Florida Has Five Of The Most Dangerous Areas For Walkers

The Orlando, Florida, metropolitan area is the most dangerous region for walking, according to a new national report that says dangerous street design and a lack of investment in pedestrian safety are to blame for pedestrian deaths nationwide. The report, "Mean Streets 2002," analyzes federal safety and spending databases and finds that while 12 percent of all traffic deaths are pedestrians, less than one percent of federal transportation dollars go to protecting people on foot. The study ranked the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians according to the number of deaths per capita and the amount of walking in the community. The Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI) shows that after the Orlando region, the most dangerous places to walk are Tampa, West Palm Beach, Memphis, Jacksonville Florida, Miami, Houston, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, and Nashville, Tennessee.