Connecticut Is Second Most Dangerous State For Pedestrians
(July 2011) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a crash-related pedestrian injury occurs roughly every eight minutes. A related death happens every two hours. Pedestrian safety is more than a local traffic or public health issue, given the fact that pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident than vehicle passengers. While some may think that pedestrian safety is not a public safety priority, a recent report from the organization Transportation for America (TFA) proves otherwise. The residents of Connecticut are also taking notice.
In its national report, Dangerous by Design 2011, the TFA reports that, from 2000 to 2009, 373 pedestrians were killed in Connecticut. While Connecticut’s number seem low when compared with America’s 47,000 total pedestrian deaths, the nearly 400 deaths account for 12.5 percent of traffic deaths in the state.
Four major Florida cities hold the distinction of being some of the nation’s most dangerous; however, Connecticut’s Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford region ranks second in the northeastern United States. As compared with other major cities, such as Philadelphia and New York, the “insurance capital of the world” is a more dangerous city for walkers, joggers and other pedestrians who share the state’s roads with drivers.
The TFA report also indicates that the elderly, children and racial and ethnic minorities were killed in disproportionately higher numbers. A significant number of these fatal accidents occurred along roads that were designed with little or no provision for cyclists or pedestrians or people confined to wheelchairs.
Connecticut has taken great efforts to promote pedestrian-friendly environments. The state’s Transportation Department promotes a “Share the Road” campaign. Additionally, state legislators are considering a bill that would create penalties for those motorists who injure or kill “vulnerable users” of the state’s public ways. This proposed legislation, Senate Bill 720, has wide support and no known opposition. It calls for a Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) re-training program, community service and fines up to $5,000 for those drivers who harm others who share the roads, including pedestrians. Other groups, such as the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), are recommending more crosswalks and other safety improvements.
Pedestrian injuries and death are preventable. Through increased driver awareness and safety measures, the risk of harm for non-drivers, who share our nation’s roadways, can be reduced.