Pedestrian safety poor in Missouri cities, according to national study

The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released a major study of motor vehicle and pedestrian fatalities.

According to the report, pedestrian and motorist safety in Missouri cities is poor, compared to other cities in our region.

St. Louis was ranked as the 19th most dangerous city in the nation for pedestrians, with an average of 13 pedestrians killed per year, 1998-2000, and a pedestrian fatality rate of 3.73 per 100,000.

St. Louis's vehicle fatality rate is also rather high--about 13 per 100,000. The worst U.S. cities had vehicle fatality rates of about 20 per 100,000 while the best had rates of 2 or 3 per 100,000.

Kansas City, MO, is the 56th most dangerous city for pedestrians, with an average of 11 pedestrians killed per year and a pedestrian fatality rate of 2.42 per 100,000. Kansas City's vehicle fatality rate is also very high: 15 per 100,000.

On the other hand, of the U.S. cities with over 100,000 population, Overland Park, KS--part of the Kansas City metropolitan area and nestled right up against the southern part of KCMO--is the 11th safest for pedestrians.

A summary of pedestrian and vehicle fatality rates for area cities for the years 1998-2000:

CITY	Pedestrian Fatality Rate, per 100,000, per year	Motor Vehicle Fatality Rate, per 100,000, per year
St. Louis, MO	3.7	12.9
Kansas City, MO	2.4	15.3
Springfield, MO	2.2	11.0
Independence, MO	2.1	13.5
Kansas City, KS	1.8	14.5
Wichita, KS	1.2	8.1
Topeka, KS	1.1	5.7
Overland Park, KS	0.2	4.3

Of the U.S. cities with over 100,000 population, Overland Park is the 11th safest for pedestrians.

KCMO vs. Overland Park
The difference in both vehicle and pedestrian fatality rates between Kansas City, MO, and Overland Park, KS is particularly telling. Overland Park is part of the KC metropolitan area and Overland Park is separated from the southwest section of KCMO by only a mile or two of continuously populated metropolitan area.

Yet KCMO's pedestrian fatality rate is about 10 times Overland Park's, and KCMO's vehicle fatality rate is about 3 times higher.

Much of the difference must be attributed to the more modern road design techniques employed by Overland Park, which uses many design techniques known to reduce conflict points between motorists and between motorist and pedestrian.

For instance, in an Overland Park commercial area with 10-15 businesses, all of these businesses might share just 2 or 3 driveway entrances to the street. In KCMO, each business would likely have its own driveway--or perhaps even two driveways.

Each driveway cuts across the sidewalk, creating a conflict point between pedestrians and motorists, and between motorists on the roadway and those entering or leaving via the driveways.

Overland Park uses common-sense pedestrian facilities--like sidewalks, crosswalks, and dedicated pedestrian signals at stoplights--with much greater consistency than does KCMO.

KCMO citizens have identified walkability as a major problem in the city. KCMO has recently approved an important Walkability Plan. If the city follows through with this plan, pedestrian safety in the city should gradually improve over the coming years.

Springfield vs. Wichita and Topeka
The comparison among Springfield, MO (pop. 152,000), Wichita, KS (344,000), and Topeka, KS (pop 122,000) is also telling. The pedestrian fatality rate in Springfield is almost double the rate in the Kansas cities, and Springfield's motor vehicle fatality rate is substantially higher, as well.

One would expect cities of similar size, character, and region to be much more alike pedestrian and motorist safety. Again, much of the difference must be attributed to road design along with driver education and enforcement of good driving practices.

More information
Read NHTSA's summary of the research report here.

The full research report is available on the NHTSA's website [PDF format].