Driving vs rail
South of Cocoa, Brightline is not a high-speed railroad. Maximum speed is less than 80 miles per hour, which is comparable to interstate highway speeds. Brightline, however, is a high-frequency railroad offering multiple departures daily. Every passenger on Brightline represents an automobile trip not taken. Data strongly suggests that travel by rail is far safer than automobile.
Brightline has adhered to all federal and state safety requirements. One must acknowledge that everyone who perished died due to either inattention, reckless driving or by their own intent. All were trespassing.
Major highways like I-95 remain the deadliest routes along this corridor, with persistently high fatality counts. A notorious 3.85-mile segment in Miami’s Little River neighborhood recorded 27 fatalities, equating to roughly seven fatalities per mile — making it the most dangerous in the state…