Pedestrian fatalities have experienced a noticeable increase in recent years, jumping 19% between 2019 and 2022.[1] Across the U.S., that amounts to more than 7,500 pedestrians being killed each year due to traffic incidents.
How do those numbers break down geographically? In addition to pedestrian traffic fatality rates, The Zebra looked at four overall data points to find out which cities are the most dangerous for pedestrians.
- Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population: This data reveals the prominence of pedestrian fatalities compared to the broader population each year.
- Walk Score: The lower the Walk Score, the more likely people are to walk on roads or other areas that are not pedestrian-friendly. The maximum score is 100.
- State minimum car insurance requirements for personal injury and property damage: Lower insurance requirements mean pedestrians may carry a greater financial burden when injured in a traffic incident.
Which cities ranked worst when it comes to keeping pedestrians safe? Here are the top 10 results.
Methodology
The Zebra pulled four data points to analyze the U.S.'s top 50 MSAs (by population) related to pedestrians and car insurance coverage.
- Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)[2]
- Walk Score[3]
- State minimum car insurance requirements for personal injury per person
- State minimum car insurance requirements for property damage per accident
MSA data was used where applicable, and we sometimes substituted city or state data as necessary. We removed some cities due to a lack of pedestrian fatality data.