Pedestrian Safety
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) Safety Facts
NHTSA 2007 Pedestrian Safety Facts
In 2007, 4,654 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States — a decrease of 13 percent from the 5,321 pedestrians killed in 1997. On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 113 minutes and injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes. There were 70,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes in 2007. Most pedestrian fatalities in 2007 occurred in urban areas ( 73% ), at non-intersection locations ( 77% ), in normal weather conditions ( 90% ), and at night ( 67% ). More than two-thirds ( 70% ) of the pedestrians killed in 2007 were males. In 2007, the male pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population was 2.19 — more than double the rate for females ( 0.91 per 100,000 population ). In 2007, the male pedestrian injury rate per 100,000 population was 26, compared with 20 for females.
NHTSA 2006 Pedalcyclist Safety Facts
In 2006, 773 pedalcyclists were killed and an additional 44,000 were injured in traffic crashes. Pedalcyclist deaths accounted for 2 percent of all traffic fatalities, and pedalcyclists made up 2 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year.
The number of pedalcyclist fatalities in 2006 is 1 percent higher than the 765 fatalities reported in 1996. The highest number of pedalcyclist fatalities ever recorded in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System ( FARS ) was 1,003 in 1975. Pedalcyclists accounted for 13 percent of all nonoccupant traffic fatalities in 2006.
Pedestrian Safety Tips
Safety Tips for Walkers
Always walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk and you have to walk in the road, always walk FACING traffic
Dress to be seen. Brightly colored clothing makes it easier for drivers to see you during the daytime. At night, you need to wear special reflective material on you shoes, cap or jacket to reflect the headlights of cars coming towards you.
Tips for Crossing the Street
- Cross only at corners or marked crosswalks
- Stop at curb, or the edge of the road
- Stop and look left, then right, then left again, before you step into the street
- If you see a car, wait until it goes by. Then look left, right and left again until no other vehicles are coming
- If a car is parked where you are crossing, make sure there is no driver in the car. Then go to the edge of the car and look left-right-left until no cars are coming; looking for cars while you are crossing
and remember, WALK - Don’t Run!
INFORMATION PROVIDED BY NHTSA - For further information go to: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov ( 
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