Florida Deadliest State For Pedestrians: Report

TAMPA, FL — Florida is the country’s most dangerous state for people who choose to soak up the sun by traveling on foot. That’s according to a report released by Smart Growth America on Tuesday.

The organization’s “Dangerous by Design” report is based on a Pedestrian Danger Index, or PDI, measure that takes into account pedestrian fatalities and relative population for each metro area measured. The report’s data is drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.

Florida metro areas lead the ranking report that includes 104 communities across the country. Seven Florida metro areas, in fact, are in the Top 10 for being the most dangerous for pedestrians. The Sunshine State, not surprisingly, was also named the No. 1 most dangerous in the nation with Alabama ranked second.

The Top 10 most dangerous metro areas in the country for pedestrians, according to the report, are:

1. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida
2. Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida
3. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sandford, Florida
4. Jacksonville, Florida
5. Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida
6. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida
7. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Florida
8. Jackson, Mississippi
9. Memphis, Tennessee
10. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area ranked 11th overall.

“Florida has been the most dangerous state for walking since we first began tracking these numbers in 2009,” the report’s writers noted. The authors acknowledged that the state has been taking action to address its dubious ranking.

In 2014, “the Florida Department of Transportation adopted a Complete Streets policy with the goal of reducing pedestrian deaths in the state,” the report said. “Not content to simply pass a policy, the agency has also taken decisive steps to put it into practice. In December 2015, the agency published its Complete Streets Implementation Plan, an ambitious and comprehensive commitment to change the way roads are designed and built in Florida to make them safer for all types of travelers.”

The efforts are showing signs of progress. Florida’s statewide Pedestrian Danger Index has dropped by 5.8 points since 2011.

Smart Growth America is a Washington, D.C.-based organization “dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalition to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide.” To find out more or download the report, visit Smart Growth America online.

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