When millions of people that are driving unfamiliar vehicles through unfamiliar streets descend on the same stretch of road at the same time, the conditions for collisions become almost predictable. Popular tourist destinations attract visitors from across the country and around the world, and that influx of out-of-state drivers brings with it a distinct set of road safety challenges that local residents often feel first.
The numbers behind this problem are significant. According to NHTSA’s 2023 distracted driving data, 3,275 people were killed and an estimated 324,819 were injured in motor vehicle crashes that involve distracted drivers that year alone. Distraction-affected crashes accounted for 8 percent of all fatal crashes and an estimated 13 percent of all injury crashes in 2023. In high-volume tourist corridors, where drivers are navigating GPS apps, searching for hotel exits, or looking at landmarks while behind the wheel, that distraction risk is compounded considerably.
Why Out-of-State Drivers Face Higher Risks on Unfamiliar Roads
Driving on roads you don’t know is genuinely more demanding than driving familiar routes. Cognitive load increases when a driver has to process lane configurations, signage, and traffic flow patterns they haven’t encountered before, all while managing speed and watching for other vehicles. An investigation carried out by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, found meaningful variation across states in the percentage of fatal crashes that involve out-of-state drivers, and confirmed that unfamiliarity with the road increases the likelihood of a traffic crash.
Unfamiliar road layouts are a particular hazard near airports, resorts, and major attractions, where access roads often involve multiple lane shifts, confusing interchange signage, and heavy pedestrian traffic. A driver who just landed, picked up a rental car, and is trying to find their hotel is navigating all of those demands simultaneously, usually in an unfamiliar vehicle in an unfamiliar city.
GPS Distraction and the Problem With Divided Attention
Navigation apps have become nearly universal among travelers, and while they help drivers find their destinations, they also introduce a persistent distraction problem. To glance at a phone mount, re-route after a missed turn, adjust volume, or simply follow audio instructions in real time all pull cognitive attention away from the road. NHTSA notes that distracted driving includes not just texting but any activity that diverts driver attention, this includes adjusting vehicle controls or interacting with a navigation device.
The challenge is especially acute in cities like Orlando and Las Vegas, where attraction and resort signage competes with traffic signals and lane indicators for a driver’s attention. In Miami Beach, where streets are narrow and pedestrian activity is dense year-round, the combination of GPS-following and heavy foot traffic creates consistently elevated collision risk. Nashville’s lower Broadway area and the entertainment corridors of Scottsdale’s Old Town present similar dynamics, where confused out-of-town drivers slow, stop abruptly, or make unexpected lane moves while searching for parking or drop-off zones.
Rental Cars, Unfamiliar Vehicles, and Driver Adjustment Time
Rental vehicles add a layer of risk that doesn’t apply to drivers in their own cars. Seat positioning, mirror angles, braking responsiveness, blind spot size, and dashboard controls all vary between vehicle models. Consequently, a driver who picks up an unfamiliar SUV after a cross-country flight doesn’t have the muscle memory that typically reduces cognitive demand behind the wheel.
Drivers who rent vehicles also tend to be in trip mode: running on a compressed schedule, trying to cover more ground, and less likely to allow themselves the slow-speed adjustment time that a new vehicle can require. In Myrtle Beach, where rental traffic peaks sharply during summer months along the Grand Strand corridor, the combination of seasonal congestion and high rental volume creates a predictable pattern of fender-benders and more serious collisions near beach access points and resort entrances.
Rideshare and Airport Congestion Patterns
The growth of rideshare services has reshaped traffic patterns around airports and major tourist venues in ways that increase collision exposure for everyone on the road. Pickup and drop-off zones at airports in Orlando, Miami, and Las Vegas now manage thousands of Uber and Lyft transactions daily, and the combination of circling vehicles, stopped cars in active travel lanes, and pedestrians crossing between rideshare staging areas creates chaotic conditions that are particularly unforgiving for drivers who don’t know the layout.
Near major attractions, rideshare vehicles that stop mid-lane or pull abruptly to curbs can force sudden braking from following traffic. In cities like Las Vegas, where the Strip concentrates an enormous volume of rideshare activity along a single corridor, rear-end and sideswipe crashes near hotel entrances are a well-documented pattern in crash data.
Vacation Traffic Patterns and Seasonal Collision Spikes
Tourist-heavy cities don’t see uniform crash risk throughout the year, they experience seasonal spikes that correspond directly with peak travel periods. Spring break, summer vacation, long holiday weekends, and major events like music festivals or sports tournaments all bring sudden surges in unfamiliar drivers, rental vehicles, and out-of-state plates.
In Scottsdale, major events like the Barrett-Jackson auction, the Phoenix Open, and spring training season bring concentrated influxes of visitors into a road network that handles significantly elevated traffic volumes during those periods. Myrtle Beach sees similar summer-driven spikes along US-17 and US-501, the primary arteries connecting resort areas to major highways. These seasonal patterns are reflected in crash data, and they underline why popular vacation cities consistently appear in state-level collision statistics.
What Happens After a Vacation Driving Accident
When a crash involves a rental vehicle or an out-of-state driver, the aftermath can be more complicated than a standard local collision. Rental car insurance coverage varies significantly; some credit cards offer secondary coverage on rental vehicles, while personal auto policies differ in how they extend to rentals across state lines. An out-of-state driver involved in a crash may have to deal with a policy from their home state, a separate rental damage waiver, and the insurance requirements of the state where the crash occurred, all at once.
It is especially important to document the crash thoroughly by photographs, witness contact information, and a copy of the police report. This is because, in vacation driving accidents, parties may return to different states before any claim is fully processed. Key factors that insurance adjusters typically evaluate include:
- Which driver had the right of way
- Whether posted speed limits or traffic signals were followed
- Whether driver distraction or an unfamiliar road configuration contributed to the crash
- The coverage terms of both the at-fault and injured party’s insurance policies
Frequently Asked Questions About Tourist Traffic Accidents
Are rental car crashes covered by personal auto insurance?
Personal auto insurance policies often extend to rental vehicles, but coverage limits and terms vary by policy, so it’s important to verify with your insurer before renting.
Are out-of-state drivers more likely to be involved in crashes?
Research has found that out-of-state drivers appear at elevated rates in fatal crash data in tourist-heavy states, particularly in areas with complex road networks or high seasonal traffic volumes.
Does GPS use while driving count as distracted driving?
Yes, NHTSA classifies any activity that diverts a driver’s attention from the road as distracted driving, which includes interacting with navigation devices while in motion.
Find Updated Crash Reports From Vacation Cities Across the Country
Tourist traffic creates real and recurring road safety challenges in cities across the United States, driven by unfamiliar roads, rental vehicles, GPS distraction, rideshare congestion, and seasonal surges in out-of-state drivers.
If you’re looking for current crash reports from Orlando, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Scottsdale, Myrtle Beach, or any other city or state, Local Accident Reports tracks verified incidents nationwide in real time.
Visit Local Accident Reports website to search by location, or call our team at (888) 657-1460 for assistance with crash reports and related information.
