The Safest Cities For Pedestrians — Ranked – Forbes Advisor – Technologist

October is pedestrian safety month, but pedestrian safety must be a priority all year long.

Pedestrians die every day in the United States. In fact, 21 walkers per day and 145 per week lose their lives in motor vehicle accidents. That adds up to a total of 7,522 deaths in 2022. Collectively, these pedestrians accounted for 18% of all traffic fatalities during the course of that same year.¹ That’s a slight increase from 2021 when one in six fatal crash victims was a pedestrian.²

Walkers face a greater risk of perishing in a motor vehicle accident because drivers don’t always observe them and because when pedestrians are struck they have no protection from the force and impact of a crash.

Pedestrians are also at great risk of injury while walking. In total, 3% of all victims hurt in motor vehicle accidents were pedestrians.¹ Those injured victims made an estimated 104,000 visits to the emergency department in 2020 to be treated for nonfatal injuries related to the collision.²

When a pedestrian is harmed or killed in an accident that was the fault of another driver, the walker or their surviving family members may be able to pursue a tort claim to recover monetary compensation for losses. Pedestrian crashes cause billions of economic and comprehensive costs. Crash victims need to consider a personal injury claim if they don’t want to personally bear the huge financial responsibility for these accidents.

Risk Factors

The likelihood of a pedestrian accident is determined by many factors, such as location, vehicle type and driver behavior⇁—including illegal acts such as impaired driving.

Walkers in urban areas face a significantly greater risk to their safety than those in rural or suburban locations. As many as 60% of pedestrian accident deaths in 2020 occurred on urban roads.²

As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, the risk in urban centers is elevated by a tension between high-travel speeds prioritizing vehicle movement and pedestrian accessibility to areas such as shopping and restaurants. This risk is underscored by the fact that the 60 most dangerous roads in the U.S. for pedestrians were multi-lane roads with speed limits exceeding 30 MPH that were adjacent to commercial retail spaces.²

Vehicle speed and size are also contributing factors to an increased crash risk, as is driver intoxication. Pedestrians who died in accidents were found to have a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08 in 31% of accidents in 2021.

The pedestrian’s age may also play a role, as adults aged 60 to 64 and 65 to 69 each accounted for 23% of fatal pedestrian traffic accidents. Seniors may be at greater risk because of their slower speeds and susceptibility to serious injuries due to advanced age.⁵