Gary, Indiana. took the number two spot. Jackson, Mississippi took number three, though they were nowhere close to Daytona Beach, with 3.84 and 3.79 times the median rate of car deaths.
Among small towns — those with populations under 50,000 — Dayton, Texas (located in the greater Houston metro) topped the list with a crash death rate an astonishing 12.4 times the national median
Source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JoWMRt2vMV2uwlzPc4InSJlKckEHr5WyxYbXTIIIjHo/edit?gid=0#gid=0
It’s also that there are a LOT of elderly people living there, many of whom should not be driving. Combined with a lot of immigrants and poor people who are walking or biking, and the hostile pedestrian infrastructure / car-centric sprawl and culture, it’s a recipe for disaster. (The wealth inequality down there is next level.) We were once in a car accident when visiting family there because some woman just backed into oncoming traffic (us). That’s the level of situational awareness for over half the drivers down there, 100% of the time. It’s harrowing Mad Max shit in a car, let alone as a pedestrian or biker. I’m sad my family member passed away, but so relieved I never have to go back to South Florida ever again.