A new report by Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition looks at pedestrian safety in the United States by measuring how deadly it is for people walking as a means of transportation.
Dangerous by Design 2019 ranks states and metropolitan areas using a “Pedestrian Danger Index”--which quantifies pedestrian dangers by accounting for the number of people injured and killed in traffic crashes, controlling for population size and mode share of people who walk to work--and makes recommendations for state and federal policy-makers to improve road safety.
The statistics are alarming.
According to the report, 2016 and 2017 were the most deadly on record for pedestrians. As national vehicle miles traveled increased between 2008 and 2017, so did pedestrian fatalities. Our streets also pose an ever greater risk to vulnerable communities, including older adults, people of color and low-income communities. Dangerous by Design 2019 calls for increased Complete Streets policies, standards, and funding mechanisms to protect the transportation needs of all users.
+ Access the Dangerous By Design report here and watch the recording of the introduction to the report here.
For more information on pedestrian and bicycle safety programs, visit the CPBST page here. For Complete Streets policies at the local level in California, be sure to check out the pedestrian and bicycle master plans on CATSIP. For local agencies interested in identifying and implementing traffic safety solutions that lead to improved safety for all users, UC Berkeley SafeTREC is offering free Complete Streets Safety Assessments (CSSA) for California agencies with a population of over 25,000 people. Visit the CSSA program page to learn more and how to apply.