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Florida dominates list of deadliest counties for US cyclists, data shows (theguardian.com)
7 points by rntn on Feb 13, 2024 | hide | past | favorite | 3 comments


Florida also has one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the country: https://www.forbes.com/sites/katharinabuchholz/2023/04/20/ne...

The state DOT puts the safety of people on foot and on bikes far below the convenience of drivers, and it shows.


I think it's mostly because most roads in FL seem to be multi-lane highways with speeds in excess of 45 mph. Oh and traffic lights that seem to have 7-10 minute cycles, so people tend to run the lights (at great speed) because they'll have to wait for such a long time for them to cycle.

Despite the surprising common bike lanes in FL, getting hit at those speeds is going to be absolutely deadly. In New England, that sort of speed is relegated to highways and wide rural roads that don't have much (or even allow) pedestrian or bike traffic. Urban areas tend to be limited in speed and size of road.

I've seen more accidents in a few weeks of driving in FL than I have in my entire life -- all vehicle to vehicle. Although one sad story I heard about was an intoxicated person trying to cross two 55mph carriage ways of 3 lanes each back to a hotel at night and got hit (and killed).


I'm not surprised at all, current Florida resident, and bike lanes in the city I'm living in are not safe, and definitely not regarded by drivers. Additionally, one of the things I noticed after moving down is that (and this might be confirmation bias but) it feels people are driving while on their phones way more than the other places I've lived.

I've found this fun phenomenon where drivers who don't immediately go when the light turns green cause they're on their phone don't get honked at every time. My theory is that it's because the drivers behind them are also on their phone




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