Author Topic: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route  (Read 10611 times)

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Offline Westinghouse

Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« on: April 25, 2009, 12:36:05 am »
This partial article appeared on the front page of Yahoo.com  25 April 2009. Miami, Florida is rated with the third highest rate of violent crimes in the United States.
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No. 1 Detroit, Mich.

(Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn, Mich., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,951,186

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,220

No. 2 Memphis, Tenn.

(Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,295,670

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 1,218

No. 3. Miami, Fla.

(Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla. metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 2,401,971

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 988


No. 4 Las Vegas, Nev.

(Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 1,834,533

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 887

No. 5 Stockton, Calif.

(Stockton, Calif., metropolitan statistical area)

Population: 684,406

Violent Crimes per 100,000: 885

To determine our list, we used violent crime statistics from the FBI's latest uniform crime report, issued in 2008. The violent crime category is composed of four offenses: murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery and aggravated assault. We evaluated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas--geographic entities defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for use by federal agencies in collecting, tabulating and publishing federal statistics--with more than 500,000 residents.


Offline DaveB

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2009, 07:10:49 pm »
I believe the original article firet appeared in Forbes magazine. 

Anyway, don't read too much into the numbers.  A very large part of the violent crimes in any city are drug related, either turf wars between competing drug gangs or drug deals gone bad.  The more drugs a city has, the more violent crime it has and the crime mostly (not exclusively of course) effects those related in one way or another to the drugs.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #2 on: April 29, 2009, 08:26:03 am »
This isn't anything I would get too excited about when touring.  I agree that much of the crime is drug related.  Also when on tour, most riders do not spend much time in urban areas, I know that I don't.

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #3 on: April 30, 2009, 11:35:34 am »
Fortunately for us cyclist, we're pretty low profile targets.  I don't think most criminals would know what to do with us, and considering we ride mostly during daylight hours and stay on the roadways, we're in pretty good shape.  Like previously stated, most crimes are drug related, or focused towards more traditional tourists.

If you're going to be concerned about anything on a bike tour, you should be concerned about your safety on the road in regards to traffic.  Stay visible, ride during daylight hours, and always have personal and medical information on your person.

Offline Westinghouse

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #4 on: May 01, 2009, 07:00:29 am »
I would not worry about it either. If I wanted to cycle to the Keys and back, I would not think twice about cycling through Miami. I would just do it.
There are parts of the Miami-Dade metropolitan area that are known to have much higher rates of crime than others. If someone goes through those areas, he stands a chance of getting robbed and mugged. Other areas are comparatively safer. If I were cycling across Tamiami Trail to Miami and going to the Keys, I would go south on Krome Avenue, and catch US 1 farther south. The area east of Krome Avenue on Tamiami Trail was a high crime area a few years ago. Overtown and Carol City are places you might want to avoid. The barrier islands are the best ways to go on the east coast. Try Dixie Hwy. and some areas just west of the Florida East Coast railroad tracks, and you might run into drug gang areas. Not necessarily, but it ups your risk of running into trouble.

Offline driftlessregion

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #5 on: May 04, 2009, 08:59:51 pm »
I'm not sure what your point is for posting this non-cycling information in this forum.

Offline mikeylikesbikes

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #6 on: May 04, 2009, 09:31:59 pm »
What does this have to do with cycling?  This type of alarmism is completely counter productive and does not reflect any true measure of risk.  Let me know when you figure out what the statistics for bike accidents directly caused by unavoidable place specific phenomena in every city.... such as the guillotine in Paris, or diplomatic immunity in Washington DC.

P.S.  I heard that someone once choked on bubble gum in Moscow, Idaho, don't go there...and deffinetly don't go there if you plan on chewing gum and riding a bike.


Offline litespeed

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #7 on: May 04, 2009, 11:13:01 pm »
In all my years of bicycle touring I have never encountered any criminal activity of any kind. Nor have I met anyone who has. I have never even heard of any cyclist being attacked, threatened or robbed ever anywhere. 90% of the people I meet think what I am doing is just great but they wouldn't do it, 5% are really envious and 5% are bewildered or mildly scornful. But, to the best of my recollection, I have never encountered hostility or threatening behavior.

Offline Nokka

Re: Violent Crime Alert Atlantic Coast Route
« Reply #8 on: May 05, 2009, 10:52:34 am »
This is actually really funny.

The same poster got real paranoid about "crime" in Namibia when there was a post about a planned trip to that African state.

Now, anyone who has ever been to Namibia would be able to tell you that a) the desert country Namibia is as crime ridden as the Pope's front porch, and b) that you can play and manipulate stats to scare the heebiejeebies out of anyone if you'd like to.

I think, after seeing this second post, there's some real issues with perceived crime and stats here.

Hey, the rest of us just get on the bike and start touring.