10 Most Dangerous Cities for Pedestrians

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Susan Meyer

Senior Editorial Manager

Susan is a licensed insurance agent and has worked as a writer and editor for over 10 years across a number of industries. She has worked at The Zebr…

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  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty
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Beth Swanson

SEO Content Strategist

Beth joined The Zebra in 2022 as an Associate Content Strategist. She is a licensed insurance agent whose goal is to make insurance content easy to r…

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  • Licensed Insurance Agent — Property and Casualty

Pedestrian fatalities have experienced a noticeable increase in recent years, jumping 19% between 2019 and 2022.[1] Across the U.S., that amounts to more than 7,500 pedestrians being killed each year due to traffic incidents. 

How do those numbers break down geographically? In addition to pedestrian traffic fatality rates, The Zebra looked at four overall data points to find out which cities are the most dangerous for pedestrians. 

  • Pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population: This data reveals the prominence of pedestrian fatalities compared to the broader population each year.
  • Walk Score: The lower the Walk Score, the more likely people are to walk on roads or other areas that are not pedestrian-friendly. The maximum score is 100. 
  • State minimum car insurance requirements for personal injury and property damage: Lower insurance requirements mean pedestrians may carry a greater financial burden when injured in a traffic incident. 

Which cities ranked worst when it comes to keeping pedestrians safe? Here are the top 10 results.

1: Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville has nearly one of the worst Walk Scores out of all the cities we analyzed, which can make it more difficult for pedestrians to safely navigate their routes. The pedestrian fatality rate is 4.29 deaths per 100,000 residents, which sits in the middle of our list. However, the state of Florida has barebones requirements when it comes to auto insurance. There's no personal injury coverage required and property damage coverage is among the lowest in the nation at $10,000 per accident.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 4.29 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 26
  • State minimum for personal injury: $0
  • State minimum for property damage: $10,000

2: Phoenix, Arizona

Pedestrian fatalities in Phoenix are above average compared to the other areas on our list, with more than six deaths per 100,000 people. On top of that, the city has a low Walk Score of just 41. Arizona does have a higher personal injury coverage requirement for auto insurance at $25,000, but property damage requirements are just $15,000.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 6.03 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 41
  • State minimum for personal injury: $25,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $15,000

3: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The safety environment for pedestrians is split in Philadelphia. On the plus side, the fatality rate is pretty low at 2.73 deaths per 100,000 residents, and the city's Walk Score is 75. However, from a financial perspective, pedestrians don't fare as well regarding auto insurance requirements. Pennsylvania only requires drivers to carry $15,000 in coverage for personal injury and $5,000 for property damage.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 2.73 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 75
  • State minimum for personal injury: $15,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $5,000

4: Boston, Massachusetts

Like Philadelphia, Boston actually ranks well when it comes to walkability and even safety for pedestrians. But the state of Massachusetts also has lower insurance requirements that could leave injured pedestrians with higher medical bills or property replacement costs. Coverage requirements are $20,000 for personal injury and $5,000 for property damage.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 1.37 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 83
  • State minimum for personal injury: $20,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $5,000

5: Detroit, Michigan (tied)

Detroit ties for fifth place in part because of a higher pedestrian fatality rate of 6.96 deaths per 100,000 residents each year. The city also has a lower Walk Score of 51. On the plus side, Michigan requires drivers to carry $50,000 in auto insurance for personal injury and $10,000 for property damage.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 6.96 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 51
  • State minimum for personal injury: $50,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $10,000

5: Memphis, Tennessee (tied)

Memphis ties with Michigan as the fifth most dangerous city for pedestrians. It has one of the worst Walk Scores on our list and an above-average pedestrian fatality rate of 8.76 per 100,000 residents. However, Tennessee has solid car insurance requirements for both personal injury and property damage, which are set at $25,000.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 8.76 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 35
  • State minimum for personal injury: $25,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $25,000

7: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (tied)

Next up is Oklahoma City, which makes our list primarily because of its low Walk Score of just 34 out of 100. It also has a pedestrian fatality rate on the higher end at 3.78 deaths per 100,000 residents. Oklahoma drivers are required to carry insurance with coverage of at least $25,000 for both personal injury and property damage.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 3.78 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 34
  • State minimum for personal injury: $25,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $25,000

7: Sacramento, California (tied)

Like Oklahoma City, Sacramento also has a below-average Walk Score of 27 and an annual pedestrian fatality rate of 4.76. While California's car insurance laws only require $15,000 for property damage, drivers must carry at least $30,000 to cover personal injury.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 4.76 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 27
  • State minimum for personal injury: $30,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $15,000

9: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee pedestrians don't fare too poorly when it comes to walkability, with the city earning a Walk Score of 62. The pedestrian fatality rate is also relatively low at 2.81 annual deaths per 100,000 people. However, the city made it onto our list mainly due to Wisconsin's low insurance requirements for property damage, which is only $10,000.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 2.81 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 62
  • State minimum for personal injury: $25,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $10,000

10: Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis rounds out our list of most dangerous cities for pedestrians primarily because of the city's low Walk Score, which is indexed at just 31 out of 100 possible points. The pedestrian fatality rate is relatively low compared to many other cities we evaluated and Indiana's car insurance requirements are fairly standard.

  • Pedestrian fatality rate: 3.51 per 100,000
  • Walk Score: 31
  • State minimum for personal injury: $25,000
  • State minimum for property damage: $25,000

Methodology

The Zebra pulled four data points to analyze the U.S.'s top 50 MSAs (by population) related to pedestrians and car insurance coverage. 

MSA data was used where applicable, and we sometimes substituted city or state data as necessary. We removed some cities due to a lack of pedestrian fatality data.

Sources
  1. Pedestrian traffic fatalities by state. [GHSA]

  2. Pedestrian fatality rates in 2022. [NHSTA]

  3. Cities and neighborhoods. [Walk Score]