A pedestrian was struck and killed Friday morning at the intersection of International Speedway Boulevard and General Custer Avenue in Daytona Beach, closing westbound travel lanes during the morning commute. The crash, which involved a 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, happened around 7 a.m. and left the pedestrian dead at the scene.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers were still working the crash scene as of Friday morning, according to WKMG ClickOrlando. Troopers have given no details on what led up to the crash, and the investigation remains open. The outlet reported that westbound lanes of International Speedway Boulevard, also known as U.S. 92, remained blocked as crews responded.
A Familiar Stretch of Road
This is not the first time this exact intersection has turned deadly. A 55-year-old Daytona Beach man was struck and killed by an eastbound motorist while trying to cross U.S. 92 at General Custer Avenue in March 2022, according to WFTV. General Custer Avenue intersects U.S. 92 without a signalized pedestrian crosswalk, a design detail that has repeatedly put foot traffic in the path of fast-moving vehicles at that spot.
The corridor's troubles extend well beyond this single intersection. In May, a 46-year-old pedestrian died after being hit by a pickup truck while crossing International Speedway Boulevard at Kepler Road elsewhere in Volusia County, as reported by ClickOrlando. And in February 2025, an 18-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed along the same boulevard near Red John Drive during early morning hours, according to FOX 35 Orlando.
Region Ranks Among Nation's Deadliest for Walkers
The pattern isn't isolated to a handful of intersections. Smart Growth America's “Dangerous by Design 2026” report ranked the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metro area 14th most dangerous in the country, and third worst in Florida, for pedestrians, tallying 127 pedestrian deaths between 2020 and 2024. The same analysis found a pedestrian fatality rate of 3.6 per 100,000 residents across the metro area.
Countywide figures tell a similarly grim story. State crash dashboard data compiled for 2025 showed Volusia County logged 362 pedestrian crashes resulting in 280 injuries and 24 fatalities, a 6.6% fatality rate among those crashes, per USA Today. That rate, the outlet noted, exceeded larger urban counties including Miami-Dade and Broward.
Overall traffic deaths in Volusia County have actually been trending downward, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which recorded 108 fatalities across 9,014 crashes in 2024, down from 110 in 2023 and 131 in 2022 — a drop of nearly 18% over two years. Pedestrian deaths, however, have not followed that same decline relative to overall crash totals.
Infrastructure and the Law at Unsignalized Crossings
A Florida Department of Transportation corridor study classified U.S. 92 as a “C4 Urban General” commercial corridor and identified 18 intersections between Palmetto Avenue and Longwood Drive for LED streetlighting upgrades meant to improve nighttime pedestrian visibility. The corridor connects major civic, commercial, and educational destinations across Daytona Beach, and also links Interstate 4, Interstate 95, and the beachfront.
Under Florida Statute § 316.130, pedestrians crossing outside a marked crosswalk must yield the right-of-way to vehicles, while drivers are required to exercise due care to avoid hitting pedestrians anywhere on the roadway. Florida courts apply a comparative fault standard in civil litigation stemming from such crashes. Whether the pedestrian killed Friday was using a designated crossing, whether early-morning lighting conditions played a role, and whether officials plan any physical safety upgrades at General Custer Avenue remain open questions as the Florida Highway Patrol investigation continues.
