Fatal crash profile · City
Traffic deaths in Lake Wales, Florida
City in Polk County · Florida · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 3
- Fatal crashes
- 3
- Population
- 17.8K
In 2024, 3 people died in 3 fatal crashes in Lake Wales, Florida. That was 50.0% fewer than in 2023 (6) and the fewest in any year since 2020. The death rate was 16.9 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.3 in Polk County, 13.5 in Florida and 11.5 in the United States. Between 2020 and 2024, 28 people died, an average of 5.6 a year. That rate is based on fewer than 20 deaths, so it can swing a lot from year to year. 33% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
16.9
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 1.3 times the rate in Polk County, Florida: 13.3
- About 1.3 times the rate in Florida: 13.5
- About 1.5 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
-50%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
6 deaths in 2023, 3 in 2024
- Polk County, Florida: -28%
- Florida: -7%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 5 |
| 2021 | 10 | 10 |
| 2022 | 4 | 4 |
| 2023 | 6 | 5 |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
Embed
| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 30.7 |
| 2021 | 60.9 |
| 2022 | 24.1 |
| 2023 | 35.6 |
| 2024 | 16.9 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
Embed
Road users
Who died
0%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 5 percent of the share in Polk County, Florida: 19%
- About 5 percent of the share in Florida: 21%
- About 5 percent of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 3 |
| Pedestrians | 0 |
| Motorcyclists | 0 |
| Cyclists | 0 |
Embed
| Type | Deaths | Share in Lake Wales | Share in Polk County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 0 | 0% | 19% |
| Motorcyclists | 0 | 0% | 16% |
| Cyclists | 0 | 0% | 3% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 0 | 0% | 29% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1 | 33% | 11% |
Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.
Crash factors
Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes
33%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 3 times the share in Polk County, Florida: 10%
- About 3 times the share in Florida: 11%
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 28%
33%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About 1.3 times the share in Polk County, Florida: 26%
- About double the share in Florida: 16%
- About 1.3 times the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Lake Wales | Polk County | Florida | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 33.3% | 26.2% | 16.2% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 33.3% | 10.3% | 10.7% | 28.1% |
| At night | 66.7% | 58.9% | 59.2% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 33.3% | 29.0% | 32.5% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
Embed
Timing
When crashes happen
67%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 1.1 times the share in Polk County, Florida: 59%
- About 1.1 times the share in Florida: 59%
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 54%
33%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About 1.2 times the share in Polk County, Florida: 29%
- About the same as the share in Florida: 33%
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 1 |
| 1am | 3 |
| 2am | 1 |
| 3am | 2 |
| 4am | 0 |
| 5am | 0 |
| 6am | 1 |
| 7am | 1 |
| 8am | 1 |
| 9am | 0 |
| 10am | 0 |
| 11am | 2 |
| 12pm | 0 |
| 1pm | 2 |
| 2pm | 0 |
| 3pm | 0 |
| 4pm | 2 |
| 5pm | 0 |
| 6pm | 4 |
| 7pm | 6 |
| 8pm | 0 |
| 9pm | 0 |
| 10pm | 1 |
| 11pm | 0 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 3 |
| Mon | 3 |
| Tue | 4 |
| Wed | 3 |
| Thu | 3 |
| Fri | 5 |
| Sat | 6 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 2 |
| Feb | 4 |
| Mar | 4 |
| Apr | 3 |
| May | 2 |
| Jun | 2 |
| Jul | 1 |
| Aug | 2 |
| Sep | 1 |
| Oct | 1 |
| Nov | 3 |
| Dec | 2 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
Embed
Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 22 |
| Cloudy | 3 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 1 |
| Rain | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Dark - Not Lighted | 11 |
| Daylight | 8 |
| Dark - Lighted | 5 |
| Dusk | 2 |
| Dawn | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- US-2714
- BURNS AVE2
- SR-172
- SR-272
- SR-602
- SR- 271
- MU-DR J A WILTSHIRE AVE W1
- E MOUNTAIN LAKE CUTOFF RD1
- CR-5401
- BUCK MOORE RD1
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 15 |
| Pickup trucks | 12 |
| SUVs | 10 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 6 |
| Motorcycles | 5 |
| Vans | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
Embed
Vehicles most often involved
- Chevrolet Silverado5
- Dodge Journey2
- Ford Explorer2
- GMC Sierra2
- Harley Davidson FLHXS / Street Glide Special2
- Jeep Cherokee2
- Buick Enclave1
- Buick LaCrosse1
- Cadillac CT61
- Chevrolet Camaro1
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
The map loads when you scroll to it. It needs JavaScript.
Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2024 | SR-60 | 1 |
| Nov 29, 2024 | US-27 | 1 |
| Apr 27, 2024 | SR-17 | 1 |
| Nov 27, 2023 | US-27 | 1 |
| May 13, 2023 | CR-540 | 1 |
| May 8, 2023 | US-27 | 2 |
| Feb 25, 2023 | US-27 | 1 |
| Feb 3, 2023 | MU-DR J A WILTSHIRE AVE W | 1 |
| Nov 25, 2022 | SR-17 | 1 |
| Oct 29, 2022 | US-27 | 1 |
| Jul 8, 2022 | BUCK MOORE RD | 1 |
| Apr 30, 2022 | US-27 | 1 |
| Sep 4, 2021 | US-27 | 1 |
| Aug 15, 2021 | SR- 27 | 1 |
| Aug 8, 2021 | US-27 | 1 |
| Jun 30, 2021 | SR-27 | 1 |
| Jun 15, 2021 | SR-27 | 1 |
| Apr 18, 2021 | US-27 | 1 |
| Mar 24, 2021 | BURNS AVE | 1 |
| Mar 23, 2021 | US-27 | 1 |
| Feb 25, 2021 | BURNS AVE | 1 |
| Jan 11, 2021 | E MOUNTAIN LAKE CUTOFF RD | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | US-27 | 1 |
| Mar 24, 2020 | US-27 | 1 |
| Mar 3, 2020 | SR-60 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.