Florida is the most dangerous state in the United States for cyclists, recording more than 210 fatal bicycle crashes each year, according to a recent study published by the law firm Breakstone, White & Gluck.
The analysis, which examined annual crash and population data from 2020 through 2024, assigned Florida a “Pedalcyclist Risk Score” of 80.00—the highest in the country.
Between 2020 and 2024, Florida averaged 210.2 fatal bicycle crashes annually, translating to 9.42 fatal crashes per million residents. Both figures represent the highest totals of any state. By comparison, Louisiana ranked second with a risk score of 72.64 and 8.55 fatal crashes per million residents, while South Carolina placed third with a risk score of 59.17 and 4.61 fatal crashes per million.
Florida’s fatal crash rate per capita is more than nine times higher than that of Maine, which ranked lowest in the nation with 1.01 fatalities per million residents. Other low-risk states included North Dakota (1.02), Connecticut (1.16), and Nebraska (1.21).
Researchers calculated the composite risk score using federal fatality statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Crash Report Sampling System, U.S. Census Bureau population statistics, and the implementation status of state-level 3-foot safe passing laws.
Florida currently maintains a 3-foot safe passing law, though researchers noted the state still recorded the highest fatality rate in the nation despite the mandate.
Nationally, the top five highest-risk states identified in the report were Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Arizona (6.81 fatal crashes per million), and Oregon (3.58 fatal crashes per million). Texas and New York ranked eighth and tenth, recording 3.06 and 2.44 fatal bicycle crashes per million residents, respectively.
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