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Report: Austin's One of the Country's Most Dangerous Areas for Pedestrians

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Austin-Round Rock ranks 24th out of the 51 most dangerous metro areas in a new nationwide report released today.

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.

A screen shot of Austin pedestrian deaths. The Austin 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. 

Wells has been a part of KUT News since 2012, when he was hired as the station's first online reporter. He's currently the social media host and producer for Texas Standard, KUT's flagship news program. In between those gigs, he served as online editor for KUT, covering news in Austin, Central Texas and beyond.
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