Data Shows Central Florida Cyclists at Heightened Risk of Injury and Death

By Orlando Personal Injury Attorney on December 6, 2019

Reports stemming from data compiled by the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicle’s Crash Dashboard recently emerged which indicated that cyclists attempting to ride within Central Florida are at severe risk for bicycle accidents resulting in injury or death. This data highlights just how at-risk cyclists attempting to ride through Central Florida are, with a review of each of Florida’s counties placing Orange County at the top of the list for collisions and fatalities.

In 2018 alone, there were 498 reported collisions within Orange County between cars and bicycles. Out of this number, eight people were killed. The second most accident-prone county in the state was Volusia County, which saw 226 crashes and 7 fatalities.

News reports containing this information made sure to include the facts that Florida state law gives cyclists the same rights to the road as individuals inside of cars. The law also states that drivers of cars must give cyclists at least 3 feet of space while passing, a modest cushion which is meant to prevent collision between bikes and cars.

Unfortunately, it appears that as cycling becomes increasingly popular throughout the state, individuals riding bicycles have yet to see a corresponding rise in awareness of the bikers on the parts of motorists. The hundreds of accidents between cars and cyclists attests to this fact. Law enforcement officers should now be directing their attention towards discovering just what causes drivers to behave so obliviously while operating their vehicles.

One of the most common reasons behind collisions between cars and cyclists is distracted driving. In incident after incident, it transpires that the person behind the wheel of the car was texting or looking at their phone in the moments before the crash. The level of distraction suffered by drivers throughout Central Florida is such that there are numerous collisions that are caused by a car swerving into a designated cycling lane and striking a biker who was well off of the area of asphalt intended for motorized vehicles.

At the time of this writing, it is not clear what sort of steps the Florida Highway Patrol and other organizations within Florida are planning on doing to tackle this pervasive issue.

Sources:

• Central Florida cyclists at high risk for injury, death, statewide data shows

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.