Why Ocala Accident Attorney Urges Widening of Shoulders For Pedestrian Roadway Safety.



Pedestrian safety is an important issue in Florida, especially because our state consistently ranks near the top of annual lists for pedestrian-related traffic fatalities. When considering ways to improve pedestrian safety, let us first look at the existing Florida laws that try to protect pedestrians from traffic accidents.

Florida statute 316 pertains to pedestrians walking on streets and other roadways. The law states that when there is a sidewalk provided, pedestrians must not “walk along and upon the portion of a roadway paved for vehicular traffic.” In other words, if there is a sidewalk, pedestrians must use it. The law further states that when no sidewalk is provided, a pedestrian who is walking along a road must “walk only on the shoulder of the left side of the roadway in relation to the pedestrian’s direction of travel, facing traffic which may approach from the opposite direction.” So pedestrians may legally walk along a roadway without a sidewalk, but must walk on the side of the road that faces oncoming traffic. (Note: it illegal to walk on limited access roads such as Interstates.)

The question then becomes: How can we lower pedestrian traffic accidents when pedestrians in certain situations are legally allowed to walk along a roadway? As an Ocala personal injury attorney, I agree with The Florida Highway Association to encourage states and municipalities to widen the shoulder of roads. A shoulder is a portion of the roadway that accommodates stopped vehicles and emergency use. A shoulder also provides a gravel or paved area for pedestrians to walk next to the roadway. A shoulder differs from a sidewalk in that a sidewalk is specifically designed for pedestrians and separated from motor vehicle traffic by a space or barrier.

Widening shoulders provides many benefits including:
1) reducing numerous crashes, including pedestrian-related accidents;
2) providing an increased level of comfort for pedestrians and bicyclists;
3) increasing effective turning radii at intersections;
4) providing more emergency stopping space for broken down vehicles;
5) providing more space for maintenance operations; and
6) improving roadway drainage.

Pedestrians will always be a part of road travel and traffic safety, and they have certain rights to travel on roadways as mentioned above. That is why it is so critical for drivers to always be aware of pedestrians who are on or near roads they’re driving on. Even if the pedestrian is illegally walking along a roadway, drivers must still exercise good judgment when approaching a pedestrian because a driver in his one-ton car is more dangerous to a pedestrian than the pedestrian is to the driver and his car.

For more information on this important topic, please see:
Ocala accident attorney urges Florida roadways be constructed with pedestrians in mind

Pedestrian Rules of the Road in Florida – What Every Walker Should Know to be Safe and Legal



I am local Accident Attorney, Jeffrey Meldon, and I strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of and/or recovery from a serious accident. 

My Office and I take pride in our work, and the results we get for our clients.  

The Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon and Associates is a regional law firm that is located in Gainesville, Florida. We are personal injury lawyers, litigators and trial lawyers that have been working to get accident victims the justice they deserve for over 37 years throughout North Florida and all over Florida. Accidents involving a car crash, truck wreck, and motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accidents, dog bites, slip and falls and medical malpractice are all included in their practice as accident attorneys.
We have been proudly representing injured accident victims in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, Daytona Beach, Dunnellon, Palatka, The Villages, and Alachua County, Marion County, Columbia County, Citrus County, Volusia County, Sumter County, Putnam County  and the entire North and Central Florida since 1971.
For more information on how we can help you, or with any other question you may have, feel free to contact my Office at 1 800 373 8000.