can happen at any time. A moment of distraction is sometimes all it takes for things to go wrong, but some places seem to have more than their fair share of accidents. Brevard County, Florida is one of those places. With both high vehicular and foot traffic, Brevard County sees more accidents per year than the average.

Certain stretches of U.S. Highway 1 average over 140 crashes per year.

Brevard County had 400 car crash fatalities between 2016 and 2020.

Brevard County is located on Florida's eastern coast, and has a population of over half a million residents. It is east of Orlando, and contains the city of Melbourne, where a deadly hit and run killed a young man in November 2021 according to

Florida Today

Brevard County's high population density and busy streets and highways make it a hotspot for accidents. U.S. Highway 1 separates Riverview Park, a popular park, from downtown Melbourne. There is very little in the way of pedestrian crossings, and they are not well-marked.

In fact, that section of U.S. 1, the stretch between Strawbridge Avenue and Sarno Road, averages 140 crashes per year. That’s only the fourth-highest total for accidents in the county. Brevard County also has a few other places pushing those numbers.

Another dangerous stretch of highway is U.S. 192 between Wickham Road and Babcock Street. This highway area has the highest average at 173 accidents per year. Babcock Street from U.S. 192 to Palm Bay Road averages up to 146 crashes. Palm Bay Road from Minton Road down to Hollywood Boulevard has an average of 140 accidents.

Another area of U.S. 1, from Sarno Road to the Pineda Causeway, has 136 accidents. This connects to the stretch of U.S. 1 between Sarno Road and Strawbridge Avenue. These sections of road are all very close or often adjacent to each other.

Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds

No spam · No long forms · No fees

Find insurance savings

A young man was killed in a deadly hit and run

MORE: New York Wants Safety Ratings on SUVs and Trucks to Reduce Pedestrian Deaths

In November 2021, the manager of The Mansion restaurant in downtown Melbourne was struck and killed as he crossed U.S. 1 early in the morning. Nate "Puppy" Real was killed around 2 am in a hit and run accident. Real was only 28 years old.

Police are still looking for the red GMC Sierra that they believe drove away from the accident.

Jim Farrish, who owns The Mansion restaurant and knew Real personally, also sits on the Melbourne Main Street board of directors. He has raised concerns about that section of road before.

"I used to always say, 'Somebody's going to get killed trying to cross that road.' Because the cross signals are so poor, and it's so bad," Farrish said, as reported by Florida Today.

What to do if you're involved in an accident

MORE:

What to Do if You're Rear Ended by Another Car

Accidents happen to the best of us, and some things are unavoidable. If the worst happens and you are involved in an accident, there are a few things that you need to do.

First, never leave the site of an accident without alerting the authorities and waiting for them to respond. If you damage an unattended vehicle, you must stay there and alert authorities. Take pictures of the damage and call your insurance company while you wait.

If no one arrives, you will need to leave a note. Keep it simple. State what happened, when it happened, and give your contact information.

See if there were any witnesses

, and give them your contact information.

Above all, you must make an effort to take responsibility. The consequences of a hit and run are serious, especially if there is injury involved.

Protecting yourself and your car in case of an accident

Accidents can happen to anyone, even the most careful of drivers. Make sure that you have the best insurance possible with

Jerry

. A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding cheap quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance. Jerry will even help you cancel your old policy.

And to ensure you always have the lowest rate, Jerry will send you new quotes every time your policy comes up for renewal, so you’re always getting the coverage you want at the best price.

Car Accidents

Written By

Hannah DeWitt · Expert Insurance Writer

Hannah is a recent college graduate with a degree in English Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University. Currently located in Washington State, she's interested in applying her craft in news areas across new subjects, using her skills to stretch her comfort zone. Outside of writing articles about cars and insurance, Hannah is drawn to Creative Nonfiction writing, though she loves a good fiction book. In her free time, Hannah enjoys reading, playing basketball, sunny hikes in the PNW, and flexing her creative muscles through art.

Read Full Bio