St. Lucie County recorded 128 pedestrian crashes and 8 fatalities in 2025, a nearly 49% rise in crashes since 2020. See the latest pedestrian accident data for Port St. Lucie, the most dangerous corridors, and what local agencies are doing about it.
Whether you’re crossing Port St. Lucie Boulevard on your way to work, walking along US-1 near a strip of shops, or just navigating your neighborhood on foot, pedestrian safety is a real concern in St. Lucie County.
Port St. Lucie has grown rapidly into one of Florida’s largest cities, home to roughly 200,000 residents. More people means more cars, more intersections, and more opportunities for something to go wrong. And unlike the driver who hits you, you have no door frame, no airbag, nothing between you and the impact.
Even a relatively low-speed collision can put a pedestrian in the hospital for weeks or worse. Here’s what the most recent data tells us about pedestrian accidents in Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County.
How Often Do Pedestrian Accidents Happen in Port St. Lucie?
St. Lucie County recorded 128 pedestrian crashes in 2025, according to Florida traffic safety data from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV). That works out to roughly one pedestrian accident every three days throughout the year.
For the people caught up in those crashes, the consequences are rarely minor. Recovery can take months. Some injuries are permanent. And in the worst cases, families are left dealing with something no statistic can fully capture.
How Many Pedestrians Are Killed in St. Lucie County Traffic Crashes?
St. Lucie County recorded 8 pedestrian fatalities in 2025, meaning roughly 1 in every 16 pedestrian crashes proved fatal. A pedestrian was killed approximately every 46 days throughout the year.
That fatality rate reflects a reality that shows up in crash data across Florida: pedestrians are among the most exposed people on the road. Crashes that leave a vehicle occupant shaken can be fatal for someone with nothing to protect them.
Pedestrian Crashes Have Risen Significantly Since 2020
Looking at the last five years, the trend in St. Lucie County is difficult to ignore.
From 2020 to 2025, pedestrian crashes in St. Lucie County increased by nearly 49%. That’s not a blip. It’s a sustained trend running in the wrong direction, and it reflects what’s happening throughout Treasure Coast Florida as the region continues to grow.
| Year | Pedestrian Crashes | Pedestrian Fatalities | Pedestrian Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 86 | 11 | 71 |
| 2021 | 134 | 12 | 108 |
| 2022 | 112 | 11 | 90 |
| 2023 | 120 | 6 | 109 |
| 2024 | 125 | 6 | 107 |
| 2025* | 128 | 8 | N/A |
The peak came in 2021, when 12 pedestrians were killed, and the crash totals also hit their highest point at 134. That 2021 spike likely reflected the surge in traffic activity following pandemic-era lows, combined with roadways that hadn’t yet caught up with the city’s rapid population growth. The years that followed brought some relief: crashes declined in 2022, and fatalities dropped significantly in 2023 and 2024, suggesting that safety investments and enforcement efforts were making a measurable difference.
The 2025 increase, a 33% jump in fatalities year over year, is a signal worth taking seriously. Crashes also ticked up slightly, continuing a multi-year climb that has now pushed totals nearly 49% above 2020 levels. The gap between the fatality improvements of 2023–2024 and the rising crash volume was always a tension worth watching. Eight families lost someone on St. Lucie County roads this year. Progress is not permanent without continued investment and enforcement.
One Encouraging Sign: Fatalities Have Improved
After a genuine improvement in 2023 and 2024, when fatalities dropped sharply from 11–12 per year down to 6, the 2025 figure of 8 pedestrian deaths marks a reversal of that progress.
The 2023–2024 decline reflected real safety progress. The 2025 increase, a 33% jump year over year , is a signal worth taking seriously. Eight families lost someone on St. Lucie County roads this year. Progress is not permanent without continued investment and enforcement.
Where Are Pedestrian Accidents Most Likely to Happen in Port St. Lucie?
Port St. Lucie’s road network creates specific chokepoints where pedestrian risks are higher than elsewhere in the city.
According to the St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, the highest-risk corridors for bicycle and pedestrian crashes in the area include:
- 25th Street from Avenue G to Nebraska Avenue — a 1.6-mile stretch with 8 recorded bicycle-pedestrian crashes, with a posted speed of 40 mph
- US Highway 1 from Tennessee Avenue to Southland Drive — a 1.8-mile corridor with 7 recorded bicycle-pedestrian crashes, also at 40 mph
The pattern from the data is clear: 75% of all fatal crashes in the St. Lucie TPO area occur on roads posted at 40 mph or higher. Higher speeds leave far less room for error when a pedestrian steps into the roadway.
Beyond those corridors, research from Safe Roads USA identifies two of the city’s most dangerous intersections overall:
- FL-716/Port St. Lucie Boulevard and US-1 — where two major arterials converge at relatively high travel speeds
- Gatlin Boulevard and Savona Boulevard — a commercial intersection near I-95 with a history of injury crashes
These aren’t just numbers on a map. These are places that Port St. Lucie residents pass through every day. Knowing where the risks concentrate is the first step toward staying safer.
What Port St. Lucie Is Doing About It
Local agencies haven’t been standing still. Several initiatives are directly aimed at reducing pedestrian crashes across the city.
The “See Me Flags” Crosswalk Program
The City of Port St. Lucie launched a See Me Flags Pedestrian Crosswalk Safety Pilot Program at three crosswalk locations:
- Selvitz Road and North Macedo Boulevard
- Selvitz Road between Lybia Lane and Peachtree Boulevard (mid-block)
- Green River Parkway and Melaleuca Boulevard
The program provides bright flags that pedestrians can carry across the street to increase their visibility to drivers. Research from the Transportation Research Board found that crosswalk flags can be up to 80% effective at stopping vehicles when used by pedestrians.
Under Florida Statute 316.130, drivers in St. Lucie County are required by law to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks. Violations carry a $166 fine and three points on a driver’s license.
The St. Lucie TPO Comprehensive Safety Action Plan
The St. Lucie Transportation Planning Organization adopted a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan in August 2022, aligned with Florida’s Vision Zero goal, a commitment to eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
Key elements of the plan include:
- Speed management along high-crash corridors, targeting roads with posted speeds of 40 mph or higher
- Complete Streets design principles to make roads safer for all users, not just vehicles
- Prioritized safety projects across a 1–10 year implementation window
- Ongoing data-driven monitoring to track progress against safety targets
The TPO’s approach reflects a broader recognition that pedestrian safety can’t be fixed with one program or one road project. It takes sustained, coordinated investment.
The City’s Sidewalk Master Plan
Port St. Lucie also maintains an active Sidewalk Master Plan focused on expanding and improving pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city’s residential and commercial corridors, addressing gaps in the network that currently force some pedestrians to walk in or near traffic.
Practical Safety Tips for Pedestrians in Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie is a car-heavy city with wide arterial roads, limited pedestrian infrastructure in some areas, and fast-moving traffic. That combination demands extra awareness from anyone on foot. A few practical steps that can make a real difference:
- Be visible, especially at night. Wear bright or reflective clothing after dark. Carry a flashlight if you’re walking on unlit roads. Many serious pedestrian crashes happen in low-visibility conditions.
- Use marked crosswalks whenever possible. Cross at intersections with signals or marked crosswalks, not mid-block. If a crosswalk flag is available at one of the city’s pilot locations, use it, it works.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing. Don’t assume a car will stop just because you’ve stepped into the crosswalk. A driver may be distracted, impaired, or simply not expecting you there.
- Stay off your phone while crossing. It takes only a second of distraction, yours or a driver’s, to change everything.
- Be extra cautious on high-speed roads. US-1, Port St. Lucie Boulevard, and other arterials with 40–45 mph speed limits are significantly more dangerous for pedestrians than slower residential streets. Extra caution on these corridors is warranted.
- Walk facing traffic if there’s no sidewalk. On roads without sidewalks, walking on the left side facing oncoming traffic gives you more time to react to approaching vehicles.
What the Numbers Mean for Injured Pedestrians
Pedestrian crash statistics tell part of the story. The part they don’t tell is what happens after.
After a pedestrian accident, people face emergency medical bills, surgeries, rehabilitation, time away from work, and often a long road to recovery, if full recovery is even possible. Meanwhile, drivers, insurance companies, and their adjusters move quickly to protect their own interests.
Under Florida law, injured pedestrians may have legal options to pursue compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and other damages, depending on the specific facts of their situation. If you or someone close to you has been injured in a pedestrian accident in Port St. Lucie or anywhere in St. Lucie County, speaking with a bicycle accident attorney about your options is worth doing sooner rather than later. Steinger, Greene & Feiner has an office in Port St. Lucie and has been representing injured clients across Florida since 1997. Contact us for a free case evaluation.