10 states where pedestrians are killed by vehicles at the highest rates–and how to keep people safe

Canva Most people are pedestrians at some point, even if they don’t live in a city where car ownership isn’t necessary. From the country’s sprawling suburbs to the most rural locales, you can find people strolling on sidewalks and crossing parking lots, children walking to school or heading to friends’ homes, and joggers out for a run. In 2020, 6,516 pedestrians died in the U.S., and an estimated 55,000 more were injured; a pedestrian was killed in a traffic crash every 81 minutes on average. While incidents since 2019 involving firearms have become the leading cause of death among children in the U.S., for the preceding 20 years, motor vehicle crashes led by a significant margin. However, in traffic collisions where children are pedestrians, the death rate is lower than for other age groups. SUVs and pickup trucks account for slightly more pedestrian deaths than cars, according to an analysis of pedestrian crashes. While pedestrian impacts from cars are more likely to result in injury, SUVs disproportionately account for more pedestrian deaths. Data from this analysis suggests that the more significant danger from SUVs to pedestrians in these accidents is the person’s potential impact with the front of SUV vehicles–the headlights, grill, and bumper. In all, pedestrian fatalities resulting from traffic collisions have risen 59% since 2009 and now account for 17% of all crash-related fatalities. This alarming fact leaves no state unscathed, but some states are deadlier than others. Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, Elk and Elk Co. ranked the most deadly states for pedestrians from vehicle crashes in 2020. The fatality rate per 100,000 people determined state rankings. #10. Nevada travelview // Shutterstock – Pedestrian fatality rate per 100K population: 2.52 – 24.9% of all traffic fatalities were pedestrians In August 2022, Las Vegas introduced its Vision Zero initiative, which aims to develop strategies that will put an end to all severe injuries and fatalities on roadways in Las Vegas by 2050. In the immediate wake of the initiative’s launch, members of the public were welcomed to provide feedback via a Vision Zero survey, which helped frame the initiative’s action plan. Several groups will be working together on Vision Zero, including the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, local law enforcement, the city of Las Vegas, and other groups. City officials have described this initiative as an international strategy for eliminating severe injuries and traffic fatalities while increasing everyone’s equitable, healthy, and safe mobility. Vision Zero is based on a program used in Sweden in the 1990s to resounding success. Similar efforts have been launched in more than 45 U.S. cities. #9. Delaware Photographee.eu // Shutterstock – Pedestrian fatality rate per 100K population: 2.53 – 21.6% of all traffic fatalities were pedestrians Several communities in Delaware have begun instituting roadway safety measures in conjunction with the state’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. For example, Rehoboth Beach announced in September 2022 pedestrian safety improvements it would install over the next few months. The upgrades include well-marked crosswalks, “bump-out” curbs that would shorten the distance required for crossing the street, and flashing beacons alerting drivers when pedestrians enter the crosswalk. A large-scale safety program along Delaware’s State Route 1 corridor–also part of the SHSP–involves a pavement rehabilitation project in Dewey Beach and pedestrian improvements such as continuous roadway lighting in South Bethany and Bethany Beach. #8. Georgia Christopher V Jones // Shutterstock – Pedestrian fatality rate per 100K population: 2.61 – 16.8% of all traffic fatalities were pedestrians The city of Atlanta has introduced a regional action plan, Safe Streets for Walking & Bicycling, to lower traffic fatalities within the metropolitan area. It supplements the Atlanta Regional Commission’s 2016 program Walk, Bike, Thrive!, which aims to make the Atlanta region one of the safest and most connected area in the U.S. for bicycling and walking. The Safe Streets program is a proactive, data-driven regional approach to the elimination of severe injury and fatal crashes that will be enacted in a four-pronged plan: setting the target of zero fatalities by 2030 and embracing a safe system procedure; identifying policy priorities, demand and risk, and evidence-based countermeasures to eliminate those risks; creating short-, medium-, and long-term strategies for action; and advocating for data collection that supports improved crash analysis.  #7. Arkansas