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Bike riders beware: Study ranks Florida the deadliest

News Channel 8 photo by JIM FARQUHAR

In 2007, 119 bicyclists died on Florida roads.

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By RICH SHOPES | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 29, 2009

New rankings by federal traffic safety officials put Florida at the top as the nation's deadliest state for riding a bike, surpassing even more heavily populated California.

The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 119 bicyclists died on Florida highways in 2007, topping California's 109 traffic deaths and New York's 51 that year.

"Because it's a warm weather southern state, chances are good that more people are riding year-round," said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists, a Washington-based group that promotes cycling and cycling safety.

The Sunshine State consistently ranks at or near the top in the administration's annual study. Florida ranked second to California in 2006 after claiming the top spot the year before with 124 fatalities.

Cycling advocates say other factors add to the problem, including an abundance of cars on the road and a general lack of bike lanes and paths next to highways.

State and Hillsborough transportation officials say they're trying to stem the dangers with policy changes. Guidelines adopted at the state, city and county levels in recent years recommend that new roads and major reconstruction projects include bike lanes and sidewalks.

"They are always considered when we're designing a roadway," Department of Transportation spokeswoman Marian Scorza said. "Sometimes it comes down to an issue of right-of-way."

Both the county Sheriff's Office and Tampa police give away helmets to school-aged children and hold bike-safety seminars for kids.

Bike-versus-car accidents, often tragic for cyclists, have declined in recent years Hillsborough. A study last year by the state's Division of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported six fatalities in Hillsborough in 2007, down from seven in 2006 and 10 in 2005.

The most recent crash happened on April 10 when Herbert Eugene Silvey, 74, of Riverview was killed in a hit-and-run accident on U.S. 301 south of Riverview Court. He was struck from behind by a silver car around 3 a.m., police said.

And notably, University of South Florida cycling team founder Joshua Kuck, 22, was killed in October 2007 while pedaling south on Clay Hill Road in the Dade City area.

A Florida Highway Patrol report said Kuck ran a stop sign and made a left turn onto County Road 41 and into the path of a pickup truck.

"There needs to be more education, both for the cyclist and the driving community," said Alan Snel, a cycling enthusiast and director of a coalition of eight retail bicycle stores. "We have a car culture. And we need to create a culture where it's understood that bicyclists and drivers share the road."

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633.

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