One Of The Reasons Behind The “Florida Man” Social Media Challenge

Wacky stories that originate in Florida are a running social media joke, so much so that “Florida man” is the subject of endless memes and clever tweets. But in reality, Florida’s troubles are no laughing matter: it was recently ranked the third most dangerous state in the nation by WalletHub.

The only two states more fraught with danger than Florida are Louisiana ranked second most-dangerous, and Mississippi ranked first. WalletHub ranked states based on a huge range of factors–everything from the average number of mass shootings and terrorist attacks, to the number of car crashes, to the poverty rate. Florida’s high rate of natural disasters, like hurricanes, and social problems, like drug overdoses and a high rate of people with no medical insurance, contributed to its low ranking.

According to WalletHub, the safest states to live in are Minnesota, Vermont, Maine, Utah, and Connecticut, in that order.

“Overall, Florida ranked among the bottom in just about every category, however it was our terrifying roads and our even more terrifying drivers that really tanked our standing,” Orlando Weekly reported. “According to WalletHub, Florida ranked as the 3rd worst state for ‘road safety,; and the second worst among states with a high uninsured population.”

Orlando Weekly noted that it wasn’t surprised by the news, since Orlando was recently named the deadliest city for pedestrians.