Features such as crosswalks can reduce pedestrian fatalities, which are increasing.
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The nation's roads are deadlier than ever for pedestrians, according to a new Smart Growth America report.
Pedestrian fatalities have increased 72% since 2009, according to the group's “Dangerous by Design,” report, which was released in June. Over 39,000 people died on U.S. roads in 2024, with pedestrian deaths accounting for 7,000 of them — the highest number in four decades.
At the heart of the problem is U.S. roadway infrastructure, which prioritizes vehicle speed over human safety, according to the report. Wide lanes, limited crosswalks and signals and long distances between crossings endanger pedestrians as they travel through their communities. High-speed turns and poor visibility make it more likely drivers will crash into pedestrians.
“We as a nation have not come to grips with the fact that if moving cars quickly is the goal, then you automatically have inherent danger in places that have lots of conflicts like cross streets and driveways and street parking and crosswalks,” Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America, told The Nation's Health.
U.S. pedestrian deaths are disproportionately higher among people of color. American Indian and Alaska Native people are killed at nearly four times the rate of the national average. Rates are also higher among Black people. Funding to correct problematic roadway infrastructure has lagged. Congress will decide this month whether to approve an over $500 billion transportation reauthorization bill that the Georgetown Climate Center says will prioritize road expansion over pedestrian safety, resulting in 1,000 more traffic-related deaths a year.
“We'll spend billions on an interchange to save a few seconds on someone's freeway commute, but we will be repeatedly told we don't have money to put in a sidewalk somewhere,” Mike McGinn, executive director of America Walks, told The Nation's Health.
Approaches in other countries to reducing pedestrian fatalities have shown success, the report said.
Those include narrowing roadways, adding crosswalks and building infrastructure closer to roadways.
The U.S. is an outlier when it comes to pedestrian safety, Osborne said.
Increasing vehicle size and weight is also contributing to the increase in U.S. pedestrian deaths. A shift in consumer preference from smaller cars and sedans to heavier SUVs and pickup trucks with higher front-end profiles and blind spots has increased the likelihood that a pedestrian collision results in a death rather than an injury.
The report also ranked U.S. metropolitan areas by pedestrian safety, naming Memphis, Tennessee, as the most deadly, followed by Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bakersfield-Delano, California; Tucson, Arizona; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Among states, New Mexico was the most deadly.
For more information on the report, visit www.smartgrowthamerica.org.
- Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association
