ORLANDO, Fla. — For a decade, the Orlando metropolitan area had the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous place for pedestrians in the country.

What You Need To Know

  • After years in the top spot, Orlando moving down the list on Smart Growth America’s list of most dangerous cities for pedestrians

  • FDOT has made changes to Orange Blossom Trail to make it safer to cross the road

  • Other projects are aimed at reducing pedestrian related crashes

But progress is being made to reduce the number of deadly crashes involving pedestrians.

Damian Bradford was coming home from a July 4th party in 2019 when he spotted someone that had been hit by a vehicle on Orange Blossom Trail.

“His instinct was to get out and help,” said Damian’s father, Willie Bradford.

As Damian was trying to help, another vehicle slammed into them, killing Willie’s son.

“It hurts. It hurts. I still have it on my mind,” he told us.

Unfortunately people hit and killed on Orange Blossom Trail isn’t new.

This stretch of road south of I-4 has been called the most deadly mile in Central Florida.

“Going across that highway is take a chance,” said Bradford. “Russian Roulette.”

An analysis by our partners at the Orlando Sentinel found four common pillars to pedestrian crashes in Central Florida.

1.       The pedestrian is outside of a crossing area.

2.       Visibility is poor. Most of the deadly crashes occur at night.

3.       The vehicle is moving quickly. The faster the vehicle, the greater the chance the crash could be fatal.

4.       The pedestrian is intoxicated.

On Orange Blossom Trail, FDOT is tackling the first three of those issues.

They’ve added fencing in the median to prevent jaywalking. They’ve also installed mid-block crossings with pedestrian hybrid beacons, an on-demand traffic signal that alerts drivers to stop for those crossing the street.

They’ve also improved night time lighting, reduced the speed limit and raised those mid-block crossings, forcing drivers to slow down.

“This has absolutely helped,” said Emily Bush, executive director of Bike/Walk Central Florida. “This project completed in October 2023 and has had zero pedestrian fatalities or serious injuries to date.”

Before the improvements, MetroPlan Orlando found this stretch of OBT to average nearly nine pedestrian crashes a year.

It’s part of the reason why Smart Growth America found the Orlando metro area as the most dangerous for pedestrians from 2009 through 2019.

But in their 2024 rankings, Orlando took the 18th spot.

“We’re moving forward down on that list, but we still have a lot of work to do and projects like this help us move down the needle to get further down that list and save people’s lives,” said Bush.

Other projects, including farther south on OBT, in Pine Hills and near UCF are also in the works right now to reduce pedestrian fatalities.