Despite advances in car safety over the last several decades, being a pedestrian is now more perilous than it has been in 40 years.
According to a recent study, pedestrian fatalities reached a 41-year high last year, killing almost 7,500 people who were hit while walking.
“Every day, 20 people go for a walk and never return.”
“These are people going about their daily lives, commuting to and from school and work, picking up groceries, walking the dog, getting some exercise,” said Jonathan Adkins, CEO of the Governors Highway Safety Association, which conducted the study.
MoneyGeek, a personal finance website, examined federal statistics to determine where pedestrians died the most frequently. Cities in the South performed notably poorly out of the 225 cities studied.
Between 2018 and 2021, the deadliest city for pedestrians was Fort Lauderdale, where roughly 15 pedestrians died on average each year.
And Fort Lauderdale wasn’t the only city where pedestrians were at danger. Five communities in Florida, including Pompano Beach, West Palm Beach, Miami, and Tampa, were among the top 20 deadliest in the US.
The 20 deadliest cities for pedestrians, according to MoneyGeek, were:
Rank | City | Avg. annual pedestrian deaths per 100K residents | Avg. annual pedestrian fatalities |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 8.1 | 14.8 |
2 | Jackson, MS | 7.3 | 11.0 |
3 | Macon, GA | 7.0 | 11.0 |
4 | Memphis, TN | 6.8 | 42.5 |
5 | Albuquerque, NM | 6.7 | 37.8 |
6 | Little Rock, AR | 6.7 | 13.5 |
7 | Victorville, CA | 6.6 | 9.0 |
8 | Pompano Beach, FL | 6.5 | 7.3 |
9 | North Charleston, SC | 6.2 | 7.3 |
10 | Baton Rouge, LA | 6.1 | 13.5 |
11 | San Bernardino, CA | 6.0 | 13.3 |
12 | Tucson, AZ | 5.8 | 31.8 |
13 | El Cajon, CA | 5.7 | 6.0 |
14 | West Palm Beach, FL | 5.3 | 6.3 |
15 | Miami, FL | 5.2 | 23.0 |
16 | Birmingham, AL | 5.2 | 10.3 |
17 | New Haven, CT | 5.2 | 7.0 |
18 | Phoenix, AZ | 5.2 | 84.0 |
19 | Tampa, FL | 5.0 | 19.5 |
20 | Charleston, SC | 4.9 | 7.5 |
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, the majority of pedestrian deaths occur at night. SUVs are also becoming increasingly responsible. Because of their size, they are more likely to critically hurt or kill someone they collide with than a lower-profile sedan.
“The saddest part is that these crashes are preventable,” said Adkins.
“We know what works – better-designed infrastructure, lower speeds, addressing risky driving behaviors that pose a danger to people walking. We must do these things and more to reverse this awful trend and protect people on foot. Enough is enough.”