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Walking? You’re Risking Your Life In Florida, The Deadliest State For Pedestrians

NICK SWYTER
/
Miami Herald
Pedestrians cross Calle Ocho in Little Havana. Miami was ranked the 14th most dangerous metro area in the nation for people who are walking.

Walking may be hazardous to your health. In Florida, the risk of fatality on foot is significantly higher than in any other state.

Nine of the 20 deadliest U.S. cities for pedestrians are in Florida, with Orlando ranked as least safe and the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolis ranked No. 14 in the 2019 “Dangerous By Design” report from Smart Growth Americaand the National Complete Streets Coalition.

Florida, which was built for speed, retained its distinction as the place where a person who is walking is most likely to be struck and killed by a driver.

Harrowing data showed that between 2008 and 2017 the number of annual pedestrian deaths in the U.S. increased by 35.7 percent. A total of 49,340 died in that 10-year period. That’s more than 13 people killed per day or one person every hour and 46 minutes.

“It’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people dying every single month,” the report says, noting that if 5,000 Americans per year died in plane crashes, air traffic would come to a halt until safety solutions were implemented. “Unlike traffic fatalities for motor vehicle occupants, which decreased 6.1 percent between 2008 and 2017, pedestrian deaths have been steadily increasing since 2009.”

Read more at our news partner, the Miami Herald

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