FLORIDA CRASH QUESTIONS
Common Causes of Car Accidents in Florida
By Miller & Jacobs Accident Attorneys
Distraction, unsafe speed, failure to yield, impairment and fatigue can play a part in a Florida crash. Weather, road conditions and vehicle problems can also matter. For an individual claim, ask which factors the facts support in that crash.
A phone log, damaged door or wet road is a clue to examine. It does not settle fault on its own. Work out the sequence, compare the facts and consider more than one possible cause.
A dated Florida snapshot, not a cause ranking
In an April 2, 2025 release, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported preliminary 2024 figures of nearly 300 deaths and more than 2,200 serious bodily injuries involving distracted drivers in Florida.
These are counts of people, not crashes. These counts do not rank crash causes or establish the cause of an individual collision.
Driving factors and the evidence to compare
Start with the driver's actions before impact. Then ask whether the records support that account and whether another factor could explain the same clue.
Distraction and phone use
Distraction can take attention away from driving. It may involve a phone, a vehicle screen, a passenger or reaching for something. Florida's texting law restricts covered manual nonvoice communications while driving, with exceptions. It does not ban every navigation or nonmanual phone function.
Witness observations, original video and lawfully obtained device records may help show what happened when. But a call or data entry does not always identify the user, show what an app was doing or show where the driver's attention was. Compare the record with the driving sequence. A log and a witness may describe different moments. The time of each record matters.
Unsafe speed and following too closely
A posted speed limit is not an assurance that the same speed is safe in rain, heavy traffic or another hazard. Florida requires reasonable speed for actual conditions. Its following-distance rule also considers speed, traffic and the road.
Higher speed can leave less time to respond and increase stopping distance and crash severity. Video, witness accounts, road marks, damage and available vehicle data may help a qualified investigator assess speed and braking. Damage alone does not establish an exact speed. No visible skid marks does not mean there was no braking.
See Florida's speed rule, following-distance rule and NHTSA's explanation of speeding risks. Not every vehicle has usable crash data.
Yielding and changing lanes
A left-turning driver must yield to approaching traffic that poses an immediate hazard. A driver moving between marked lanes must first check that the movement can be made safely. The details of the traffic and road matter.
Lane markings, sight lines, witness positions and original video can help explain who moved where. Available signal information may also help. A damaged door or the label “T-bone” does not tell you who had the light or right of way. Do not assume every intersection kept video or a signal history.
These duties are addressed in section 316.122 and section 316.089.
Alcohol, drugs and impairment
Florida's DUI law includes impaired normal faculties as well as specified alcohol measurements. Observations made near the crash, properly obtained test results, video and driving conduct may be relevant to an impairment investigation.
An arrest is not a conviction. Finding a substance in a test does not by itself show how it affected the driver at impact or helped cause the crash. A criminal case also does not guarantee a civil payment.
See section 316.193.
Fatigue and drowsy driving
Fatigue may affect attention and driving, but its role can be hard to establish after a crash. Work or travel timing, witness observations and video may offer clues when the information is lawfully available.
A late hour, road departure or single-vehicle crash does not prove the driver fell asleep. Nor does a lack of visible skid marks. Those facts need to be checked with the rest of the facts.
NHTSA's drowsy-driving guidance explains why investigative clues may be missing or inconclusive.
Weather, roads and vehicles can contribute too
Rain, visibility and traction
Wet conditions can reduce traction and visibility. A driver may need to slow down and allow more room. Florida requires suitable speed for the conditions and the required vehicle lights during rain, smoke or fog.
Photos and video may show standing water, drainage, road markings or lighting. Weather records can add context when matched to the crash time and place. A reading from a weather station may not show the exact conditions at the crash site. A scene photo can show a different view, but its time matters too.
Weather can combine with a driver's conduct. Rain does not automatically prove negligence, and it does not automatically excuse it. A wet road and a short gap between cars can be part of the same sequence. The review should consider how each factor helped cause the harm.
See section 316.183, Florida's lighting rule and the National Weather Service's heavy-rain driving advice. Flood safety is a separate concern from deciding civil fault.
A possible road or vehicle problem
A tire, brake or other vehicle problem may deserve investigation when the facts support it. So may a road condition, such as a damaged surface or obscured marking. Safely preserving the vehicle or part, photos and repair records can help a qualified person check what happened.
An open recall does not prove that the part caused this crash. A search showing no unrepaired recalls does not prove the vehicle had no defect. The NHTSA recall tool explains what its VIN search can and cannot show.
A suspected problem does not by itself establish that a manufacturer, repair shop or road owner must pay. Responsibility depends on duties, causation and the rules for the particular claim.
A collision label is the start of a question
The point of impact can help explain the sequence. It does not show every movement before impact or settle fault without the other facts.
Rear impact
What were the following distance, speed and braking sequence? Compare video, accounts and physical evidence. The impact label alone does not answer every question about the vehicles' earlier movements.
Side impact
Who had the right of way, and what was the signal? Look for witness positions, sight lines and available video or signal information. Door damage alone cannot supply the answer.
Sideswipe or road departure
What changed the vehicle's lane position or control? Compare road conditions, vehicle condition and the driving sequence. This pattern does not by itself prove distraction, fatigue or a defect.
Connecting a possible cause to an injury claim
A negligence claim asks whether someone failed to use reasonable care and whether that failure legally caused harm. Reasonable care depends on the circumstances. More than one person's conduct, or a natural condition such as rain, can contribute to the same injury.
An established traffic-rule violation is evidence to consider in the ordinary traffic-rule context. It is not conclusive proof of negligence. A citation itself is not the same as an established violation, and a crash report is not the final civil decision.
The Florida Bar publishes the Florida Standard Jury Instructions in Civil Cases. Instructions 401.4, 401.9 and 401.12 address reasonable care, traffic-rule violations and legal cause.
Shared responsibility may reduce or bar recovery in covered negligence actions. Which rule applies can depend on the claim and its timing. Section 768.81 is part of that review; it does not decide every insurance payment.
Identifying the cause is only one part of deciding which coverage or claim may pay. See how car-accident claims are paid. Injury claims also sit within the wider range of Florida personal injury cases.
Keep the facts available for the next step
Keep original photographs and video, rather than only edited copies. Note the crash location, time and witness contact details. Describe what you observed separately from what you think may have caused it.
Ask promptly about preserving relevant records. Not every camera records, records may be lost and retention periods vary. A request to preserve material does not guarantee access to it. For a broader record checklist, see our guide to evidence after a car accident.
Keep care records and bills as well. They may help document an injury and expense, but they do not automatically prove that every complaint came from the crash or that another driver was at fault.
Reporting the crash is a separate task. Check Florida car-accident reporting deadlines. Keeping records also does not extend a court deadline. Review Florida car-accident lawsuit deadlines for your circumstances.
DISCUSS THE FACTS
Speak With Our Car Accident Lawyers
Questions about crash causes and fault
Can rain contribute to a crash and a driver still share fault?
Yes. Weather and a driver's conduct can work together. The review should consider the actual conditions, reasonable care and how each factor contributed to the harm. Rain alone neither proves negligence nor excuses a driver's conduct.
Can phone records prove distracted driving?
They may help show what happened when, but a phone log alone does not always identify the user, show what the driver was doing or prove attention and causation. Compare lawfully obtained records with video, witnesses and the crash sequence. Access to records is a separate question.
Does a rear-end or side-impact collision automatically settle fault?
No. The impact pattern raises questions about speed, braking, right of way and earlier movements. Compare it with the other facts. A collision label or damage photo alone does not answer every question about what caused the crash or who bears civil responsibility.
Other questions after a collision
Questions for a car accident lawyer
Prepare questions about the proposed work, communication, fees and costs.
Car-accident settlement questions
Questions about an eventual settlement belong to a separate stage from identifying the cause.