Whether you’re crossing Cleveland Avenue near downtown, walking toward a bus stop on Palm Beach Boulevard, cutting through a shopping center parking lot off Colonial Boulevard, or just making your way through your neighborhood. Pedestrian crashes are a real and ongoing danger throughout Lee County.
Pedestrians have nothing to protect them during a crash. No seat belt, no airbag, no steel frame. Even at moderate speeds, a collision can cause life-changing injuries.
The latest Lee County data shows that pedestrian crashes have risen sharply over the past five years. While recent progress on fatalities is encouraging, the overall crash trend tells a more complicated story about walking safety across the Fort Myers area.
Here’s what the numbers show.
How Many Pedestrian Accidents Happen in Lee County Every Day?
According to preliminary FLHSMV 2025 data, Lee County has recorded 387 pedestrian crashes, roughly one every single day. For the people involved, these crashes often mean emergency care, surgery, weeks of rehabilitation, lost wages, and a long road back to normal life.
Pedestrian crashes happen across all kinds of locations in Lee County, including:
- High-speed arterial roads like US 41 and SR 80
- Busy intersections and marked crosswalks
- Shopping centers and parking lot driveways
- School zones and transit stops
- Residential streets with limited sidewalk coverage
Fort Myers and the communities surrounding it were largely built around the car. Wide, fast arterial roads with few pedestrian protections make walking here significantly more dangerous than in many other parts of Florida, and the data reflects that.
How Many Pedestrians Are Killed in Lee County Traffic Accidents?
Preliminary 2025 data shows 14 pedestrian fatalities in Lee County so far. In 2024, 20 pedestrians lost their lives in traffic crashes across the county, roughly one pedestrian death every 18 days.
The broader national picture puts those numbers in context. Smart Growth America’s Dangerous by Design report has repeatedly ranked the Cape Coral–Fort Myers metro among the most dangerous in the country for pedestrians. In one edition, the metro ranked 8th nationally for pedestrian deaths per capita, which is worse than far larger and denser cities across the U.S.
Because pedestrians have no protective barrier during a crash, collisions that leave a driver shaken but uninjured can be catastrophic for someone on foot.
Are Pedestrian Accidents Increasing in Lee County?
Looking at five years of data, the overall trend points sharply upward, even as 2024 showed some improvement over the prior year’s peak.
| Year | Pedestrian Crashes |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 216 |
| 2021 | 256 |
| 2022 | 319 |
| 2023 | 310 |
| 2024 | 344 |
Between 2020 and 2024, pedestrian crashes in Lee County increased by more than 26%. The sharpest climb came between 2021 and 2023, when crashes jumped by 21%. The 10% decline from 2023 to 2024 is a step in the right direction, but crash numbers remain far higher than they were just a few years ago.
Pedestrian Injuries Show a Similar Pattern
Reported pedestrian injuries follow the same general trend over the past five years.
| Year | Pedestrian Injuries |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 206 |
| 2021 | 236 |
| 2022 | 238 |
| 2023 | 280 |
| 2024 | 259 |
From 2020 to 2024, pedestrian injuries in Lee County rose by nearly 26%. Injuries declined slightly from 2023 to 2024, but more than 250 people still suffered crash-related injuries serious enough to be officially recorded in 2024 alone. Many pedestrian injuries require months or longer of ongoing medical care.
Pedestrian Fatalities Have Improved But Remain Serious
One area where Lee County has made real progress is in reducing pedestrian deaths.
| Year | Pedestrian Fatalities |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 22 |
| 2021 | 24 |
| 2022 | 32 |
| 2023 | 24 |
| 2024 | 20 |
Fatalities dropped by nearly 17% from 2023 to 2024. Compared to the 2022 peak of 32 deaths, 2024’s figure of 20 represents a decline of 37.5%. That is meaningful progress. Still, 20 pedestrian fatalities in a single year represent 20 families dealing with a loss that, in many cases, was preventable.
Why Pedestrian Crashes Are So Dangerous
Pedestrian crashes tend to be more severe than most vehicle collisions because pedestrians absorb the full force of impact with nothing to cushion it. A typical pedestrian crash involves:
- An initial strike from the vehicle
- A secondary impact with the road surface
- No protective equipment to reduce crash forces
Speed plays a major role in how severe the outcome is. Studies consistently show that higher vehicle speeds dramatically increase the likelihood of serious injury or death for someone on foot. Many of Lee County’s most dangerous pedestrian corridors, such as US 41, SR 80, SR 82, are high-speed arterials where drivers frequently travel well above posted limits.
What Lee County Is Doing to Address Pedestrian Safety
Transportation planners and local officials have recognized that Lee County’s road network creates serious risks for people walking. Several programs and infrastructure projects are now actively underway.
In May 2025, the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) adopted its Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, developed with federal funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. The plan identifies a High Injury Network of the county’s most dangerous corridors and lays out prioritized infrastructure improvements across those locations.
Active corridor projects include:
- Cleveland Avenue / US 41: A pedestrian safety project installing pedestrian hybrid beacons at multiple crossings — the first of their kind in Lee County. According to FHWA research, pedestrian hybrid beacons can reduce pedestrian crashes by up to 55%.
- SR 80 / Palm Beach Boulevard: A $6.5 million project installing six pedestrian hybrid beacons along one of the county’s most dangerous corridors, with construction underway as of late 2025.
- US 41 in North Fort Myers: An $11.2 million safety project that includes additional pedestrian hybrid beacons along another high-crash segment.
Lee County also operates under a Complete Streets policy adopted by the MPO and the Board of County Commissioners in 2009, which requires new road projects to account for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders.
On the enforcement side, the Fort Myers Police Department launched a targeted pedestrian and bicycle safety enforcement program in late 2025, funded by a state grant and focused on eight data-identified high-crash locations throughout the city.
| Year | Pedestrian Crashes | Pedestrian Fatalities | Pedestrian Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 297 | 22 | 206 |
| 2021 | 344 | 24 | 236 |
| 2022 | 344 | 32 | 238 |
| 2023 | 417 | 24 | 280 |
| 2024 | 375 | 20 | 259 |
| 2025* | 387 | 14 | N/A — preliminary data |
*2025 figures are preliminary.
What the Numbers Tell Us
The data tells two different stories at once. On one hand, Lee County has made real headway in reducing pedestrian fatalities, and the 2024 figure is the lowest in this five-year window, and that matters. On the other hand, the overall volume of pedestrian crashes has grown by more than a quarter since 2020, and Lee County continues to rank among the nation’s most dangerous communities for people walking near roadways.
The infrastructure and enforcement programs now underway represent a serious response to a serious problem. Whether they translate into sustained, long-term reductions in crashes and injuries will depend on continued investment and follow-through.
If you or a family member was hurt in a pedestrian accident in Fort Myers or anywhere in Lee County, our Fort Myers pedestrian accident lawyers are here to help. Reach out for a free case evaluation.