Florida has a well-earned reputation for being a dangerous state for pedestrians. In fact, it ranks higher than any other state in terms of risk to people traveling on foot.
Nine of the top 20 deadliest cities in the United States for pedestrians are located in Florida. Orlando came in as the worst city in the nation for pedestrians — and it wasn’t particularly close.
In Florida, there were 5,433 deaths to pedestrians from 2008 to 2017, the most recent year for which there is complete information available. This translates to an average of 2.73 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people, far beyond the national average of 1.55 deaths per 100,000. Florida ranked significantly worse than the other highly ranked states, including Texas, California, Ohio and New York.
Other Florida cities in the top five outside of Orlando were Daytona Beach (#2), Melbourne-Titusville (#3) and Sarasota-Bradenton (#4).
Pedestrians, take care
There are numerous reasons why Florida is such a bad state for pedestrians. Florida was one of the states where transportation policies, blueprints and funding has led to more urban sprawl and wider roads, along with longer blocks and other street design elements that prioritize high car speeds over safety for people who were walking, riding bikes or taking mass transportation. Other factors include the rising popularity of pickup trucks and SUVs, which are significantly more likely to kill pedestrians in accidents than standard passenger cars, according to reports from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Death rates for pedestrians are especially high for elderly people, those in poor communities and minorities, according to data analyzed by researchers.
If you or someone close to you has been seriously injured in a pedestrian accident, consult a trusted Bradenton personal injury lawyer with Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez, Murphy & Walsh.