Beware, Florida is the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrians

In Florida, walking is dangerous to health, and the risk of death for pedestrians is significantly higher than in the rest of the country.

Florida, whose road network focuses on providing conditions for vehicles to move at a faster speed, maintained its distinction as the place where pedestrians have the highest chance of losing their life by been runned over by a car.

Nine of the 20 most dangerous cities in the United States for pedestrians are in Florida: Orlando is the least safe and the metropolitan area of ​​Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is in 14th place, according to the Dangerous by Design report released by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.

The horrifying statistics show that between 2008 and 2017 the annual number of pedestrians who died in the United States increased by 35.7 percent. A total of 49,340 pedestrians were killed in those 10 years. That means more than 13 people per day, or one every hour and 46 minutes.

In Florida, where 5,433 pedestrians died in those 10 years, which means an annual average of 2.73 dead pedestrians per 100,000 people, or a Pedestrian Hazard Index (POI) of 182.0. That compares with the national average of 1.55 deceased pedestrians per 100,000 people and a PDI of 55.3. Compare Florida’s terrible POI with that of Texas (111.9), California (68.2), Ohio (39.6), New York (24.6) and the safest state, Vermont (13.8).

Orlando, with 656 pedestrians killed in those 10, recorded a terrifying PDI of 313.3; in second place was Daytona Beach with 265, and in third Melbourne-Titusville with 245. In the case of fourth place, the Sarasota-Bradenton region, its PDI increased 86.4 percent to 234.6 from the 2016 report, more than in any other city.

In Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, 1,549 lost their lives during the period in question, for a POI of 153.5. In comparison, Phoenix and Houston had a PDI of 130.0, Atlanta (127.9), Los Angeles (76.4), Washington DC (39.7), Chicago (34.5), New York-Newark (27.1), Boston (19.6) and, the city safest of the 100 largest metropolitan areas, Provo-Orem, Utah (17.3).