Vince Dyer runs a pedestrian safety initiative program in Orlando called Best Foot Forward. Dyer’s group has been working with state and local leaders for the past 10 years, to help find ways to keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe.
He believes there should be changes to major crossings and better state traffic laws that better explain what drivers can and cannot do to avoid causing an accident.
“Making sure that we have adequate lighting on the crosswalks is a huge deal," said Dyer. "I would say that is one of the best things that they [state lawmakers] can do. I would also love to see more specific language in the state statutes about when drivers are supposed to yield to pedestrians because there are parts of it that are unclear.”
Under current law a driver can pass bicyclists in non-passing zones or make a right turn overtaking a cyclist if they do so at a safe distance. But Dyer argues, that's not enough.
“That’s a very vague sentence. Who gets to determine if you’re close enough to be in danger. We would like for it to say that if you enter a crosswalk, the pedestrian has the right of way all the way across, and that the driver has to stop and wait for them to cross. That's the language that we would like to see.”
According to data pulled from the state's Traffic Safety Dashboard, Florida has seen an uptick in the number of pedestrian-involved car crashes since the pandemic.
From 2020 to 2021, pedestrian crashes increased by about 3,000 accidents going from 16,000 to 19,000. Things got even worse for pedestrians last year as the number jumped again. In 2022, Florida nearly topped 21,000 bicycle or pedestrian car crashes, with 3,000 of them resulting in a death or severe injury.
WFSU spoke with Detective Jim Harris who works with the Tallahassee Police Traffic Unit. He says there’s instances where pedestrians put themselves at risk by not adhering to traffic laws.
“We’re seeing a lot of pedestrians crossing the mid-block disregarding traffic signals and darting out into the road," Harris explained. "That's probably our biggest thing. If we could get pedestrians to go back to using the crosswalks and waiting for the traffic signals."
But Harris says it’s not always pedestrians who are in the wrong. Sometimes reckless drivers are at fault. To combat this, TPD and other law enforcement agencies around the state are tapping special units to sniff out traffic violators in high volume areas. That includes those traveling on foot, by bike, or by car. The initiative is currently being funded through the Florida Department of Transportation.
“We'll get officers out there working in an overtime capacity to help reduce the interaction between vehicles and pedestrians, vehicles and bicycles in those areas.”
Florida lawmakers also stepped in this past legislative session to bring extra safety measures to younger pedestrians as they walk to and from school. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill (HB 657)into law in May that allows local governments to use special radar detection devices in and around school zones to catch speeders and ramps up punishments.
“I represent an urban area and there is an elementary school and as you would expect in an urban area, children are walking all the time," State Representative Vicki Lopez (R-Miami-Dade) said during a transportation subcommittee meeting. "I have seen people speed through there and I’m thinking do they not even see these little people who are trying to get safely to school.”
Officials urge drivers and pedestrians to use patience and caution whenever they hit the road. Added traffic enforcement is underway and will continue through next year.