Ocala Accident Attorney urges Florida roadways be constructed with pedestrian safety in mind.

Several Florida metropolitan areas ranked as the most dangerous to pedestrians nationwide.  According to a recent study "Dangerous by Design," conducted by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership and Transportation for America, four Florida cities rank in the top ten most dangerous metropolitan areas nationwide:  Orlando-Kissimmee, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, and Jacksonville.

In ranking 20 metro areas in Florida, Gainesville ranked the lowest, pedestrians accounted for less than 8 percent of all traffic-related deaths recorded in Gainesville in 2008. In contrast, pedestrians made up 14 percent of the traffic deaths in nearby Ocala.

According to the report, people who are less likely to own cars, children, elderly, and minorities suffer the highest pedestrian fatality rates.

In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community.  Nationwide, pedestrians account for nearly 12 percent of total traffic deaths.  Over the last decade, 688,000 pedestrians were injured, a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a car or truck every 7 minutes.

Road safety has increased, but pedestrian fatalities have decreased only half the rate of motorist fatalities, dropping by just over 14 percent during the period, compared to 27 percent for motor vehicle fatalities.

For increased pedestrian safety, Transportation for America,  recommends that all federally funded road projects take into account the needs of all users of the transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists and public transportation users, while promoting the creation of complete networks of sidewalks and bicycle so that residents can travel safely throughout an area. 

As a Gainesville and Ocala accident attorney, I agree with Transportation for America's recommendations with one exception, I do not think it goes far enough. I believe that wherever there are high concentrations of people, there should be sidewalks and other safety lanes, not just with federally funded road projects. 

For more information:

The Rules of the Road for Pedestrians in Florida - What Every Walker Should Know to be Safe and Legal