Few patterns in Brevard youth bike-pedestrian crashes

Two weeks ago, Odyssey Charter School fourth-grader Ander Grooms, 10, was struck and killed by a pickup while he was pedaling his bicycle home from school.

The fatal crash on Eldron Boulevard shocked parents and sparked Palm Bay debate on school zone crossings, funding for pedestrian-safety upgrades near elementary schools, signage and police patrols.

But according to an analysis of crash data, Brevard County children and teenagers walking or riding bicycles near schools do not face more danger of being struck by a car than elsewhere in the county. Few geographical or statistical patterns are apparent, Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization officials say.

A study released earlier this found that Brevard County was the second-most dangerous metro area in the entire country for pedestrians.

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That said, transportation experts say much can be done to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians of all ages throughout the Space Coast and across the country, starting with education and heightened awareness on the roadways.

After the April 5 crash, at FLORIDA TODAY's request, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization mapped and analyzed 442 crashes involving children and teenagers across the county from 2013-17 using Florida Signal Four Analytics. This government-access-only database compiles information from crash reports submitted by various law enforcement agencies.

The result? Bike and pedestrian injury crashes in Brevard involving people ages 19 and younger appear "pretty scattered and random," said TPO transportation analyst Steven Bostel.

"You find that statewide. That's what makes it so difficult, too, is that there really isn't a pattern," said Kim Smith, the organization's bicycle/pedestrian education program coordinator.

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"It's a mindset change. We have to change everybody’s — everybody’s — mind about the way they think about bicyclists and pedestrians. They have a right to be there. Bicyclists need to do their part by obeying the laws. Drivers need to do a better job looking out for them. Planners need to do a good job: You can go down Wickham Road, and all of a sudden there's a sidewalk gap," Smith said.

"This is not just Brevard County. This is a national thing. The focus on pedestrian and bicycle safety is really at the forefront now, as far as traffic safety initiatives. It's a cultural change," she said.

"For the longest time, we've thought about jumping in our car and just getting where we need to go as fast as we can. And we need to change that," she said.

Peak times coincide with schools

The Space Coast TPO analysis examined 243 vehicle-vs.-bike and 199 vehicle-vs.-pedestrian injury and fatal crashes involving children and teenagers from the past five years. Bostel said the organization had never previously compiled this data. Among the findings:

• Few geographic crash patterns emerged, aside from a few heavy-traffic "hot spots" like Clearlake Road in Cocoa and Courtney Parkway on Merritt Island, Bostel said. Both are bustling commercial thoroughfares near multiple schools.

• For teen and child bicyclists, peak crash times occurred from 7 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m. Those hours — which coincide with school opening and closing times — accounted for 47 percent of the 243 crashes. 

This pattern holds true for young pedestrians, to a lesser degree: Thirty-six percent of teen and child pedestrian collisions happened​ during those hours.

• More bicycle crashes occurred during September (33) than any other month.

"(In) August, they go back to school, but their parents let them get adjusted. So September kind of makes sense. That's probably when more of them start to ride," said Smith, who logged nearly 11 years with the Cocoa Beach Police Department as a road patrol and D.A.R.E. officer.

For young pedestrians, December is the peak month.

• Road conditions were dry during 97 percent of bicycle crashes and 91 percent of pedestrian crashes.

• Eighty-five percent of bicycle collisions and 65 percent of pedestrian collisions happened during daylight hours.

Smith cautioned that, on average, three out of every four bicycle-pedestrian crashes are not reported to law enforcement. What's more, the database analysis may include crashes where a teen driver crashed into a bicyclist or pedestrian, Bostel said.

Crash remains under investigation

The Grooms fatal crash occurred just before 1:50 p.m. at the Shoppes of Bayside Lakes, a plaza at the intersection of Eldron and Bayside Lakes boulevards. That day was an early dismissal day for Odyssey, and students were released at 1:30.

Grooms was bicycling south along the Eldron Boulevard sidewalk, and road conditions were dry. The driver, Palm Bay resident David Clark, 60, was exiting the plaza's parking lot in a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 truck, according to the crash report.

Clark was preparing to turn right and head north onto Eldron Boulevard, and he was stopped at the posted stop sign. A witness later told police that Grooms approached the plaza exit and paused, looking at the stopped truck.

Then Grooms continued pedaling south, the report states. Clark drove forward and was turning right when his truck struck and dragged the bicyclist. Grooms was transported to Palm Bay Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Palm Bay traffic officers continue to investigate the crash, Police Lt. Mike Bandish said.

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"Any fatality of any sort is a problem. Something didn't work right," said Bob Kamm, Space Coast TPO executive director.

"Whether it's behavior that was incorrect or a facility was wrong, it's a failure of the transportation system. You should not end up losing your life if a mistake's made," Kamm said.

Smith and the Space Coast TPO conduct safety education programs and presentations at various Brevard schools each year, including bicycle rodeos, helmet fittings and Walk to School Day events.

"A child riding his bike home on a sidewalk should not be faced with this as a consequence. It was an absolutely random event. Could it have been avoided? Perhaps. But it wasn't. So how can we deal with it to minimize similar kinds of events in the future? It's going to be education," Kamm said.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter