Florida Cyclists, Look Out

With spring on its way early if a certain giant prognosticating rodent is to be believed, cyclists can start getting back out on the roads. But some of those roads are more dangerous to those with pedals than others, and law firm Bader Scott crunched cyclist fatalities in the nation's most populous 200 counties between 2017 and 2021. Using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, the Modesto Bee notes that Florida starkly dominates the 10 most dangerous counties. Below, the most dangerous counties, along with the number of cyclist deaths in the four-year period, and the number of deaths per 100,000 people:

1. Pasco County, Florida: 40 cyclist deaths; 7.12 deaths per 100,000
2. Sarasota County, Florida: 24 deaths; 5.53
3. Manatee County, Florida: 21 deaths; 5.25
4. East Baton Rouge County, Louisiana: 23 deaths; 5.04
5. Pinellas County, Florida: 48 deaths; 5.0
6. Orleans County, Louisiana: 19 deaths; 4.95
7. Volusia County, Florida: 27 deaths; 4.88
8. San Joaquin County, California: 37 deaths; 4.75
9. Marion County, Florida: 17 deaths; 4.52
10. Hillsborough, Florida: 66 deaths; 4.52

Meanwhile, these are the best states in which to drive. (More cyclist stories.)