Where do most pedestrian deaths occur? What can be done to stop them? | CDC

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- Higher vehicle speeds increase both the likelihood of a pedestrian being struck by a car and the injury severity.

- Most pedestrian deaths (60% in 2021) occur on high-capacity urban roads that typically have posted speed limits of 45-55 miles per hour.

Many of these roads suffer from a design conflict between providing destinations (e.g., stores, restaurants) that people need to access and allowing high travel speeds that often prioritize vehicle movement.

For example, among 60 roads that had the most pedestrian deaths during 2001-2016, all were roads with adjacent commercial retail space, nearly all were multilane roads, and more than three-quarters had speed limits of 30 miles per hour or higher. . . .

- SUVs can cause more harm to a person on foot when a crash occurs because of the vehicle's greater body weight and larger profile.

What can be done?

- Developing community-based coalitions that adopt the Safe System approach — a framework designed to protect everyone on the road.

- Prioritizing safety over speed and evidence-based design strategies like lane narrowing, better lighting, and sidewalk installation during road planning processes.

Read more about the Safe System approach:

https://www.transportation.gov/safe-system-approach

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Where do most pedestrian deaths occur? What can be done to stop them? | CDC