Fatal Crashes Only
This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.
If someone you love is part of this data, call us.
We'll connect you with a vetted Florida attorney who handles fatal-crash and wrongful death cases and will evaluate whether you have a case.
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
YEAR-OVER-YEAR CRASH REPORT · FLORIDA · SEPTEMBER 2023
Purpose: Machine-readable JSON endpoint for AI agents, LLMs, researchers, and programmatic consumers. Returns all underlying crash data and AI-generated commentary without HTML.
Authentication: None required. Public endpoint.
GET: https://thatcarhitme.com/api/crash-data/reports/data/florida/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
Monthly Traffic Safety Analysis
250 CRASHES IN
FLORIDA
SEPTEMBER 2023
In September 2023, Florida recorded 250 fatal crashes, a slight increase of 0.40% compared to the 249 fatal crashes in September 2022. Total fatalities also increased from 262 to 268, a rise of 2.29%. A notable shift was the significant decrease in fatal DUI crashes, which fell from 47 to 24, a reduction of 48.9%.
250
▲ 0.4%was 249
Total Crash Events
268
▲ 2.3%was 262
Persons Killed
153
▼ -20.7%was 193
Persons Injured
19
▼ -17.4%was 23
Hit-and-Run Crashes
Note: "Persons Killed" (268) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (250) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records
Trend Summary
The overall trend for fatal crashes in Florida shows a relatively stable pattern year-over-year, with a marginal increase of 0.40% from 249 fatal crashes in September 2022 to 250 in September 2023. While fatalities increased by 2.29% from 262 to 268, total injuries decreased by 20.73%, from 193 to 153.
19
Hit-and-Run Crashes — September 2023
▼ -17.4% vs prior (23)
The number of fatal hit-and-run crashes decreased from 23 in September 2022 to 19 in September 2023. This reduction led to a decrease in the hit-and-run rate, which fell from 9.2% to 7.6% of all fatal crashes.
Vulnerable Road User Casualties
62
Pedestrians Killed
28
Cyclists Killed
173
Motorists Killed
5
Other Killed
4
Pedestrians Injured
1
Cyclists Injured
147
Motorists Injured
1
Other Injured
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)
When Crashes Happen
Saturday remained the peak day for fatal crashes in both periods, increasing slightly from 52 in September 2022 to 54 in September 2023. The peak hour for fatal crashes was 8 PM in both periods, although the number of incidents at this hour decreased from 28 to 23. This indicates a consistent temporal pattern for peak fatal crash occurrences.
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)
Road & Environmental Conditions
Fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions increased from 177 to 186, while those in rainy conditions decreased from 19 to 12. Fatal crashes during daylight hours increased from 99 to 109, and those in dark-lighted conditions also rose from 59 to 69. Conversely, fatal crashes in dark-not lighted conditions decreased notably from 76 to 59.
Weather
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Weather condition at time of crash
Lighting
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Lighting condition field
Vehicles & Demographics
Toyota and Nissan/Datsun vehicles saw notable increases in involvement in fatal crashes, with Toyota increasing from 35 to 45 and Nissan/Datsun from 18 to 32. Harley-Davidson motorcycles, however, experienced a decrease in involvement from 18 to 11. The 21-25 age group saw an increase in persons involved in fatal crashes from 56 to 66, while the 35-44 age group saw a decrease from 112 to 99.
Top Vehicle Makes (385 vehicles)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
19 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.
Sex Distribution (609 persons with recorded sex)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Speed Limit Zones
The 45 mph speed zone remained the most frequent location for fatal crashes, decreasing from 80 incidents in September 2022 to 69 in September 2023. Fatal crashes in the 40 mph zone also decreased from 30 to 27, and the 55 mph zone saw a slight reduction from 34 to 33. There was an increase in fatal crashes in the 20 mph zone, rising from 0 to 2.
Fatal crashes by zone: 15 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 20 mph: 2 of 2 (100%) · 25 mph: 6 of 6 (100%) · 30 mph: 22 of 22 (100%) · 35 mph: 26 of 26 (100%) · 40 mph: 27 of 27 (100%) · 45 mph: 69 of 69 (100%) · 50 mph: 14 of 14 (100%) · 55 mph: 33 of 33 (100%) · 60 mph: 18 of 18 (100%) · 65 mph: 10 of 10 (100%) · 70 mph: 13 of 13 (100%)
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Posted speed limit at crash location
Manner of Collision
The dominant manner of collision in fatal crashes was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' which increased from 145 incidents to 149. Angle collisions decreased from 59 to 55, and front-to-front collisions also saw a reduction from 26 to 20. Sideswipe-same direction collisions, however, increased from 3 to 6.
Manner of Collision
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Vehicle Type
The '4-door sedan, hardtop' remained the most common vehicle body type in fatal crashes, increasing slightly from 94 to 95. Two-wheel motorcycles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 52 to 41, while compact utility vehicles increased from 48 to 60. Truck-tractors also saw an increase from 10 to 14 involved in fatal crashes.
Vehicle Type
Showing top 9 of 26 reported. 17 additional (64 total) not shown: 5-door/4-door hatchback, Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...), Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR greater than 26,000 lbs.), Motor Scooter, Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), 3-door/2-door hatchback, Golf Cart, ATV/ATC [All-Terrain Cycle], School Bus, Off-road Motorcycle, Unenclosed Three Wheel Motorcycle / Unenclosed Autocycle (1 Rear Wheel), Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) / Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 19,501 to 26,000 lbs.), Other vehicle type (includes go-cart, fork-lift, city street sweeper dunes/swamp buggy).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Rural vs Urban
The majority of fatal crashes occurred in urban areas, with incidents increasing from 189 to 195. Conversely, rural fatal crashes decreased from 60 to 55. This indicates that urban areas continue to account for a higher proportion of fatal crashes.
Rural vs Urban
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Functional Class
Principal Arterial roads continued to experience the highest number of fatal crashes, though incidents decreased from 104 to 95. Fatal crashes on Minor Arterial roads increased from 47 to 55, and on Interstates, they rose significantly from 13 to 23. Local roads saw a minor decrease from 35 to 34 fatal crashes.
Roadway Functional Class
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Roadway Ownership
State Highway Agencies continued to oversee the most fatal crashes, with incidents increasing from 121 to 157. Fatal crashes on roads owned by City or Municipal Highway Agencies decreased from 43 to 41. County Highway Agencies also experienced a slight decrease from 32 to 30 fatal crashes.
Roadway Ownership
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Type
Drivers remained the dominant person type involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 379 to 384. Pedestrian involvement saw a slight increase from 64 to 66, and bicyclists increased notably from 19 to 29. Conversely, passenger involvement decreased significantly from 180 to 137.
Person Type
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Person Injury Severity
The number of fatal injuries (K) increased from 262 to 268. However, serious injuries (A) decreased from 57 to 39, and minor injuries (B) also decreased from 76 to 66. Possible injuries (C) saw a reduction from 52 to 44.
Person Injury Severity
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Occupant Safety Equipment
The number of persons reported using shoulder and lap belts in fatal crashes increased from 331 to 341. Conversely, the number of persons for whom no safety equipment was used or applicable decreased from 192 to 153. This indicates a positive shift towards increased safety equipment use among those involved in fatal crashes.
Occupant Safety Equipment
"Other" combines 1 smaller categories (1 records): Booster Seat (1).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Person-level records linked to crash events
Point of Impact
The '12 Clock Point' remained the most common area of impact in fatal crashes, though it decreased slightly from 250 to 244 incidents. Impacts at the '6 Clock Point' increased from 20 to 29. Meanwhile, impacts at the '9 Clock Point' decreased from 15 to 5, while '1 Clock Point' impacts rose from 10 to 20.
Point of Impact
"Other" combines 12 smaller categories (51 records): 7 Clock Point (7), 4 Clock Point (7), 8 Clock Point (6), 10 Clock Point (6), 9 Clock Point (5), 2 Clock Point (4), Non-Collision (4), Right (3), Left-Front Side (3), Right-Back Side (2), Top (2), Left (2).
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Vehicle unit records
Vehicles Per Crash
Single-vehicle fatal crashes increased slightly from 132 to 135 incidents. Two-vehicle fatal crashes decreased from 99 to 94. Crashes involving three vehicles saw a minor increase from 13 to 15.
Vehicles Per Crash
Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30 · Crash-level records
Data Sources & Methodology
Primary Data Source
All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.
Data Retrieval
- Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
- Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
- Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
- Date filter applied: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30
- Report generated: August 5, 2026
Data Coverage
- Reporting period: 2023-09-01 through 2023-09-30 (30 days)
- Geographic scope: Florida
- Total crash records analyzed: 250
- Total persons involved: 625
- Total vehicles involved: 385
Analytical Methodology
- Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
- Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
- Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
- Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
- Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
- Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
- AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.
Limitations & Disclaimers
- Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
- Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
- Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
- AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
- Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.
Non-Affiliation Disclosure
This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.
Data License
The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.
Corrections & Feedback
If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.
Suggested Citation
ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Florida Crash Intelligence Report: September 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-09-01 to 2023-09-30. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/florida/fatal/statewide/september-2023-report
About the Publisher
ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.
Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai
ThatCarHitMe.com · An Injuria.ai Company
ThatCarHitMe.com
An Injuria.ai Company
Crash Data Intelligence
Data: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · NHTSA FARS
Period: 2023-09-01 – 2023-09-30
Generated: August 5, 2026 · All rights reserved
Someone you love in this data? We’ll help you find out if you have a case.
Call our intake team. We connect you to a vetted Florida attorney who handles fatal-crash and wrongful death cases, and who will treat your family’s situation with care.
Always free for accident victims.