Most Dangerous State for Pedestrians? It’s Florida, Survey Says

Pedestrians in the Sunshine State are more likely to be injured or killed in collisions with cars and trucks, a new nationwide survey finds.

Florida is home to four of the five most dangerous metropolitan areas when it comes to walking – Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa — according to the Pedestrian Danger Index, which rates the risks of walking in urban areas.

In fact, the news is bad for anyone who enjoys walking in the South, which is home to nine of the top 10 most dangerous cities. Southern cities including the four Florida cities, Memphis, Tenn.; Raleigh, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.; Houston, Tex., Birmingham, Ala.; and Atlanta, Ga. topped the list, according to a Reuters news report.

The survey of pedestrian danger spots was compiled by Transportation for America, which found the high-risk areas are “dominated by lower density and automobile-orientated development patterns, which include high-speed urban arterials that are particularly hazardous for walking.”

The study focused on 52 metropolitan areas with a population of more than one million. The rankings are determined by the average pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 residents and the number of people who walk to work, officials said.

Pedestrian Deaths and Injuries Still High

Nationwide, pedestrian accidents remain a common form of death and injury. In 2007 and 2008, more than 9,000 pedestrians were killed and another 70,000 were injured in collisions with cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 700 of those pedestrians killed were age 15 and under.

Researchers said surprisingly, pedestrian safety has not improved much over the years.

“In the metro areas where walking is most hazardous the design of those communities came about mostly after the Second World War and were auto-orientated in their design and pedestrians and bicyclists were not considered with any great attention,” said Anne Camby, the executive director of the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, a coalition working to ensure safer roads, according to Reuters.

Safest Pedestrian Cities Identified

If you are looking for a safe big city in which to take a stroll, you might want to pack up and head to the Minnesota “Twin Cities” Minneapolis-St. Paul, Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, and Seattle, which ranked among the safest in the study.

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