How safe are you when walking down the street? Recent incidents in Pensacola have left many pedestrians asking that very question. However, the news isn’t coming from official sources—people are having to inform themselves.

On Dec. 15 at around 3 a.m., a pedestrian was the victim of a hit-and-run in downtown Pensacola. The incident occurred at the intersection of North Tarragona and East Chase streets. The victim was struck while crossing the street, suffering minor injuries. To date, the driver has not been found.

What makes this incident unique is the sheer lack of reporting. In fact, the only reason you are reading about it here is because it was posted on the social media site Reddit, specifically in the subreddit r/Pensacola, where the poster was seeking any available information.

The post was supplemented by a street camera video, capturing the hit-and-run as it unfolded. However, the footage provides little detail beyond the moment of impact. The only additional information available is from another video posted by the same user, offering a slightly clearer view of the vehicle involved.

Unsatisfied, I sought information myself. I contacted Pensacola Police Department Public Information Officer Mike Wood to ask if there were any developments. His only response was, “All of the information we have you can find in the press release.”

So, I searched for the press release. What I found was a website of outdated press releases—none newer than 2021—and broken links leading to error pages. There was no press release on the hit-and-run. In fact, for four years, the PPD has not seemed interested in creating new releases, making it even more difficult to gather information on these crimes.

With all options exhausted, the case seems to have gone cold—yet another victim of reckless driving and another police statement labeling the investigation as “dead in the water.” With little more than a grainy video as evidence, the chances of solving the case are slim.

This isn’t the first hit-and-run in our town, nor will it be the last. While writing this article, I came across two more crashes—another hit-and-run and, tragically, a fatal pedestrian collision. The second incident proved fatal, as the victim died on impact.

These were only the accidents I happened to notice while researching. A glance at other reports reveals many more incidents, but gathering precise data is challenging. Websites like Accident Data Center display statistics by city, but their data hasn’t been updated since early 2024. Even worse, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website hasn’t updated its data since 2022.

So why does this keep happening? On a small scale, driver negligence seems to be the main cause. On a larger scale, one could simply say, “It’s Florida.”

Florida ranks third in the nation for total car accidents, behind only Texas and California. Admittedly, the higher population of these states contributes to the ranking. However, Florida leads the nation in deadly crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These numbers paint a grim picture—one in which pedestrians and drivers alike face significant risks on the road.

What Can Be Done?

How can we protect ourselves in a state where traffic safety appears to be worsening? The city believes that implementing fines through red-light cameras could help, but some are skeptical, arguing that more needs to be done

As far as advice goes, on an individual level I’d tell you to try and be as aware as possible of your surroundings, especially as a pedestrian. On a larger scale, I’d say organizing to enact change on lax traffic laws could be a start to encourage people to re-think reckless driving. Even pushing for more widespread public transportation systems could help downtown drivers to get off the road entirely, and onto the bus. It only makes sense that less people in cars would mean less avoidable accidents like these happen. 

Either way, there is a palpable, growing safety concern for drivers and pedestrians alike in Pensacola, not to mention the state as a whole, and people are beginning to notice. I believe that change will happen, because our current state of traffic safety poses a legitimate, life-threatening risk for those that choose, or have no choice but to walk to their destination.