Florida has third-highest pedestrian traffic fatality rate in US, study shows

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A new report shows that Florida has the third-highest pedestrian fatality rate in the country.

Florida falls just behind New Mexico and Louisiana on the list. Holly Cooper is the CEO of Altumint, the company that released the report.

“3.5 per capita is the pedestrian fatality rate on average in Florida. To compare it, the best state is at .5. So, significantly higher in the state of Florida.”

Rural counties like Hamilton, Dixie, and Suwanee have higher pedestrian deaths per capita.

“When you get to more rural environments, you have longer open stretches of road, more rooms for vehicles to go faster. It really creates an environment where you can have some bad behaviors.”

A pedestrian has only a 10-15% chance of survival if hit by a vehicle going 40 mph.

“The pedestrian fatalities over the last decade have increased 77 percent, versus other traffic incident fatalities at only 25 percent. So we’re getting this false sense of security as drivers that because our vehicles are safer, we can have more unsafe driver behavior. And the reality is, it doesn’t protect those outside our vehicle.”

In July, The City of Tampa announced a $2 billion mobility plan in hopes of reducing roadway deaths.