[StarfishKey]

I hate to post this, but this thread is really necessary. So many of you are looking to vacation in the Keys this Winter and Spring, either coming down from the rest of Florida or from other states or other countries. And we have death after death after death on that highway. Driving in Miami is incredibly dangerous, as so many will attest to, but when you make it down to the last 120 miles of US-1, it's a different kind of dangerous, that so many underestimate.

Just 2 days ago we had a horrific accident that killed at least 1 person and apparently injured 10 people, involving people from multiple states and countries. Details are still pending, but here is an article on what we know so far. UPDATE: 10 people injured per the FHP, from Florida to Georgia to Italy. ID of fatal pending notification of next of kin: Traffic fatality at the Snake Creek Bridge | News | KeysNet







When driving in the Florida Keys...


Do NOT:
*Slow down suddenly on the highway to look over a bridge at the sunset.
*Speed - no kidding, it will cost you your life here, or someone else's. And where are you going anyway? You came here for island living, so slow the %#$# down and enjoy island time! You're not late for a business meeting, for godssake. You came here to chill, so chill. Expect long delays on the road and plan for them so you won't miss your flight back by driving the speed limit.
*Stop the car ON the highway and get out to attach your Go Pro or take a picture. I swear, this is really happening here. Knock it off, and have some common sense!
*Hit a Key Deer. No joke, that's going to cost you a bunch, and make local people very upset. Not cool.
*Weave like you think you're playing a retro game of *******.
*Drink/get high and drive. WHY do I even need to say this?
*Pull into the center of the road across a solid line to pass someone. Multiple deaths a year are caused by this here. Again, WHERE are you going in such a hurry? You're not an ambulance. Get over yourself and stay in the lane so you don't hit oncoming traffic with your face.
*Tail people. Stop being obnoxious. I don't know why it's so common down here. You're just driving back to your hotel, try to be pleasant and enjoy yourself!
*Drive while taking pictures! Really. There are places to safely turn off and park the car - do that. Or WAIT until you get to your hotel and know where you are and what you're looking at to take photos, if you're by yourself and driving. The ocean will still be there, I promise. It can wait an hour until you're settled and not on the road.
*Hit and run. We have a lot of these here, especially in Key West, sadly often of pedestrians or cyclists. You can't get far, you're going to get caught because this is a very small town kind of place - where do you think you're going to hide or speed off to? So just don't do it, because you will be in jail for the rest of your life when they add all those charges to your vehicular manslaughter.

DO:
*Watch for bikes, pedestrians, and LOTS of sudden turn-offs and turn-ons in BOTH lanes and from the other side of the road. It's called the "Overseas Hwy," but it's not actually a highway, not like you're used to. It is the only road we have, and it slows down and goes through extremely busy and chaotic towns.
*Drive the speed limit. Really, it bears repeating.
*Keep enough space between yourself and the next car not only for them to make sudden stops (which happens frequently here), and ALSO for the car behind you to hit you and still not plow you into the next car so there's no multi-car pile-up.
*Understand that throughout the Keys, the road is mostly a single lane each way. It is frequently jammed with traffic, or even shut down for hours at a time in both directions due to the many deaths here. Check for local festivals throughout the ENTIRE 100-mile chain first, because an event on one of the islands affects them all. It is hard for emergency workers to get to you, especially if you go flying off the bridge because you were driving 100mph. So, take it slow, and drive like a normal human being so you won't put people in danger. Remember that we are not equipped to handle serious injuries and often you will have to be medivac'ed to Miami in a bad wreck. Please be safe. PLAN AHEAD FOR A SLOW RIDE - do NOT believe Google's estimate of how long it will take.
*A tip for Keys road travel - bring extra water/electrolytes, non-perishable snacks, and any medication you might need with you. Be sure you don't have an emergency while stuck in traffic because of someone else's emergency. Also bring means of relieving yourself in the car if necessary. There are portable toilet devices for women, men, and also kids, which depending on the kind can give you visual privacy and also keep things neat and sanitary. Really consider it, you may be very glad one day you have a backup for bathroom emergencies on the road, where there are hundreds of cars lined up all looking at you and nowhere to go beside the road.


It is possible to drive here and have no accident. I have never had one in multiple years of visiting, and now 2 years of living here. So you don't have to be terrified. BUT, so many people come here and are inconsiderate and absolutely dangerous - much more so than they are back home. People drive like jerks here and there are a lot of people dying as a result - both locals and tourists. Just be thoughtful and ENJOY DRIVING ON ISLAND TIME!

[StarfishKey]

OK, wait, I wrote in the name of the Frog/traffic-based Atari game, F R O G G E R, and it was bleeped out. Why was that censored? Is there something I don't know about new swear words? Because if
F R O G G E R is now a curse word, that's pretty funny to me...

It SHOULD read "Don't... Weave like you're playing a retro game of F R O G G E R."

No clue why that's offensive... except if you drive like that, which *I* take offense to.

[1insider]

Everything you need to know for driving everywhere else in Florida: don't be stupid and watch out for other drivers

[Joey Falcon]

And it's not a good idea to drive the wrong way, on a highway.

[jwolfer]

My mother-in-laws husband worked logistics for a food wholesaler supplying fast food restaurants all over Florida. The driver on the Key West route has times where he was delayed 12 hours from horrible wrecks.

People on vacation forget how to drive. All over Florida you see wrecks with people obviously on vacation. They Keys are unique, one road-- most of it 2 lanes, lots of scenery.

[flashes1]

That highway is challenging: 1) I'm still trying to figure out the rental car I just picked up at MIA, 2) there's a lot of beautiful ocean scenery that takes my eyes off the road, 3) I'm burning a bud and drinking a Bud, and 4) texting my peeps about how much fun I'm having on vacation is distracting. There's no place on the highway for cops to nail you for speeding, right? Good times.

[markjames68]

Originally Posted by jwolfer

My mother-in-laws husband worked logistics for a food wholesaler supplying fast food restaurants all over Florida. The driver on the Key West route has times where he was delayed 12 hours from horrible wrecks.

People on vacation forget how to drive. All over Florida you see wrecks with people obviously on vacation. They Keys are unique, one road-- most of it 2 lanes, lots of scenery.

If you change "people on vacation" to "People on vacation and most snowbirds" you'll have it right. Bumper car season is upon us.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by flashes1

That highway is challenging: 1) I'm still trying to figure out the rental car I just picked up at MIA, 2) there's a lot of beautiful ocean scenery that takes my eyes off the road, 3) I'm burning a bud and drinking a Bud, and 4) texting my peeps about how much fun I'm having on vacation is distracting. There's no place on the highway for cops to nail you for speeding, right? Good times.

Actually there are a couple of speed traps on the Overseas Highway. Watch going through Marathon, and south of there approaching the Key Deer refuge. Of course with that attitude and behavior you're likely to have driven off a bridge or into some mangroves before you ever get there.

[StarfishKey]

Another serious multi-car accident today, involving a possible fatality. If a fatality has occurred, that will be the 5th one on the Overseas Hwy in the Keys in just the past 2 weeks!




UPDATE: 'Possible fatality' in three-truck crash, one victim taken to Ryder in Miami in critical condition, three others injured | News | KeysNet


The warnings stand - please don't come down here with a car unless you are going to drive extremely carefully. The roads are jammed, and the drivers are dangerous. Drive the speed limit, keep your eyes on the road, do not tail others, and above all STAY IN YOUR LANE. Most of the deaths are caused by people crossing into oncoming traffic - which sometimes they actually do INTENTIONALLY to pass someone!! Expect your drive down, or back up to the airport, to be very slow. Plan for it to take at least an hour more than Google tells you it will. Then take it easy and play some music so you can enjoy your trip. When you come here, you are on ISLAND TIME, so embrace that and take it slow, while driving stone-cold sober.

[StarfishKey]

Here is an article on some of the other accidents in the past 2 weeks here:
Rash of serious crashes continues to keep first-responders busy | News | KeysNet

And here is an article explaining the long road closures when such events occur, written by the head of the Florida Highway Patrol in Monroe County, Lt. Kathleen McKinney:
Here's why it takes awhile to clear a Florida Keys crash scene | Opinion Columns | KeysNet


We also have quite a few hit and runs here, which often result in fatalities - most of these occur in the Lower Keys:
Woman killed in Wednesday hit and run | KeysNews.com

A year later, no new information in Big Pine Key fatal hit-and-run | News | KeysNet

Police: Scooter rider critically hurt in hit-and-run | KeysNews.com

The Blue Paper/Key West The Newspaper - Hit and Run Accident Involving Bicyclist