Pedestrian Safety

Facts

• Nearly 8,000 pedestrians were killed on our nation's roads in crashes involving a motor vehicle in 2021. That's about one death every 66 minutes.1
• There were also an estimated 104,000 emergency department visits of pedestrians treated for non-fatal crash-related injuries in 2020.1
• One in six people who died in crashes in 2021 were pedestrians.1

Pedestrian fatal injury trends chart

Timely data can help prevention efforts. This chart shows the number of pedestrian deaths by month and year, including the most recent provisional data available. You can access the full interactive chart by the link below.

View pedestrian fatal injury trends

Risk factors

Speed, location, vehicle size, and alcohol are major risk factors.

• Higher vehicle speeds increase both the likelihood of a pedestrian being struck by a car and the injury severity.23
• Most pedestrian deaths (60% in 2020) occur on high-capacity urban roads that typically have posted speed limits of 45-55 miles per hour.4
  • 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.5
• 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.6
• Alcohol was involved for the driver and/or pedestrian in nearly half (49%) of crashes that resulted in a pedestrian death in 2021.7 In these crashes:
  • About one out of five (19%) involved a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.08 grams per deciliter (g/dL)—a level that is illegal for adults aged 21 and older in all U.S. states.
  • About one out of three (30%) involved a pedestrian with a BAC of at least 0.08 g/dL.7

People at increased risk

Some groups have higher risk for pedestrian death.

• Adults ages 65 years and older accounted for about 17% of the U.S. population in 2021. However, this group accounted for 21% of all pedestrian deaths in 2021.7
• Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native, and Black persons had the highest pedestrian death rates among all racial and ethnic groups in 2021.7

What can be done

Local and state public health partners, other transportation-related agencies, and communities can work together to keep pedestrians safe by:

• Using sources of public health data, like death certificates, hospital, and emergency department data, to gain a better understanding of pedestrian injury outcomes and prioritize interventions appropriately.
• Considering evidence-based strategies to reduce alcohol-impaired driving.89
  • Partnering with agencies that prevent and treat substance misuse and use disorders to prioritize intervention placement and reduce impaired driving.
• Considering evidence-based strategies that promote driving at safe speeds.9
• 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 strategies10 like lane narrowing, better lighting, and sidewalk installation during road planning processes.
  • Read more about the Safe System approach.

What you can do

You can keep yourself safe as a pedestrian by:

• Increasing your visibility when walking at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing reflective clothing, such as reflective vests.6
• Crossing streets at a designated crosswalk or intersection whenever possible.6
• Walking on a sidewalk or path instead of the road. Walk on the shoulder and face traffic if a sidewalk or path is not available.6
• Avoiding using electronic devices like earbuds, which can cause distractions when you are walking.

Additional resources

Examine counts, rates, and costs of pedestrian-related deaths and Emergency Room visits in the United States by year, state, and demographics

• WISQARS™ (Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System)

Examine other sources of pedestrian safety data

• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool
• Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Learn how public health and safety organizations can collaboratively design and implement pedestrian safety programs in their communities

• National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA): Pedestrian Safety
• World Health Organization: Pedestrian safety: a road safety manual for decision-makers and practitioners
• Federal Highway Administration: Pedestrian & Bicycle Safety
• Vision Zero Network: Guidance on taking a collaborative approach to improve transportation safety for pedestrians and all road users

Help support safely walking to school

• National Center for Safe Routes to School

Walk for improved health and environmental outcomes

• CDC: Walking for Physical Activity
• CDC: Active People, Healthy Nation
• CDC: Climate and Health Program