Florida Named Most Dangerous State for Bicyclists

Florida’s road rage is notorious, from leaping martial artists to attorneys pulling guns on other drivers; streets here are fraught with highway hissy fits. So hearing the state ranks as the most dangerous for bicyclists is likely no surprise.

Research from Bicycle Accident Lawyer’s group, a national law firm with an office in Miami, indicates that Florida holds the dishonorable title by a wide margin. In 2023 and 2024, Florida recorded 456 bicyclist deaths, far more than California (322) and Texas (197), despite both states having much larger populations.

“The 2025 complete bicycle accident statistics highlight how cycling has grown into a popular mode of transportation across the United States,” according to the study. “More workers of all ages are choosing bikes for daily commutes, with ridership rates increasing from .4 percent in 2021 to .5 in 2023.”

Another, far more terrible, trend is unfortunately pedaling faster: Fatalities have risen by almost 22 percent over the past decade. The firm blames increasing use of bicycles, rising congestion rates in larger cities, and busy roads without devoted cycling infrastructure.

“Florida’s climate and year-round outdoor lifestyle mean there are simply more cyclists on the roads, which naturally increases risk,” research attorney Robert Goldwater. “But these figures also show there’s still work to be done when it comes to road design and driver awareness to help make cycling safer.”

Florida ranked ahead of California (second), Texas (third), New York (fourth), and North Carolina (fifth) in bicyclist fatalities. The firm found that more than 200 people are killed bicycling in Florida each year, and about 9,000 suffer injuries annually, noting high-speed roads are among the major contributing factors.

While the number of deaths and wrecks in South Florida remains unclear, the firm identified the top ten most hazardous roads in Miami-Dade County for bicyclists. The firm ranked stretches of Miami-Dade roads based on the number of crashes that involved a fatality or serious injury between 2018 and 2022, noting it as the most recent and comprehensive data available on the topic. The group compared crash numbers to the length of each roadway segment to determine the top ten most dangerous stretches, designating “serious crashes” as those with fatalities or serious injuries.

10. SW 104th Street

A 4-mile portion of this road between 157th Avenue and 117th Street west of Kendall saw 30 serious crashes.

9. NW 12th Avenue

A 1.3-mile section between NW 40th Street and NW 62nd Street east of Gladeview saw 10 serious crashes.

8. W 29th Street (Hialeah)

A 16-mile section between W Okeechobee Road and Palm Avenue in Hialeah saw 16 serious crashes.

7. West Avenue (Miami Beach)

A 1.2-mile section between 17th Street and 5th Street in Miami Beach saw 10 serious crashes.

6. Hialeah Gardens Boulevard

A 1.4-mile section between W Okeechobee Road and W 84th Street in Hialeah Gardens saw 12 serious crashes.

5. NW 62nd Street (Hialeah)

A 5.1-mile section between W Okeechobee Road and NW 6th Avenue saw 43 serious crashes.

4. NW 17th Street (Miami)

An 8.1-mile section between SW 8th Street and NW 119th Street in west Miami saw 70 serious crashes.

3. W 76th Street (Hialeah Gardens)

A 1-mile section between NW 9th Avenue and NW 87th Avenue has seen nine serious crashes.

2. NW 20th Street (Wynwood)

A 2.8-mile section between NW 27th Avenue and N Miami Avenue has seen 27 serious crashes.

1. W 16th Avenue (Hialeah Gardens)

A 2.5-mile section between Okeechobee Road and W 68th Street has seen 26 serious crashes.