Walking? You’re risking your life in Florida, the deadliest state for pedestrians
Walking? You’re risking your life in Florida, the deadliest state for pedestrians
Walking may be hazardous to your health. In Florida, the risk of fatality on foot is significantly higher than in any other state.
Nine of the 20 deadliest U.S. cities for pedestrians are in Florida, with Orlando ranked as least safe and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolis ranked No. 14 in the 2019 “Dangerous By Design” report from Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Florida, which was built for speed, retained its distinction as the place where a person who is walking is most likely to be struck and killed by a driver.
Harrowing data showed that between 2008 and 2017 the number of annual pedestrian deaths in the U.S. increased by 35.7 percent. A total of 49,340 died in that 10-year period. That’s more than 13 people killed per day or one person every hour and 46 minutes.
“It’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people dying every single month,” the report says, noting that if 5,000 Americans per year died in plane crashes, air traffic would come to a halt until safety solutions were implemented. “Unlike traffic fatalities for motor vehicle occupants, which decreased 6.1 percent between 2008 and 2017, pedestrian deaths have been steadily increasing since 2009.”
In Florida, there were 5,433 pedestrian deaths in the 10-year span, which is an annual average of 2.73 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people, or a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) calculated in the report as 182.0. Compare that to the national figures of 1.55 average annual deaths per 100,000 and a 55.3 PDI. Compare the Sunshine State’s dreadful PDI to that of Texas (111.9), California (68.2), Ohio (39.6), New York (24.6) and the safest state, Vermont (13.8).
A report from Smart Growth America shows that 9 of the 20 U.S. cities with the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities are clustered in Florida, with Orlando the most dangerous and Miami at No. 14.
Dangerous By Design, Smart Growth America
Orlando, at 656 deaths over the 10 years, recorded a scary PDI of 313.3, with No. 2 Daytona Beach at 265 and No. 3 Melbourne-Titusville at 245. No. 4 Sarasota-Bradenton’s PDI increased by 86.4 percent to 234.6 since the 2016 report, more than any other city.
In Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 1,549 pedestrians were hit and killed during the period for a PDI of 153.5. Compare Miami’s PDI to that of Phoenix and Houston (both 130.0), Atlanta (127.9), Los Angeles (76.4), Washington, D.C. (39.7), Chicago (34.5), New York-Newark (27.1), Boston(19.6) and, safest of the 100 ranked most populous metro areas, Provo-Orem, Utah (17.3).
Compare to European cities like Stockholm, Berlin and Copenhagen, where crash and death rates are much lower.
“Why is this happening?” authors of the report asked. “We’re not walking more and we’re only driving slightly more than we were back in 2008. What is happening is that our streets, which we designed for the movement of vehicles, haven’t changed. In fact, we are continuing to design streets that are dangerous for all people.”
Federal and state transportation policies, blueprints and funding are stuck in the age of the automobile, when sprawling growth patterns — especially in the Sun Belt — led to wider roads, longer blocks and street engineering that prioritized high speeds for cars over safety for people on foot, on bikes or using mass transit, the report says.
Among the victims, death rates are disproportionately high for the elderly, minorities and people walking in poor communities, data showed. Older adults are more often struck at an intersection or in a crosswalk than younger victims. In San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, residents organized marches, flash mobs and 20-second performances in crosswalks to campaign for longer signal times for elderly and disabled people.
Another cause of skyrocketing fatality rates is the growing popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks, which are two to three times more likely to kill a pedestrian in a crash than a sedan, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report.
Walking? You’re risking your life in Florida, the deadliest state for pedestrians
Walking may be hazardous to your health. In Florida, the risk of fatality on foot is significantly higher than in any other state.
Nine of the 20 deadliest U.S. cities for pedestrians are in Florida, with Orlando ranked as least safe and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolis ranked No. 14 in the 2019 “Dangerous By Design” report from Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
Florida, which was built for speed, retained its distinction as the place where a person who is walking is most likely to be struck and killed by a driver.
Harrowing data showed that between 2008 and 2017 the number of annual pedestrian deaths in the U.S. increased by 35.7 percent. A total of 49,340 died in that 10-year period. That’s more than 13 people killed per day or one person every hour and 46 minutes.
“It’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people dying every single month,” the report says, noting that if 5,000 Americans per year died in plane crashes, air traffic would come to a halt until safety solutions were implemented. “Unlike traffic fatalities for motor vehicle occupants, which decreased 6.1 percent between 2008 and 2017, pedestrian deaths have been steadily increasing since 2009.”
In Florida, there were 5,433 pedestrian deaths in the 10-year span, which is an annual average of 2.73 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people, or a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) calculated in the report as 182.0. Compare that to the national figures of 1.55 average annual deaths per 100,000 and a 55.3 PDI. Compare the Sunshine State’s dreadful PDI to that of Texas (111.9), California (68.2), Ohio (39.6), New York (24.6) and the safest state, Vermont (13.8).
A report from Smart Growth America shows that 9 of the 20 U.S. cities with the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities are clustered in Florida, with Orlando the most dangerous and Miami at No. 14.
Dangerous By Design, Smart Growth America
Orlando, at 656 deaths over the 10 years, recorded a scary PDI of 313.3, with No. 2 Daytona Beach at 265 and No. 3 Melbourne-Titusville at 245. No. 4 Sarasota-Bradenton’s PDI increased by 86.4 percent to 234.6 since the 2016 report, more than any other city.
In Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 1,549 pedestrians were hit and killed during the period for a PDI of 153.5. Compare Miami’s PDI to that of Phoenix and Houston (both 130.0), Atlanta (127.9), Los Angeles (76.4), Washington, D.C. (39.7), Chicago (34.5), New York-Newark (27.1), Boston(19.6) and, safest of the 100 ranked most populous metro areas, Provo-Orem, Utah (17.3).
Compare to European cities like Stockholm, Berlin and Copenhagen, where crash and death rates are much lower.
“Why is this happening?” authors of the report asked. “We’re not walking more and we’re only driving slightly more than we were back in 2008. What is happening is that our streets, which we designed for the movement of vehicles, haven’t changed. In fact, we are continuing to design streets that are dangerous for all people.”
Federal and state transportation policies, blueprints and funding are stuck in the age of the automobile, when sprawling growth patterns — especially in the Sun Belt — led to wider roads, longer blocks and street engineering that prioritized high speeds for cars over safety for people on foot, on bikes or using mass transit, the report says.
Among the victims, death rates are disproportionately high for the elderly, minorities and people walking in poor communities, data showed. Older adults are more often struck at an intersection or in a crosswalk than younger victims. In San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Milwaukee, residents organized marches, flash mobs and 20-second performances in crosswalks to campaign for longer signal times for elderly and disabled people.
Another cause of skyrocketing fatality rates is the growing popularity of SUVs and pickup trucks, which are two to three times more likely to kill a pedestrian in a crash than a sedan, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report.