Florida pumped the brakes on the number of vehicle crashes and fatalities it experienced this year, bringing crash totals down to a seven-year low and fatalities down to a four-year low. Central Florida saw that trend as well.
According to data collected by the Florida Highway Patrol, the state had a 10% decrease in total crashes between 2018 and 2024 and a 9% decrease in fatalities during that same time frame. However, the number of pedestrians that were killed in that time rose by 8%. But the positive takeaway is the 14% decrease in pedestrian deaths.
What’s been driving numbers down is FHP’s focus on more preventative strategies including increasing its communication with the public through social media, said FHP trooper Migdalisis Garcia, a spokesperson for Troop D, which oversees the Central Florida area.
“We get a lot of calls about people speeding in this certain area, and we’ll go over there, and then that's how they move around through the counties,” she said.
One recent account of more communication occurred on Nov. 30, in which Orlando Police and FHP responded to a hotspot for street racing, and arrested three people, Garcia said.
“We issued 154 traffic citations, and 132 of those were to spectators. Just being there, you're still eligible to get cited,” she said. “(With help from the public,) we're able to take these incidents seriously, and if we're able to tackle it we can prevent any tragedy from happening.”
While crash numbers are down, officials are also celebrating a decrease in pedestrian fatalities. Florida was home to six of the top 20 deadliest cities for pedestrians in the country, according to a study by Smart Growth America that analyzed data between 2018 and 2022.
Orlando ranked No. 18 on the list.
However, Orange County could be showing signs of improvement. Previously, the Orlando, Kissimmee, and Sanford areas were grouped together and held the No. 1 spot in deadliest pedestrian cities in 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2021.
In 2024, Orange County’s pedestrian vehicular crash rate fell by 7% since 2018 and its fatality rate fell by 28%. However, both Seminole and Osceola counties, home to Sanford and Kissimmee, saw an increase in pedestrian crashes. Seminole also had a 33% increase in pedestrian fatalities.
Orange County observed a similar trend to the state with a 24% decrease in vehicle crashes and a 21% decrease in fatalities involving a vehicle.
