Broward County is home to "America's Deadliest Mile," study says

FORT LAUDERDALE - A study found the deadliest highway mile in the United States is in South Florida: I-95 between the I-595 interchange and Marina Mile Boulevard.

The study from law firm Elk & Elk was conducted by a group of personal injury lawyers and looked into two decades of fatal crash data. It said between 2000 and 2019, 24 people died somewhere along the single I-95 mile, which is a busy stretch with off-ramps, ongoing construction and congestion.

CBS News data journalists said the study is solid — and those who drive the highway weren't surprised by the findings.

"It seems like its getting worse and worse every day," said one driver. "I avoid I-95 as much as possible."

It can be a nerve-racking ride, even for those in the passenger seat.

"I don't drive a lot but when I do I avoid the highways completely," said another person.

CBS News Miami has covered crashes on I-95 for years, especially near I-595. In a recent crash, 23-year-old former first responder Yanaisa Pulido from Hialeah was killed on the southbound lanes when she stopped to help other drivers involved in a crash.

Driving conditions along the mile have the attention of Broward County's Vice Mayor Beam Furr, who drives it every day himself. He hopes more people will consider getting out of their cars and onto transit.

"I understand people's concern, it's a difficult place to drive," said Furr. "Both Broward and Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach, are offering bus express that put you in the fast lanes, it's cheaper, you get an extra hour of your day."

The study also found the deadliest 10-mile sections of highways across the nation, and one of them is in Miami-Dade County between State Road 112 and the Golden Glades interchange.