These are the counties with the most bicycle traffic fatalities

Bicycling on public roads is a challenge in most places, but in Florida, the challenges have reached a critical stage. A recent analysis of federal highway data found that the state of Florida is home to seven of the worst 10 counties — and 14 of the worst 20 — for bicycle deaths in the United States.

Pasco County, near Tampa, Florida, was the most perilous, reporting 40 cyclists killed in a population of about 562,000, translating to a rate of about 7.12 bicycle deaths per 100,000 people over the period between 2017 and 2021. The Florida counties of Sarasota and Manatee ranked second and third, with cyclist fatality rates of 5.53 and 5.25 per 100,000.

The study, which examined figures provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, looked at the country’s 200 most populous counties, and the number of road crashes in each that killed pedal cyclists during the period. It was compiled by the Georgia-based personal injury law firm Bader Scott and ranked the 20 worst.

A pair of counties in Louisiana and one in California filled out the 10 worst. Louisiana’s state capital of Baton Rouge was fourth deadliest, with a rate of 5.04, while ranked as sixth was Orleans Parish, Louisiana, with 19 deaths among 383,998 residents, equating to a rate of 4.95 per 100,000. San Joaquin County, California, was placed eighth on the list.

“This data highlights the concentration of cyclist safety issues in certain areas,” said Seth Bader of the 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.”

A decade ago, New York City launched a version of Vision Zero, a Swedish safety model designed to reduced deaths and injuries cause by traffic accidents. According to Streetsblog, total traffic fatalities in the city during the 10 years of Vision Zero — more than 2,550 people — were 16 percent lower than the decade prior to implementation, when more than 3,000 people were killed.

But the findings showed that neighborhoods with majority-Black populations experienced a 13-percent increase in traffic fatalities, communities with majority Latino populations had a 30 percent increase, and 18 of the counties are in the South, possibly indicating a lack of the kind of investment New York City implemented.

Here are the rankings: 

The top 20 most dangerous counties for cyclists in America