Mean Streets: How Far Have We Come?
Pedestrian Safety, 1994-2003
Source: Suface Transportation Policy Project
"In 2003 4,827 Americans died while crossing the street, walking to school or work, going to a bus stop, or strolling to the grocery, among other daily routines. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 70,000 more were injured; on average a pedestrian is killed or injured in a traffic crash every 7 minutes. These seemingly safe, everyday acts ended the lives of more than 450 children under the age of 16 in 2003. This report analyzes ten years of data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) maintained by NHTSA to determine which metropolitan areas and states have grown more dangerous for walkers, as well as which have become safer for pedestrians. The report also uses the most recent two years of FARS data to learn where pedestrians are dying, and why. Finally, it looks at the investment in pedestrian safety through analysis of state spending patterns of federal highway funds, which are recorded in the Fiscal Management Information System (FMIS) maintained by the Federal Highway Administration."
