Florida Roadways Responsible for Too Many Pedestrian Wrongful Deaths

Not surprisingly, a recent study by Transportation for America ranked our South Florida region of Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach as the fourth most dangerous area for car accidents and wrongful deaths involving pedestrians in the United States. According to the report, more than 1500 pedestrians died in car and truck accidents in the South Florida area between 2000 and 2009. That is a shocking number of deaths, considering many cities have actually installed additional safety improvements, including cross-walks with countdown clocks.

Thankfully, despite possible reductions in Federal funding, Broward County engineers, for the first time, have placed greater emphasis on the interaction between traffic and pedestrians, including bike riders, in their plans for roadway construction for the next 25 years. Such safety actions include the building of additional bike lanes and pedestrian walks.

While it is imperative for the Florida Legislature to continue with their studies to determine solutions for this epidemic, as personal injury attorneys we hope everyone remembers that old saying, “look left, look right, and look left again, before entering a roadway.”