A new report has been released entitled, "DANGEROUS BY DESIGN - SOLVING THE EPIDEMIC OF PREVENTABLE PEDESTRIAN DEATHS (AND MAKING GREAT NEIGHBORHOODS)" The report was prepared by Transportation for America (T4America) and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STPP) and notes that Florida is number one, two, three and four in the nation as having some of the most dangerous streets for pedestrians. Orlando-Kissimmee, Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, and, Jacksonville rank highest in the nation for low pedestrian safety.

The report provides a ranking of America's major metropolitan areas according to how safe they are for pedestrians. The report ranks the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians and reveals that too many Americans are dying preventable deaths each year due to poor transportation policies and short-sited funding priorities.

Dangerous By Design---- Complete Document

Prior versions of the report have been titled "Mean Streets", but this 2009 report is called "Dangerous by Design".The previous Mean Streets report uses data from various national databases to calculate how safe or unsafe major metropolitan areas for pedestrians. Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data is used to create a Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) which is a measure of the average yearly pedestrian fatalities per capita, adjusted for the number of walkers (derived from Census “Journey to Work” data). The reports also analyzes (using FHWA fiscal databases) the per capita spending on bike/ped facilities and safety in each of these communities.

Like previous Mean Streets reports, this updated report found that there are too many preventable deaths on our streets and we all have a lot of work to do to make sure our communities are safe for walking. While the Mean Streets report focuses on pedestrians, it also draws attention to the dangers for cyclists, since many of these communities are also dangerous for cyclists, as shown in the underlying NHTSA reports.

These reports, prepared by the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership (STTP), focuse on pedestrian safety and highlight the areas in the country that are the most dangerous for pedestrians. In the 2002 and 2004 reports, Florida communities were some of the most dangerous places for pedestrians.

Below are links to the previous Mean Streets Reports:

• 2002 Mean Streets report
  
• 2004 Mean Streets report
  

What we know about Florida Pedestrian & Cyclist Fatalities from the NHTSA Data (2007):

• Florida is ranked #1 in the nation for both bicycle and pedestrian fatalities per capita in 2007:
  Florida’s bicycle fatality rate of 0.64 per 100,000, is almost three times the national average.
• Florida’s pedestrian fatality rate of 2.19 per 100,000, is almost double the national average.

[National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 2007] In 2007, 121 bicyclists and 530 pedestrians were killed in the Florida. [A Safer FL: Traffic Crash Statistics Report 2007.]

• 2007 Pedestrians Traffic Safety Fact Sheet:
• 2007 Bicyclist & Other Cyclists Traffic Safety Fact Sheet
• For links to all Traffic Safety Fact Sheets: 1993-2008