ;)
 
I have noticed that while snowbirds may be able to drive fairly well in the snow, they have no idea how to drive when the sun is out and the temp is above 80F.
 
I forgot to mention all the texting and driving down here. Everyone does it. So to recap, texting, old drivers, tourists (from Quebec:rolleyes:), large amount of traffic and unlicensed and uninsured motorists. It's amazing anyone is alive down here.
 
bamamate said:
I have noticed that while snowbirds may be able to drive fairly well in the snow, they have no idea how to drive when the sun is out and the temp is above 80F.
Click to expand...
Without disrespect against them, I think they are simply (generally) old and lost and try to act as if they are young and in control...I've been there with my mother and his husband a couple of times... man I was afraid to go to the grocery store (I was not driving)
 
I am actually a claim adjuster licensed for Florida, usually i work California claims, but this year the company need help with Florida file, and yes, You are right !!! Worst state i ever had to deal with, the attorneys that i deal with are shark due to the crappy laws avail for compensation
 
I used to work at Florida hospitals in the winter. the risk was such that after the first year I simply did not bring my bike down there. I friend of mine literally had to jump off of his moving motorcycle to avoid a head on collision with a Lincon town Car on the wrong side of the median. the elderly driver got stuck when she ran over his bike. NY has it's share of a$$holes, and probably has more than a lot more places, but florida has it's own unique dangers.
 
Well that was a rant. Really wasn't my intention of singling out any particular group, Americans or Canadians. Just commenting on how a number of factors come together that make it a particular bad place to ride. The last tour I took out west and was 11,000kms not once did I have any problems. Florida, three close ones in four days. It's just a unique state with elderly drivers, poor uninsured drivers, tourists and high traffic volumes.
 
Ruggy, you, and others, self included, have just shared similar experiences in the Sunshine state. not taken as singleing out.
 
.......and year round riding. I'm heading down there again at the end of April.

Every state has it's share of idiots. Ride like you're invisible EVERYWHERE!
Mike
 
I hear the state of texas has good drivers and the roads are better than california.
Thats what my co-worker says....

Ken
 
Ruggybuggy,

I deleted my reply post to you. Boy, was I a jerk. Please accept my apology.

Florida has a lot of different type of communities. I tend to stay away from the areas that concentrate retirement communities, tourists, and urban sprawl. I can go riding on a Saturday and within a few minutes be on a rural back road and perhaps ride many miles and see very little traffic at all. I'll ride A1A south from my home near Jax Beach to Daytona sometimes but usually on dawn patrol before traffic gets going. Timing is everything.

I help host a rally every November for sport touring riders. Guys or couples come from all around the US and a few Canadians have come in the past. We move it around to different locales in FL. I have a lot of input on the ride routes and invariably I have people tell me "I had no idea FL had roads like this". This year it will be just south and west of Orlando. It's the first time we've had it in central FL but the riding is really good near there. I'd like to invite you and anyone else to come for the second weekend - November 12 to 15. I'll post more on it later when we firm up the campground.
 
dduelin said:
Ruggybuggy,

I deleted my reply post to you. Boy, was I a jerk. Please accept my apology.

Florida has a lot of different type of communities. I tend to stay away from the areas that concentrate retirement communities, tourists, and urban sprawl. I can go riding on a Saturday and within a few minutes be on a rural back road and perhaps ride many miles and see very little traffic at all. I'll ride A1A south from my home near Jax Beach to Daytona sometimes but usually on dawn patrol before traffic gets going. Timing is everything.

I help host a rally every November for sport touring riders. Guys or couples come from all around the US and a few Canadians have come in the past. We move it around to different locales in FL. I have a lot of input on the ride routes and invariably I have people tell me "I had no idea FL had roads like this". This year it will be just south and west of Orlando. It's the first time we've had it in central FL but the riding is really good near there. I'd like to invite you and anyone else to come for the second weekend - November 12 to 15. I'll post more on it later when we firm up the campground.
Click to expand...



No problem and nothing to worry about. We all have those type of days. The best day I had was south of St. Augustin on the A1A. Traffic was light and two lane highway along the beach where I spotted the whales. I did also manage to find a few roads around Arcadia that actually turned out to be curvy and quiet. I would imagine most of the better roads would be in the northern part of the state. I'm always visiting Florida around Christmas or shortly after for a month so November wouldn't work for me. We have family that live down here and usually bring my bike down. Maybe next year you can show me the better roads to ride. We leave here on Sunday for the cold north. ;)
 
I am an army brat (Air Force Really) and served 20 years in the army. I’ve lived and rode in many states. I wouldn’t single out any one state but I will say this. Get around any large city in the US and your putting your life at risk if you ride a motorcycle.

The 610 loop around Houston is a good example. People driving that stretch think it is the Indy 500. I just moved from Illinois and Chicago was a tough ride. People get real aggressive and there is so much road work in the downtown it makes matter worse. Plus, you better know the city because a GPS is almost worthless. In Kentucky there is a town called Ratcliff. Very near Ft. Knox. There is a stretch of road there called Hwy31. At one time it was rated one of the most dangerous roads to drive in the US. To be honest, where I live now is not so great. There are so many wrecks in the Little Rock area the radio stations have specific songs they play when it is reported. Specifically, a car fire which for some reason happens often on the roads around Little Rock. Hwy 67, I-40, and I-30 are not safe places to ride at peak hours. Never mind the speed limit. It does not exist and pay special attention to the overwhelming number of semi-trucks.

Anyway, my point being. I have lived (not visited) in 10 different states and ridden a motorcycle in all of them. I’ve not lived in Florida but I have ridden there. Went to DAyton a few times. My feeling is there are hot spots in every state that are unsafe for riders and I usually end up in them.

Glad you made it through your visit without getting hurt.
 
Ruggybuggy said:
I've been riding a long time and have visited most of the provinces and states in Canada and the US. Florida is by far the most dangerous state or province to ride.

I'm visiting the state of Florida for 3 weeks and brought my bike down so I could do a little tour of the state. I took a four day tour and rode from Arcadia up the middle of the state to St. Augustine and then down the A1A highway along the coast. Great ride and got a chance to see some whales south of St Augustine. In the four days I rode I was involved in 3 very close calls. All of them were completely the other persons fault and just by luck I was able to avoid injury. Anyone who rides motorcycles always has that close call but the reason I voted Florida one on the worst states to ride in is because of a very unique condition. When you ride though the heart of Florida you encounter the poorest of the population. There are many uninsured drivers and most don't even have a valid driver's license. Many vehicles I saw were in a condition that they shouldn't even be on the road. As you ride from the center of Florida to the coast the demographics change and now you encounter a new threat. The elderly drivers and the drivers in holiday mode. People living on the coast have money and many are retired and elderly. The elderly driver is one that is unpredictable and that makes them dangerous. They back up without looking and if they can't see if it's safe to go they do it anyways. My last situation was an elderly man driving a Cadillac that cut across traffic without looking and just about took me out. He was like a heat seeking missile coming from my left and just my luck I found my out. The other type of coastal driver's are the tourist. They are unpredictable and will change direction at any time. They are on holidays and so is their brain and driving in an area that is unfamiliar. Also forgot to mention the traffic. It is so busy down here almost everywhere along the coastal areas. Everything comes together to make for a very bad situation. Everywhere you drive there are billboards and ads everywhere stating "if you have been injured in an accident call (lawyer's name) and we will fight for you". Other states have this kind of advertising as well but not to the extent I've seen in Florida. This must be a huge industry down here.

So in my 35 years of riding and all the states I've rode Florida gets my vote for the most dangerous state to ride. Next year when I come back down I'm leaving the bike home. When it's time for me to retire it will be be out west in a nice quite area of Texas or Arizona.
Click to expand...

3 close calls in 4 days; I find I am lucky if I don't have 3 close calls in one day during my commute to work (Louisville KY)-I have had up to 6 close calls (cagers merging into my lane with me at their side door, cagers cutting across my front fender with inches to spare, left turns in front of me, pulling out in front of me, etc...) in one day of commuting to work. It does get crazier in Florida during the winter-the snow birds have migrated and setting up shop.
 
davidc83 said:
3 close calls in 4 days; I find I am lucky if I don't have 3 close calls in one day during my commute to work (Louisville KY)-I have had up to 6 close calls (cagers merging into my lane with me at their side door, cagers cutting across my front fender with inches to spare, left turns in front of me, pulling out in front of me, etc...) in one day of commuting to work. It does get crazier in Florida during the winter-the snow birds have migrated and setting up shop.
Click to expand...

If I had to go through that I won't ride. We have all rode in those areas that make or sphincter clinch but to do it day in and out. Not me.
 
SergeantChuck said:
I am an army brat (Air Force Really) and served 20 years in the army. I’ve lived and rode in many states. I wouldn’t single out any one state but I will say this. Get around any large city in the US and your putting your life at risk if you ride a motorcycle.

The 610 loop around Houston is a good example. People driving that stretch think it is the Indy 500. I just moved from Illinois and Chicago was a tough ride. People get real aggressive and there is so much road work in the downtown it makes matter worse. Plus, you better know the city because a GPS is almost worthless. In Kentucky there is a town called Ratcliff. Very near Ft. Knox. There is a stretch of road there called Hwy31. At one time it was rated one of the most dangerous roads to drive in the US. To be honest, where I live now is not so great. There are so many wrecks in the Little Rock area the radio stations have specific songs they play when it is reported. Specifically, a car fire which for some reason happens often on the roads around Little Rock. Hwy 67, I-40, and I-30 are not safe places to ride at peak hours. Never mind the speed limit. It does not exist and pay special attention to the overwhelming number of semi-trucks.

Anyway, my point being. I have lived (not visited) in 10 different states and ridden a motorcycle in all of them. I’ve not lived in Florida but I have ridden there. Went to DAyton a few times. My feeling is there are hot spots in every state that are unsafe for riders and I usually end up in them.

Glad you made it through your visit without getting hurt.
Click to expand...

Yes, Hwy 31, that would be US31W. US31 goes from the Gulf of Mexico to the top of the mitten of Michigan. At Nashville, TN, it splits to US31 E and US31 W, one on each side of I-65. US31W from Radcliffe to Louisville is Dixie Highway or what we call Dixie Dieway. There is at least one fatal accident between Louisville and Radcliffe weekly (not counting the number of stupid pedestrians who try to cross it in Louisville, not at a crosswalk and get hit/killed each week). It is not a bad road, straight, 4-6 lanes thru Louisville and still a death trap. Just too many people on the road, not paying attention, running red lights, pulling out, etc... There are plans to add turn lanes in Louisville to the road to help alleviate the problem (NOT!!).
 
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