Study ranks St. Lucie County Florida's No. 1 for bike safety; see which others ranked high

Gianna Montesano, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·2 min read

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — When it comes to bike-riding safety precautions such as wearing a helmet, looking both ways before crossing onto a street and being aware of your surroundings are followed to prevent accidents. A study assessing cycling safety in Florida has named one Treasure Coast county as the safest for biking.

With a low number of biking fatalities, St. Lucie County ranked No. 1 for biking safety in Florida, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

Personal-injury attorneys from Injured In Florida analyzed NHTSA's data to determine rankings for the study. They assessed the number of fatal collisions from 2017-2021, county populations and rates of collision per 100,000 residents.

Over the five year, St. Lucie County had a population of 344,658 and 1.16 fatalities per 100,000 residents, according to the study.

The Injured in Florida study states that 844 cyclists were involved in fatal collisions in Florida, resulting in 3.72 fatalities per 100,000 residents.

Safe biking in Florida: Where does your county rank?

What are the most bike-friendly counties in Florida?

  • No. 2: Lake County, 1.22 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 3: Santa Rosa County, 2.01 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 4: Leon County, 2.02 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 5: Nassau County, 2.10 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 6: Flagler County, 2.47 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 7: Palm Beach County, 2.59 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 8: Clay County, 2.65 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 9: Orange County, 2.84 fatalities per 100,000 residents

  • No. 10: Sumter County, 2.84 fatalities per 100,000 residents

Where are bike crashes the most common in Florida?

DeSoto County was named the most dangerous spot for cyclists state-wide by the study. It was followed by Union, Hardee, Bradford and Monroe counties.

These five counties averaged more than 10 cyclist deaths for every 100,000 residents 2017-2021.

Palm Beach Post staff writer Lianna Norman contributed to this report.

Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on Twitter @gonthescene.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: St. Lucie County ranked in top spot for safe biking in Florida