How safe is it to walk down the sidewalk, cross a street, or play in a suburban neighborhood? Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are all too common, both in our urban centers and in the rural outskirts. This article focuses on pedestrian statistics in the United States.

Pedestrian Accident Statistics

Many of us are familiar with the dangers of driving a car or getting on a plane. However, it's not often we realize the dangers of simply walking down the street or crossing an intersection. Unfortunately, pedestrian accidents are a common occurrence, especially in large urban areas such as Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Richmond. Here are some of the latest pedestrian accident statistics and pedestrian death statistics:

· More than one out of ten traffic accident fatality is a pedestrian. Each year, about 4,500 men, women and children die in pedestrian accidents, while a total of 40,000 Americans die on the roads in car wrecks.

· Of all of the demographics, the most likely to be struck and injured in a pedestrian accident are boys between the ages of five and nine. These young boys are known for darting out into the street unexpectedly without looking for oncoming traffic.

· In general, seven out of ten pedestrian deaths involve males. This may be related to the fact that men are more likely to walk at night and more likely to take risks on dangerous roadways.

· Senior citizens and the elderly are less likely to be struck by a vehicle, perhaps because they are more aware of their surrounding and less likely to quickly dart into traffic. However, The elderly are also more likely to suffer serious injury in a pedestrian accident.

· The National Safety Council reports that over 85 percent of pedestrian accidents happen in urban areas like Baltimore and Washington, DC.

· Most pedestrian accidents happen in the late afternoon, when more people are on the road. However, numbers spike on the weekends and at night - when alcohol is more likely to be involved and when pedestrians are harder to see. Childhood pedestrian accidents spike in the summer months, when kids are more likely to be playing outside.

· Drinking plays a major role in many pedestrian accidents - both for the driver and for the pedestrians. One third of pedestrians who are hit are legally drunk. The other major cause of pedestrian accidents is speeding. Speeding is responsible for another one-third of pedestrian fatalities.



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