Walking is dangerous in South Florida.
The metro area of Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach-Miami ranked 13th among the nation’s most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians over the last decade.
The Sunshine State, retained its No. 1 ranking as the place where a pedestrian is most likely to be struck and killed by a driver in the U.S.
Nine of the 15 most hazardous U.S. cities for pedestrians are in Florida, with Orlando ranked as least safe and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach ranked No. 13.
Drivers hit and killed 53,435 pedestrians, throughout the country between 2010 and 2019. Fatality rates are disproportionately high for the elderly, Blacks, American Indian or Alaska Native people, and people walking in low-income communities. Florida is built for speed, and there were 5,893 pedestrian deaths in the 10-year span.
In Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 1,675 pedestrians were hit and killed. Florida’s dominance atop the list earned it special attention to state leaders and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for failure to implement Complete Streets policies approved in 2014.
Agencies set targets to reduce injuries and fatalities and face penalties if they don’t meet them as well as provide updated training to planners.
Photos by Getty Images