Understanding pedestrian and bicycle safety risks and their correlates across geographies in Florida

The rising frequency of fatal crashes involving Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), including pedestrians and cyclists, highlights the urgent need for enhanced safety measures across different geographies to support Vision Zero goals. This study investigates the associations between transportation access and cost and the increase in fatal pedestrian and bicycle crashes, focusing on spatial heterogeneity in Florida. A Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial model complemented by geographically weighted regression is estimated using a unique dataset of 5,122 Florida census tracts. The analysis covers diverse communities and utilizes Florida fatal pedestrian and bicycle crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the years 2018–2022. The study’s findings show that communities with higher transportation cost and other burdens are at a higher risk of fatal pedestrian and bicycle crashes than those not highly burdened. Notably, the spatial heterogeneity of burdened communities underscores the critical need for region-specific strategies to address the safety concerns of VRUs, especially in such communities. Findings indicate that higher transportation costs are more concentrated in South Florida. Additionally, the study reveals differences among burdened communities across the state and identifies risk factors targeted by interventions that promote safe mobility and advance Vision Zero goals.