Pedestrian deaths in the United States are at their highest level in nearly 30 years, and Floridais among the most dangerous of the 50 states.
The Governors Highway Safety Association released a study in February 2019 that showedpedestrians accounted for 16 percent of all traffic deaths in 2017, up from 12 percent in 2008.Florida had 330 of those fatalities. It was the second-highest total in the nation, behindCalifornia. The state also has the fourth-highest rate of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents(1.55), behind only New Mexico, Arizona, and Louisiana.
Why Pedestrian Safety Is an Important Issue
It’s not a new issue in Miami or in Florida, where pedestrian safety has long been on residents’minds. Some of them spoke out on Biscayne Boulevard, as they protested at the annual SafeStreets Summit. From the Miami Herald:
Inside the summit, participants from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties discussed how to improve mobility, walkability, accessibility and political accountability. Awards for Complete Street projects and community upgrades were given to Miami’s Downtown Development Authority, the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority, Broward’s redesign of A1A by engineer Steve Braun, the Clematis Streetscape, and the cities of Doral, Sunrise and Palm Beach Gardens.
Planner Chris Sinclair talked about his journey from Miami International Airport to theIntercontinental Hotel on Monday morning and how the quickest option was to take Uber (20 minutes) rather than public transportation (54 minutes).
“We have to look at complete trips and the way users look at the world,” Sinclair said. “The data is out there. It just requires a level of precision planners are not used to. It’s door-to-door planning and the home door or job door must be as close as possible to the transit door. A quarter mile is the sweet spot. Beyond that, ridership declines.”
Protestors called for the Safe Streets Summit to produce real results, which they said has nothappened in the previous five years. The summit is a collaborative effort among municipalplanning agencies from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach with an aim to “design andimplement safe and equitable transportation facilities for all modes of transportation.”
What the Numbers Say
It’s an urgent matter, as study after study highlights Florida as an exceptionally dangerous place for pedestrians. Smart Growth America finds nine of the 14 most dangerous metro areas for walking are in Florida, including the top six. South Florida is represented by Cape Coral-Fort Myers (eighth) and Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach (14th).
Within the Miami area, two malls — Aventura and Southland — had 16 and 13 pedestrian accidents, respectively, from 2013-17. Julia Tuttle Causeway saw four pedestrian fatalities and another bicycle fatality in that period.
These are the type of statistics that had protesters out at the Safe Streets Summit, demanding change. From the Miami Herald:
Protesters Simon Rose and Lucy Binhack are avid cyclists who said Miamians are desperate to get out of their cars but see no evidence of a protected network for walking and biking.
“I felt safer cycling in Manhattan than in Coconut Grove,” Binhack said. “Other cities haveproven it can be done, and it doesn’t take forever to turn all this unhealthy car-commuting space into livable space.”
Contact a Trusted Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Today
Florida did appear for the first time on Smart Growth America’s list of Best Complete StreetsInitiatives in 2017, for a manual from the Florida Department of Transportation that sets designcriteria for FDOT projects. But it will take time for those initiatives to trickle down to municipallevels, if they ever do.
If you are pedestrian who is involved in an accident, contact Kaire & Heffernan LLC to learnmore about your legal rights and options.
Mark Kaire has been practicing law in Miami for nearly 15 years. He is dedicated to helping the injured people of Miami receive compensation. Mr. Kaire has been blogging on Miami’s legal issues for 4 years.