Florida has always been one of the best states to live. With great weather, superb coastline and a multicultural population, the state has been a melting pot for people of all races, culture and language. However, in the past 2-3 years Florida has been falling behind. With the poor economy, the state has a high rate of unemployment and the real estate market has bottomed out. To make news worse is that Florida is also the most dangerous place for pedestrians.
Across the state, pedestrians have been involved in more accidents than elsewhere in the country. To top the list of dangerous cities in Florida, Jacksonville is number one. Not far behind are Orlando, Tampa and Miami. Recent reports by the transportation agency found that walking in any one of these cities is very hazardous.
While one may blame elderly people with gait problems for some of these accidents, this is not the sole reason. Many elderly individuals also live elsewhere in states like California and Arizona but have much fewer accidents. Officials claim that Florida spends very little on road safety and part of the problem is related to the economy. The state has run out of funds. Less than 1.5 percent of total federal funds were spent on pedestrian safety despite the fact that pedestrian accidents have increased significantly.
After Jacksonville, other cities in the country where pedestrian accidents are also on the increase include Memphis, Raleigh, Louisville, Houston, and Atlanta.
The only way to improve pedestrian safety say transportation officials is to spend more money on road safety – like building sidewalks, erecting speed bumps, cross walks and educating both the driver and pedestrian.