Florida Bike Crash Data

Bicycle safety awareness continues to rise as more and more people depend on this mode of transportation for their daily living needs. With bike riders on the streets in higher number, traffic safety rules in Florida need to change in order to protect riders from the dangers associated with motor vehicle drivers.  In 2011, Florida was ranked the deadliest state for cyclists, with 120 total fatalities associated with motor vehicles and bicyclists. With the weather being favorable to bicycle riders throughout the year, this is a statistic that might be swayed considering states such as Massachusetts only have bike riders on the road a few months out of the year.

According to Florida statues, all people riding a bicycle on the streets of Florida are under the same obligations as motorists to follow the safety rules of the road. All riders under the age of 16 must wear a bicycle helmet, a significant cause of fatalities nationwide as riders ignore basic bicycle safety equipment.  Riders must ride in the bike lane, or if no bike lane exists, must ride as safely as possible along the right side of the road. New bike lanes are being created all the time, offering more safety to bike riders.

National Statistics Regarding Bike Accidents

• In 2011, 48,000 people were injured in the United States in accidents involving motor vehicles and bicycles.
• Out of these 48,000 individuals, 677 died as a result of their injuries.
• In 2005, 786 bicyclists died because of an accident with a motor vehicle, the highest number of fatalities between 2002 and 2011.
• In 2011, 2.1 % of the fatalities involving motor vehicles were bicyclists.
• 69% of the cyclists killed in the United States in 2011 were killed in urban areas.
• The largest majority of cyclists (30%) were killed between the hours of four and eight pm.
• In 2011, the average age for all pedalcyclists killed in the United States was 43.
• The average age of those injured in the United States because of accidents with motor vehicles was 32.
• Every year, 2% of all road fatalities are those that were riding a bicycle.

Bicycle Accident Data Florida

• In 2011, Florida had 2,398 traffic fatalities.
• Of those traffic fatalities, 125 of those fatalities were people riding on a bicycle.
• 3.7% of the total road fatalities in 2011 were bicyclists in 2011.
• Bicyclists were killed most frequently between the hours of 6 pm and 9pm throughout the year.
• The average age for a bicyclist killed in Florida in 2011 was 36.
• In 2013, Florida ranked second in fatalities caused by a motor vehicle driver, with 133 deaths on the road that year.
• The highest rate of fatalities in 2013 was in Florida, with 6.8 fatalities per one million people in the state.
• Florida was also the highest percent (5.5) for bicyclists, out of the total number of fatalities in the state.
• In 2013, Florida had 2,407 total traffic fatalities, 133 of those fatalities were riding a bike.
• In 2013, the pedacyclist fatalities per million in the State of Florida was 6.8.

Other Bicycle Safety Facts

• In 2013, there were no pedalcyclist fatalities in Vermont, Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and West Virginia.
• All bicycle riders are required to follow the same rules of the road as motor vehicle drivers.
• 743 people died in the United States in 2013 as a result of a motor vehicle crash with a bicycle.
• This number accounted for 2.3% of the total fatalities in the United States caused by motor vehicles that year.