Police: Pedestrian Safety

In 2003, 4,749 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in the United States a

decrease of 16 percent from the 5,649 pedestrians killed in 1993.

On average, a pedestrian is killed in a traffic crash every 111 minutes.

There were 70,000 pedestrians injured in traffic crashes in 2003.

On average, a pedestrian is injured in a traffic crash every 8 minutes.

Most pedestrian fatalities in 2003 occurred in urban areas (72 percent), at

nonintersection locations (79 percent), in normal weather conditions (89 percent),

and at night (65 percent).

More than two-thirds (69 percent) of the 2003 pedestrian fatalities were males.

In 2003, the male pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population was 2.27

— more than double the rate for females (1.01 per 100,000 population). The male

pedestrian injury rate per 100,000 population in 2003 was 30, compared with 19

for females.

In 2003, almost one-fourth (22 percent) of all children between the ages of 5 and

9 years who were killed in traffic crashes were pedestrians. Nearly one-fifth (17

percent) of all traffic fatalities under age 16 were pedestrians, and 7 percent of all

the people under age 16 who were injured in traffic crashes were pedestrians.

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, so you can see any car that might go out of control.

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 your 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 the 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 cars 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. Keep looking for cars while you are crossing, and remember, walk. Don’t run.

Information provided by NHTSA.