Fort Lauderdale and Miami Florida Among Worst Cities for Pedestrian Traffic Accident Risks
If you live, work, or vacation in Fort Lauderdale or Miami, Florida, you'd better be sure to look both ways before you cross the street -- and walk on the sidewalks, not on the roadside.
Miami and Fort Lauderdale topped a list of U.S. cities deemed most hazardous for putting people at risk of traffic-related pedestrian accidents. In fact, according to safety advocates Transportation for America, which calculates a Pedestrian Danger Index -- Florida metro areas are among the most dangerous places in the country for serious and fatal pedestrian and motor vehicle accidents.
As Fort Lauderdale pedestrian accident lawyers, we are all too familiar with the devastating injuries and fatalities that can occur when a person on foot is hit by a car, truck, or other motor vehicle in Florida. NHTSA reports that on average, most pedestrian accidents occur in urban areas, at night, at non-intersection locations, and under normal weather conditions. People age 65+ are at greater risk of having a pedestrian accident. Florida experienced 466 pedestrian accident fatalities in 2009.
According to Transportation for America's "Dangerous by Design" study (see link below), approx. 47,700 pedestrians were killed in the United States between 2000 and 2009 -- "the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of passengers crashing roughly every month."
The study found that "most Americans continue to live in places where walking is risky business for their health and safety, where roads are designed solely to move traffic and where pedestrians are viewed as an obstacle." With Orlando, Florida, topping the list as the nation's most deadly city for pedestrians, the most dangerous metro areas in the South and West "…have seen rapid growth in recent decades of low-density development, characterized by high-speed urban roads that are particularly hazardous for walking."
Metro Orlando tops list of most dangerous communities for pedestrians
Sun-Sentinel.com May 24, 2011
Transportation for America: Dangerous by Design 2011
NHTSA: Traffic Safety Facts 2009: Pedestrians (PDF)
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Florida Pedestrian Traffic Accident Deaths Up: Report Cites Technology Distractions
