Black Pedestrians Killed at Higher Rates as Traffic Deaths Rise

Black pedestrians are twice as likely to be killed than white people, and Native Americans are about three times as likely to be killed. People in low-income neighborhoods were also killed at much higher rates, according to the 2022 Dangerous by Design report by Smart Growth America. Pedestrian deaths are up 62% since 2009, and low-income communities are less likely to have sidewalks, marked crosswalks, and access to parks, the group found.

The findings increase pressure on the Biden administration to take further action to prevent rising road deaths, particularly among people of color. The administration has touted safety and equity initiatives in infrastructure among its top priorities…

The report uses only final crash data through 2020, but early 2021 estimates are “jaw-dropping,” it found. Roughly 43,000 people died in crashes last year, the most since 2005, early federal data estimate. The Governors Highway Safety Association recently estimated that drivers in 2021 killed the most pedestrians in 40 years.