Lakeland/Winter Haven Ranks 21st Most Dangerous Metro Area for Pedestrians in the Nation
If you live in Polk County, this report will not surprise you. But it should make you angry.
Drivers fly past school bus stop arms while children are standing in the road waiting to board. Sheriff Grady Judd has given harsh warnings about this. Pedestrians cross streets and highways with no crosswalks or sidewalks, and there is zero margin for error.
It’s not just pedestrians in danger. People without helmets on e-bikes or e-scooters get clipped on roads that were never built for them, resulting in lifelong consequences, even death.
This is not a rare occurrence here. It’s just your regular, average run-of-the-mill weekday.
A new national report from Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition confirms what Polk County residents already feel every time they step outside their front door. Florida ranks fifth-most dangerous in the nation for pedestrians, and the Lakeland/Winter Haven metro area ranks 21st among the 27 deadliest metro areas in the country.
Tallahassee had a chance to act this session. They did not.
Below is the full report from Florida Phoenix journalist, Mitch Perry. Read it. Share it. And ask your local leaders what they plan to do about it.
Report: Nine of the 27 most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians in the U.S. are in Florida
by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
Republished with premission. Read the original here: floridaphoenix.com]
Florida’s well-documented reputation as one of the most dangerous states in the nation for pedestrians and cyclists is confirmed in a study published this week by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
The document, “Dangerous by Design,” ranks the Sunshine State the fifth most dangerous in the nation, with nine of the 27 deadliest metro areas in the country located here.
Tampa Bay ranks the eighth most dangerous metro area in the country and the most dangerous in Florida. Also:
- Palm Bay/Melbourne/Titusville region is 11th.
- Deltona/Daytona Beach/Ormond Beach is 14th.
- North Port/Bradenton/Sarasota is 15th.
- Jacksonville is 16th.
- Miami/Fort Lauderdale/Palm Beach County region is 17th.
- Lakeland-Winter Haven is 21st.
- Orlando/Kissimmee/Sanford is 25th.
- Cape Coral/Fort Myers is 27th.
It wasn’t all bad news, however. Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, said that one of the places in the country to see real improvement when it comes to pedestrian safety was Orlando.
“They have shown one of the steepest declines in fatalities for pedestrians, and they used to top our list repeatedly,” she said during a Zoom conference call to discuss the report. “It was a matter of leadership, both in terms of political leadership and leadership at their public works and transportation office that was able to articulate what they were trying to do and why they were trying to do it.”
Memphis ranks as the deadliest metro area in the nation for people walking, with a pedestrian fatality rate of 5.5 deaths per 100,000 residents, the highest pedestrian fatality rate observed by the authors since they began compiling these reports in 2009.
The report says there were 3,726 pedestrian fatalities in Florida between 2020 and 2024, the third most in the nation behind California (5,546) and Texas (3,865). However, Florida’s average pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 residents at 3.32 is superseded only by New Mexico, Louisiana, Arizona, and South Carolina.
A report published a year ago by the Bicycle Accident Lawyers group concluded that Florida remains the most dangerous state in the nation for bicyclists, looking at combined 2022 and 2023 data. There were another 207 bicycle fatalities in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
There have been 979 fatalities from all crashes so far in 2026, according to the agency. There have been 3,414 bicycle crashes and 56 bicycle fatalities as of May 31. There have been 204 pedestrian fatalities.
The Florida Bicycle Association told the Phoenix last year that its top legislative goal going into the 2026 Florida legislative session was a comprehensive “Hands Free” law that would make it illegal to hold a phone while operating a motor vehicle.
The only safety-related bill to get any traction during the session was a “careless” driving bill that advocates said wouldn’t go far enough. It was heard in just one committee in the Florida House. Its Senate companion didn’t move at all.
A year ago, after a new state law was passed, the Florida Department of Transportation updated its Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices to include a prohibition on “non-uniform traffic control devices,” such as pavement markings on crosswalks on state and local roads. The mandate to remove such designs was extremely controversial in several Florida cities, where officials removed LGBTQ Pride colors. Heidi Simon, director of Thriving Communities with Smart Growth America, said removing such “proven safety measures” will likely result in unsafe conditions.
After the Phoenix reported in December how Florida’s roads remain extremely dangerous for bicyclists, a spokesperson for FDOT responded in February that the agency “remains committed to getting everyone home safely” through their Target Zero initiative, which focuses on the behaviors and conditions that lead to the most severe crashes and encompasses all road users.
FDOT communications director Michael Williams said in a statement that the Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategic Safety Plan, developed in 2013, serves as a comprehensive five-year plan built upon Florida’s 2021 Strategic Highway Safety Plan, a statewide framework for eliminating fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Williams said current crash data is reviewed quarterly by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Coalition and FDOT’s State Safety Office.
The report arrives just as legislation was introduced in Congress, H.R. 8870, called the BUILD America 250 Act, that Smart Growth America says includes a few major new investments aimed at improving pedestrian safety.
Sources:
Florida Phoenix, Mitch Perry. “Report: Nine of the 27 Most Dangerous Metro Areas for Pedestrians in the U.S. Are in Florida.” June 10, 2026. floridaphoenix.com
Smart Growth America and National Complete Streets Coalition. “Dangerous by Design.” 2025. smartgrowthamerica.org
Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. 2026 crash data as of May 31, 2026. flhsmv.gov
Bicycle Accident Lawyers group. Florida bicyclist fatality report, 2022-2023 data.
