Austin is the country's 24th most dangerous metro area for pedestrians, according to a new report.
"Dangerous by Design 2014" [PDF], a study from the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America, examines pedestrian deaths in the country's 51 biggest metro areas.
The study factors five years of data on pedestrian deaths (2008-2012) with the percentage of area commuters that walk to work to create a Pedestrian Danger Index. The Austin-Round Rock index is 78.6, well above the national average of 52.2. The area averages 1.44 pedestrian deaths for every 100,000 residents, which is actually somewhat below the national average of 1.56. Overall, the Austin-Round Rock area had 251 pedestrian deaths from 2003 to 2012.
The study also offers an interactive map where you can search for pedestrian deaths in your neighborhood.
Texas is ranked the 10th most dangerous state in the nation, with a Pedestrian Danger Index of 97.49. Houston is the most dangerous city in Texas, with a rank of seventh nationwide.
The report's authors hope the findings spur land-use and transportation changes that keep pedestrians safer.
"While pedestrian deaths are labeled 'accidents,' the data reviewed here indicate we can prevent the majority of them by taking deliberate steps, through better policy, design, practice and regulation – just as we have done with vehicular deaths," the report reads.
