Report documents preventable pedestrian deaths, ranks most dangerous metro areas

May 24, 2011
By Transportation for America

Programs and policies to promote safer streets and walking threatened as Congress debates renewal of federal transportation bill

More than 47,700 pedestrians were killed in the U.S. between 2000 and 2009, and the majority of those deaths were preventable, according to a new report released today by Transportation for America. The report, “Dangerous by Design 2011: Solving the Epidemic of Preventable Pedestrian Deaths,” shows how roadway designs promoted by federal investment endanger people on foot.

Dangerous by Design also ranks America’s major metropolitan areas using a Pedestrian Danger Index that uses 10 years of data to assess how safe pedestrians are while walking. The top four – Orlando, Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa – are all in Florida. Other dangerous cities in the top 10 include: San Bernardino, California; Las Vegas, Nevada; Memphis, Tennessee; Phoenix, Arizona; Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas.

The report presents data on pedestrian fatalities and injuries in every U.S. county. And for the first time, this year’s report includes an online, interactive map showing the locations where pedestrian fatalities have occurred.

More than 688,000 pedestrians were injured over the decade, a number equivalent to a pedestrian being struck by a car or truck every 7 minutes. The report finds that while only 1.5 percent of federal funds are allocated towards upgrading dangerous roads, 12 percent of all nationwide fatalities are pedestrians. Of these fatalities, nearly 4,000 were children 15 years and younger, making pedestrian injury the third leading cause of death by unintentional injury for that age group.

The majority of deaths occur on roadways that encourage speeding but do not provide the sidewalks, crosswalks, signals and other protections for people who are walking, the report finds. Most of these roads were built using federal transportation funds. The report comes as the federal transportation bill is being debated in Washington DC and calls to eliminate programs that can promote safer, more walkable streets have increased.

“Some in Congress have questioned the federal interest in keeping pedestrians safe, believing it to be a strictly local issue,” said James Corless, director of Transportation for America. “But two-thirds of all pedestrian fatalities in the last 10 years occurred on federal-aid roadways.”

Dangerous by Design describes how communities across the country are beginning to reverse the legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as “complete streets” that are safer for walking and bicycling, as well as motorists.

“Dangerous by Design shines a spotlight on the dangers pedestrians – especially older Americans – face when they walk in unsafe crosswalks and along roads with little protection from fast-moving traffic,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President. “With a rapidly aging population, AARP is renewing its call on Congress to pass ‘Complete Streets’ legislation, which will help ensure that our streets and sidewalks are safe for all Americans regardless of age or ability.”

Hispanics suffered an average pedestrian death rate 62 percent higher than that for non-Hispanic whites. Similarly, the average pedestrian death rate for African-Americans was 73 percent higher than for non-Hispanic whites. In addition, older Americans are over twice as likely to be killed while walking as those under 65 years of age.

Dangerous by Design outlines a roadmap for the future by which Congress can tackle the problems created by poorly designed transportation systems and create safer, more efficient cities for drivers and pedestrians alike. Of particular emphasis is developing transportation systems that take into account pedestrians and bicyclists, instead of viewing them as impediments to traffic.

“Investing to make our roads safer for pedestrians is not a frill, but an urgent matter of life and death in too many of our communities,” said Corless. “Federal programs that caused the dangerous roads to be built now must be reformed to help communities make them safer.”

T4 recommendations for the next transportation bill to create safer streets include provisions to:

Retain dedicated federal funding for pedestrians and bicyclists;
Create complete networks of sidewalks, bicycle paths, and trails so that residents can travel safely throughout an area;
Require federal, state, and local governments to set safety standards they must meet for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, and motorists; and
Hold states accountable for creating communities that are safe for walking.

To view the full report, please click here. (pdf)

Filed under: Press Releases
Tags: biking, dangerous by design, featured, pedestrian safety, Press Releases, safety, walking

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V

And how many of those pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths result from the pedestrian or bicyclist doing something stupid? Bicyclists riding out in the middle of the street. Pedestrians stepping out in front of cars and expecting them to stop. Bicyclists and pedestrians ignoring traffic lights, running stop signs, going the wrong way on one way streets, and so on.

Yes, we can design the streets to be safer, but you also need to work on making the bicyclists and pedestrians stop acting like idiots. Until all these folks crying about these groups start realizing that public education on the laws for bicyclists and pedestrians, and *enforcement* of those laws is made part of the equation, you’ll never attain those levels of safety they want. If you try to make a facility idiot-proof, all you’ll see is a higher grade of idiot.

Finally, where is the money supposed to come from to “provide the sidewalks, crosswalks, signals and other protections”? Or is this just another case of expecting the drivers who pay fuel taxes for highways to subsidize bicyclists and pedestrians demanding these facilities but unwilling to pay for them?
http://t4america.org/author/sdavis/ Stephen Lee Davis

That seems like a pretty great idea. Let’s try it in reverse.

“Hey, bad news for those of you who know someone who was killed in a car accident: We’re going to wait to start enforcing the laws on the books and making driving safer until all the drivers start obeying the law.”

This isn’t about spending billions in some new program — it’s about using the billions we spend on new and reconstructed roads each year to build safer streets that people can cross or walk along safely. The money comes from the same place that most people who walk pay into every time we fill up our gas tanks. We’re using federal money to build and design these roads every day, every year. I don’t think it’s too much to ask that our own tax dollars aren’t used to design roads that kill thousands every year.

And as far as subsidies go, you may not realize that the roads you’re driving on are subsidized by those people walking, even if they’ve never paid a dime in fuel taxes, thanks to the millions in infusions of general tax revenues into the transportation program over the years, because the fuel tax doesn’t come anywhere close to covering the cost of the road. Conservative estimates show that taxes cover well under 60 percent of the lifetime cost.

I don’t think you really want to have an honest conversation about subsidies here.
TDay

@V: Do you imagine that drivers never use sidewalks and crosswalks? Or that pedestrians never ride in cars? It’s not as if pedestrians and drivers are different species — we all have a common interest in avoiding severe and fatal car crashes.

Oh, and speaking of subsidies, the Highway Trust Fund went into the red in 2009, and since then has been infused with $22 billion in subsidies from the general fund.
Anonymous

Not good to jump to conclusions, “V”. Cyclists (I believe in ALL 50 states) are allowed to be in a driving lane in order to make a left-hand turn, or to avoid troublesome things like glass, trash, stormgrates, gravel, ice, etc. that typically inhabit bike lanes and shoulders. Cyclists should be signalling for turns, but that doesn’t always happen (those are the stupid ones, for sure).

As far as pedestrians are concerned, they know that vehicles are supposed to yield at crosswalks (NOT jaywalking… again, those are the stupids) and usually the only way to get drivers’ attention is to be in the roadway in the direction they are intending to cross. In some states, the law actually requires the pedestrian to be off the curb and in the roadway before a driver has to legally yield to them.

You are right about one thing. Enforcement is a key part to teaching offenders about road rules. Just designing a safe facility doesn’t cut it if the education isn’t there. With the recession and lack of public funds, there probably won’t be more police enforcement or road improvements for a long while. The best we can do is educate.

By the way, a majority of cyclists and pedestrians (such as myself) are also vehicular drivers. And believe me, I pay my fair share of property and fuel taxes just like you do.
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