Tragic Pedestrian Accident Reported on East Hillsborough Avenue in Hillsborough County, Florida (FL) HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL- Fox13.com writes that a cyclist died in a tragic crash this week in Hillsborough County. The incident occurred in the early morning on Hillsborough Avenue. The driver was identified as a 79-year-old man who was in a pickup truck […]
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL- Fox13.com writes that a cyclist died in a tragic crash this week in Hillsborough County. The incident occurred in the early morning on Hillsborough Avenue. The driver was identified as a 79-year-old man who was in a pickup truck and traveling west.
The victim, identified as a 53-year-old woman, was in the eastbound lanes and walking westbound at the time of the crash.
Responders transported the woman to a nearby hospital, but she died a short while later.
Florida has one of the worst records for pedestrian fatalities. In fact, just five states account for nearly half of all pedestrian deaths, and Florida is one of those states. Arizona, Georgia, California, and Texas together make up 47 percent of the nation’s pedestrian fatalities.
Nighttime pedestrian deaths are increasing faster than fatal crashes during the day. Over the course of the last decade, the number of pedestrians killed at night rose by 67 percent. While daytime crashes also increased, it did so by a much lesser sixteen percent.
Florida has been working to improve safety for vulnerable road users, and one of the plans in the works involves improving street lighting to address the dangers of low visibility in the state. That program is projected to cost around $100 million.
Of course, lighting is not the only issue making the roads dangerous for foot traffic. SUVs, which are popular across the country, are about two times as likely as cars are to cause deadly injuries in a pedestrian crash. Unsafe driving behaviors are an issue as well, and too many drivers still operate their vehicles while drunk, distracted, or drowsy.