The Pedestrian Safety Problem

In 2006 4,784 pedestrians were killed in the United States, up from 4,675 in 2004. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that a pedestrian is killed almost every 2 hours and injured every 9 minutes on our nation's roadways. Nationally, pedestrians account for 11% of motor vehicle deaths with urban areas having higher fatality rates than rural areas.

Pedestrian fatality and injury rates in the greater Washington, DC region are typical for a major urbanized area, but still high in proportion to the number of pedestrian trips. Approximately 2900 pedestrians and bicyclists are injured every year in the Washington region, and eighty-four are killed. Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities accounted for one fifth of the total traffic fatalities in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia from 2002-2006.

Pedestrian fatalities outnumber homicides in many jurisdictions in the Washington region, and most of those deaths could be prevented.

Across the greater metro area, deadly behavior among drivers, cyclists and pedestrians is a leading contributor to the problem:

• Drivers speed and ignore crosswalk laws.
• Pedestrians act impulsively – failing to look both ways before crossing; not using the crosswalk where required; and not crossing with the signal.
• Cyclists ride against traffic and ignore Stop signs and traffic signals.

Education, awareness and enforcement of laws are critical to combat the problem and make the public more Street Smart.