NH Among Safest States In America For Pedestrians

New Hampshire saw 97 pedestrian deaths between 2008 and 2017, a number so small by national standards that the state is now ranked as one of the safest in the country.

That’s according to a new report released Wednesday by Smart Growth America. The Washington, D.C.-based organization says it advocates for people who want to live and work in great neighborhoods and believes in “smart growth solutions.”

In the 2019 edition of “Dangerous By Design,” the authors say that more than 49,000 people were hit and killed by drivers in America between 2008 and 2017, about 13 every day.

“It’s the equivalent of a jumbo jet full of people crashing — with no survivors — every single month,” the report said. And that number is growing.

In the past decade, pedestrian deaths climbed 35 percent, with 2016 and 2017 accounting for the two highest years since 1990.

“What this report shows is that our streets aren’t getting safer,” the authors wrote.

The report ranks states and metro areas using an index that measures how deadly it is for pedestrians based on the number of deaths. The index accounts for population as well as the share of people who walk to work.

Only seven states, including Massachusetts, had a lower index than New Hampshire's.

The researchers highlighted that pedestrians in the South are particularly unsafe, with the region accounting for nine of the 10 most dangerous states for pedestrians.

Florida, with an index score of 182, ranked as the most dangerous state for pedestrians. The “Sunshine State” is home to a whopping eight of the 10 most dangerous metros, including Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, the most dangerous metro in America.

Most Dangerous States For Pedestrians

1. Florida
2. Alabama
3. Delaware
4. Louisiana
5. Mississippi
6. Georgia
7. New Mexico
8. Texas
9. Arizona
10. South Carolina

The researchers said the reason pedestrians are killed most often in the Sun Belt is that the region saw much of its growth during the age of the automobile.

“Previous research by Smart Growth America found that in general, the most sprawling metropolitan areas with wider roads and longer blocks typically cluster in the southern states,” the report said. Academics have linked sprawling growth patterns to traffic-related pedestrian deaths and traffic-related deaths overall.

Federal money and policies, the authors said, contributed to America’s dangerous roads, and now they’re calling on the federal government to lead the charge in prioritizing safe streets. Among their calls to action, the group urged lawmakers in Congress to adopt a “strong, federal Complete Streets policy” that requires state transportation agencies and metro planning organizations to tailor their plans for the most vulnerable users.

It’ll also take a cultural shift, said Deborah Hersman, former president and CEO of the National Safety Council.

“One fatality on a U.S. air carrier in nine years, and everyone in this room knew about it,” she said in the report. “So why do we underreact to hundreds of tragic deaths every day on our roads?"

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.

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