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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Florida is the most dangerous state in the country to ride a bike due to motorists' overwhelming failure to heed traffic safety laws and follow the rules of the road. In fact, Florida leads the country in bicycle fatalities. With cities on the west coast of Florida leading the state in bicycle fatalities, avid cyclists in the Fort Myers region must be especially vigilant when out on their bikes. If you've experienced a biking accident, make sure you contact a Fort Myers accident lawyer to discuss your options. More often than not, you will be able to obtain compensation for your medical expenses and suffering.

Certainly, Florida lawmakers have realized that something must be done to protect bicyclists from harm. To create safer conditions for cyclists, lawmakers have recently revisited a 1984 policy concept known as Complete Streets. Understanding the Complete Streets program and how it affects cyclists is crucial to ensuring your safety while on the road.

What Is Florida's Complete Streets Policy?

Florida's Complete Streets program requires all road construction projects to be undertaken with routes for walking and biking. The policy requires states to develop a bicycle and pedestrian roadway system to allow cyclists and pedestrians ample room to bike and walk without fearing for their lives. The policy, which was initiated in 1984, has successfully prevented between 3,500 and 4,000 bicycle fatalities since its implementation. 

According to the policy, a “complete street” in Florida must contain dedicated and separate bike lanes, dedicated bike parking, sidewalks and large paved shoulders, medians and median islands, bike and pedestrian signals, increased crosswalks, and cyclist and pedestrian signals to be in compliance. All of these measures are designed to ensure cyclists stay safe on Florida's roads. Yet, any Fort Myers accident lawyer will tell you that biking in Florida continues to represent a significant danger of personal injury to their clients. As such, Florida lawmakers have decided to revisit the policy to increase safety for bikers in the state.

The new Complete Streets policies will add new regulations to the current guidelines to further enhance cyclist safety, which means that cyclists will soon enjoy even more rights and benefits when out riding. Some of these include expanding the current bike lane width from three feet to a total of seven feet, a formal recommendation to cities that they design and construct protected bike lanes with guardrails or buffers, and an additional $100 million in increased lighting in the state's most accident-prone areas. 

Contact a Fort Myers Accident Lawyer at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. Today

Just because Florida is taking steps to reduce bike accidents doesn't mean they don't still happen. If you're a bicyclist who has been the victim of an accident due to a lack of safety on the streets, you have the right to be compensated for your injuries.

To discuss your legal rights and options under the law, speak with Fort Myers Accident Lawyer Randall L. Spivey at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. as soon as possible. Contact us online for a free initial consultation.

Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one percent (1%) of Florida attorneys.  He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida.  For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll-free at 1.888.477.4839 or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com  Visit Spivey Law.com for more information.  You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A. in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County at 239.793.7748.  Contact us online for a free initial consultation.