JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to data from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, in the first 206 days of the year, 100 people were killed in traffic crashes in Jacksonville -- that’s about one every other day in Duval County alone.
The 100th traffic homicide was around 9 a.m. Wednesday on Emerson Street when a bicyclist was hit just off I-95.
The most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that in 2020, 938 cyclists were killed in crashes nationwide.
In 2020, Jacksonville was named the third deadliest big city in the U.S. for bicyclists— just behind Detroit, Michigan, and Tucson, Arizona.
Jacksonville averages about 1.09 deaths per 100,000 people, according to that data. That’s 165% more than the national average.
At the state level, Florida and Louisiana had the highest fatality rates for cyclists.
The city is working to make the roads safer, especially for pedestrians and bicyclists.
In 2017, the city launched the pedestrian and bicycle master plan. It hopes to have zero fatalities and serious crashes by 2030.
There are also plans to improve bicycle parking in the city, especially downtown and improve roadway design standards.
The master plan called for annual meetings with agencies, including JTA and the Florida Department of Transportation — with the focus being on improving pedestrian and bicycle safety.