Brevard bicyclists beware! Space Coast roads among the most dangerous in US for cyclists
Bicyclists beware.
Brevard is apparently among the Top 20 most dangerous counties in the country for cyclists, according to a recent study.
The Space Coast ranks 14th with 3.79 cyclists deaths per 100,000 people. The study by a law firm focused on the top 200 most populous counties in America and the number of crashes in each where a pedal cyclist was killed between 2017 and 2021. There were 23 cyclist deaths reported in Brevard County during that time frame.
Where do other Florida counties rank?
Florida overall isn’t exactly a biking-friendly state, according to the study.
Seven of the top 10 most dangerous counties for cyclists are in the Sunshine State. Pasco County claimed the top spot with 7.12 fatalities per 100,000 people.
Rounding out the top 10 were Sarasota, Manatee, East Baton Rouge (Louisiana), Pinellas, Orleans (Louisiana), San Joaquin (California), Marion and Hillsborough. Other Florida counties making the top 20 were Duval (12), Lee (13), Osceola (16), Broward (17), Polk (18) and Collier (20).
The study was researched by Bader Scott Law Firm with data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
"This data highlights the concentration of cyclist safety issues in certain areas, especially Florida, considering that seven of the Top 10 most dangerous counties for cyclists are in the state,” said Seth Bader, spokesman for Bader Scott Law Firm. “Across the 200 counties that were included in the study, a total of 2,745 cyclist deaths were recorded over the five-year period, while nationally the figure is 4,450 fatalities, which is 17 people every week.”
Spitzer can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard bicyclists beware! Space Coast roads dangerous for cyclists
