MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Florida has the third highest pedestrian traffic fatality rate in the country, according to a new report released by Altumint, a leader in traffic safety technology. Altumint’s Road Safety Report provides an unprecedented window into traffic fatalities across the state of Florida and examines both statewide and county-level incidents. A quarter of traffic fatalities in the US are caused by speeding, and a majority of Florida drivers admit to not obeying speed limits in school zones, putting Florida’s most vulnerable population, school children, at serious risk. Altumint’s report highlights the effectiveness of reducing traffic incidents through implementation of speed cameras—a strategy now supported by Florida state law HB 657, which allows cities and counties to use cameras to target speeders in school zones.
Altumint’s report ranks Florida’s counties in terms of pedestrian traffic fatalities, revealing which areas of the state are the most dangerous.
- More urban counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, and Pinellas have higher total numbers of pedestrian traffic fatalities, more rural counties like Hamilton, Dixie, and Suwannee fare worse on a per capita basis.
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Urban counties, pedestrian fatalities over a 12-month period
- Miami-Dade: 82 deaths total (3 deaths per 100,000 population)
- Broward: 68 deaths total (3.5 deaths per 100,000 population)
- Pinellas: 27 deaths total (3.4 deaths per 100,000 population)
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Rural counties, pedestrian fatalities over a 12-month period
- Hamilton: 3 deaths total. (21.4 deaths per 100,000 population)
- Dixie: 2 deaths total. (11.9 deaths per 100,000 population)
- Suwannee: 5 deaths total. (11.5 deaths per 100,000 population)
Speeding is deadly across the state of Florida and the country.
- Speeding was measured to be a direct cause of 26% of traffic fatalities across the US.1
- Driving just 10 mph over the speed limit doubles the risk of a crash.2
- A pedestrian has only a 10-to-15% chance of survival if hit by a car going 40 mph.3
Student pedestrians in Florida’s school zones regularly face the dangers of speeding drivers.
- Florida has ranked as one of the worst states in the U.S. for speeding in school zones.
- Disturbingly, a majority of the state’s drivers, 54%, admit to not obeying posted speed limits, according to the report.
“Today road safety remains an important issue for me, not only as a leader in the traffic safety industry but also as a mother who understands the importance of maintaining safe roads for our families and communities,” said Holly Cooper, CEO of Altumint. “Altumint is proud to have signed the first contract for school zone Speed Enforcement Cameras in the state of Florida with the City of Eustis earlier this year. We hope the information outlined in our Road Safety Report will aid decision makers across the state as they work to protect their communities.”
In addition to the latest data on pedestrian traffic fatalities, the effectiveness of speed cameras is outlined in Altumint’s report. There is now an opportunity for increased safety across Florida, thanks to the passage of HB 657.
- Speed camera programs in four cities across the U.S.—Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago—were found to reduce the number of accidents resulting in injury or death by an average of 30%.4
- New York City saw a 30% decline in speeding, injuries, and fatalities in areas with speed cameras during the first year of 24/7 enforcement.5
- Albuquerque saw up to an 88% decrease in the number of speeders near one of their speed cameras. Drivers slowed more than 7 mph, on average, since the camera was installed. 6
“Altumint’s Road Safety Report underscores a disturbing trend: Florida has a major problem with speeding and traffic fatalities. As a retired chief of police, I have seen families torn apart by the death of a loved one who was struck by a speeding vehicle. I believe we must do better for our communities, and after reading this report, I know you will agree,” said former City of Miami Chief of Police Jorge Colina.
“Altumint’s Road Safety Report shows how deadly speeding can be. In a school zone, the margin for error is very thin. I’m a father of three, and we owe it to parents in our community to protect their kids. Altumint has been a great partner in this since we signed our contract and began our work together,” said Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri, whose city signed the first school zone speed camera contract in the state.
The Road Safety Report can be downloaded from the Altumint website: https://altumint.com/event/florida/.
About Altumint, Inc.
Driven by safety and integrity, US-based Altumint offers a resourceful and adaptive partnership to immediately improve public safety. We engineer, manufacture, and support a visual technology system and citation process using artificial intelligence to capture data on people and vehicles who break the law. We add support and resources for law enforcement to monitor speeding in school zones, work zones, running red lights, and ignoring school bus stop arms—anything compromising community safety. Our expert team provides unmatched customer service and is committed to making responsive changes in technology and processes based on customer and partner feedback. For additional information, please visit our website at www.altumint.com.
1 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2019
2 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
3 AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
4 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
5 www.nyc.gov
6 www.abqjournal.com
