Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety in SW Florida
Brian O Sutter
Personal Injury
When it comes to bicycle and pedestrian safety in SW Florida, it is a priority of the Florida Department of Transportation. Their goal is to hit zero traffic fatalities. To reach this goal, officials are doing everything possible to ensure safety, mobility, and accessibility for everyone using Florida’s roadways.
What Is Florida’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Safety Plan?
The Florida Pedestrian Bicycle Strategic Safety Plan and Coalition is a five-year implementation plan recently updated in October 2021. It aims to decrease traffic accidents that result in serious injuries and fatalities.
The program uses advanced data collection, analysis, and evaluation while establishing clear priorities for safety strategies in areas with the highest number of accidents.
Between 2015 and 2019, 9% of cycling accidents that ended in fatalities involved a driver who was speeding. Additionally, 16% were the result of driving while under the influence, and 20% of the accidents were hit-and-runs. Surprisingly, fatalities on US roads are decreasing; however, cyclist deaths are steadily increasing.
When a large vehicle like an SUV or a truck hits a cyclist or a pedestrian, the chances of the accident ending in a fatality increase by 50%.
What Are Florida’s Cycling Laws?
Cyclists must abide by the same road rules as motorists. However, common sense should also be used. The statute of limitations on cycling accidents in Florida is two to four years from the date of the accident.
You should travel with traffic flow, not against it as a cyclist. In contrast, pedestrians should walk facing oncoming traffic.
When riding a bike, always wear a helmet. If you are under 16, Florida law requires that you do so, and the helmet should be properly fitted. Your bicycle should also have working brakes to further enhance safety while cycling.
If you will be riding your bike around sunrise or sundown, it is also recommended that you equip your bike with front and rear lights to increase visibility while on the roadway. These lights should be visible between 500 and 600 feet in the front and rear of the bike.
While riding on a sidewalk, you also need to watch for pedestrians. Negligence equals fault, for example, is considered a breach of the standard of care that a reasonable person takes to avoid harm. When determining fault, you must prove that the other person failed to act reasonably.
Additionally, Florida is a comparative negligence state, so both people can be blamed for the accident. Pure comparative negligence allows you to receive compensation; however, that compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault they had in the accident.
Learn How to Share the Road
To stay safe as a cyclist in SW Florida, you need to learn how to share the road with other motorists as well as pedestrians. Florida ranks as one of the most dangerous states for non-motorists.
While everyone needs to learn how to share the road, the unfortunate truth is that motorists don’t think cyclists belong there in the first place. So, they tend to get close to cyclists or honk their horns.
Funding and research are just the first steps toward ensuring improved bicycle and pedestrian safety in SW Florida. Making current streets more accessible and finding solutions for dangerous roadways are all good places to start.
However, motorists and non-motorists alike also have to be more aware of each other and resign to the fact that the roadways are shared. There has to be a compromise.
If you have recently been involved in a cyclist or pedestrian accident in Florida, you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t hesitate to consult with an experienced personal injury attorney today.