Florida deadliest state for walkers, cyclists – Delaware 2nd

MIAMI, Florida – According to USA Today, Florida is the deadliest state in the U.S. for pedestrians – and bicyclists don’t fare any better. In 2008, the most recent year for which federal statistics are available, 11.1% of pedestrians and 17.4% of bicyclists killed in the U.S. died in the Sunshine State, which has 6% of the nation’s population. The top four of the 10 most dangerous metropolitan areas for walking are in Florida, according to a study last fall by two Washington, D.C.-based non-profit groups. The state has been in the top three in bicycle and pedestrian fatalities every year since 2001, federal data show.

The statistics perplex state officials. “There are so many factors involved and most of them are random,” says Marianne Trussell, chief safety officer for Florida’s Department of Transportation. “We’re trying to figure out root causes and how we can fix it”. More . . .