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EHStock/Getty Images May 16, 2022 Elizabeth Rivelli is a contributing insurance writer for Bankrate and has years of experience writing for insurance domains such as The Simple Dollar, Coverage.com and NextAdvisor, among others Maggie Kempken is an insurance editor for Bankrate. She helps manage the creation of insurance content that meets the highest quality standards for accuracy and clarity to help Bankrate readers navigate complex information about home, auto and life insurance. She also focuses on ensuring that Bankrate’s insurance content represents and adheres to the Bankrate brand. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
At Bankrate, we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. To help readers understand how insurance affects their finances, we have licensed insurance professionals on staff who have spent a combined 47 years in the auto, home and life insurance industries. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here's an explanation of how we make money. Our content is backed by LLC, a licensed entity (NPN: 19966249). For more information, please see our Insurance Disclosure. Bankrate logo The Bankrate promise
Founded in 1976, Bankrate has a long track record of helping people make smart financial choices. We’ve maintained this reputation for over four decades by demystifying the financial decision-making process and giving people confidence in which actions to take next. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. All of our content is authored by and edited by , who ensure everything we publish is objective, accurate and trustworthy. Our insurance team is composed of agents, data analysts, and customers like you. They focus on the points consumers care about most — price, customer service, policy features and savings opportunities — so you can feel confident about which provider is right for you. We guide you throughout your search and help you understand your coverage options. We provide up-to-date, reliable market information to help you make confident decisions. We reduce industry jargon so you get the clearest form of information possible. All providers discussed on our site are vetted based on the value they provide. And we constantly review our criteria to ensure we’re putting accuracy first. Bankrate logo Editorial integrity
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You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey. Bankrate follows a strict , so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers. We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money. Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service. Bankrate logo Insurance Disclosure
Coverage.com, LLC is a licensed insurance producer (NPN: 19966249). Coverage.com services are only available in . Coverage.com may not offer insurance coverage in all states or scenarios. All insurance products are governed by the terms in the applicable insurance policy, and all related decisions (such as approval for coverage, premiums, commissions and fees) and policy obligations are the sole responsibility of the underwriting insurer. The information on this site does not modify any insurance policy terms in any way. Motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians are far too common. The most recent fatal pedestrian accident was the death of , an NFL quarterback who was struck and killed while crossing a highway in South Florida. Whether you are walking or driving, being aware of pedestrians in your surroundings is imperative. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for drivers and pedestrians to make unsafe maneuvers that put themselves in danger. For example, pedestrians don’t expect a car to run a stop sign when they are at the crosswalk. Similarly, drivers don’t expect pedestrians to walk out into busy intersections, but both happen more often than you might think. Ultimately, drivers and pedestrians both have a shared responsibility to keep everyone safe. In this guide, we’ll share which states are the most dangerous for pedestrians and how to avoid accidents with them. Key facts and statistics
Data shows that pedestrian accidents are on the rise, especially in urban areas. Here are some recent statistics and facts about pedestrian collisions. Lightbulb The (NHTSA) compiled the following data on pedestrian crashes: In 2019, 6,205 pedestrians were killed and roughly 76,000 pedestrians were injured on U.S. roads. The number of fatalities for occupants inside vehicles has decreased over the years. However, the number of non-occupant accidents, including those with pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists, has increased. In 1996, the percentage of pedestrian fatalities was 20%. In 2019, that figure had increased to 34%. Pedestrian fatalities are most common in urban areas. The rate of pedestrian deaths in urban areas jumped 62% between 2010-2019. In rural areas, the rate decreased by 4.8% over the same period. Lightbulb The following statistics were published by the (based on 2019 data). Pedestrian deaths account for 17% of all traffic fatalities. In 2019, an estimated 63% of fatal accidents involving pedestrians happened on major roads, excluding highways and interstates. Nearly half of all pedestrian fatalities in 2019 happened at night, between the hours of 6 p.m. and midnight. Lightbulb The (CDC) compiled its own data around pedestrian accidents and fatalities: In 2017, there were 5,977 pedestrians killed in vehicle collisions. That equates to roughly one death every 88 minutes. For every car trip, pedestrians are 1.5 times more likely than drivers and vehicle occupants to be killed in a collision. Based on 2017 data, 47% of pedestrian fatalities involved alcohol. People 65 and older accounted for 20% of all pedestrian fatalities in 2017, as well as an estimated 10% of all pedestrian injuries. In 2017, one out of every five children under age 15 that was killed in a traffic crash was a pedestrian. Most dangerous states ranked
The number of pedestrian accidents is increasing, but some states are more dangerous than others. Whether you walk, run, ride your bike or drive, it’s important to understand where your state falls on the list. If you live in a state with a high rate of pedestrian accidents, it can help you remain vigilant on the road and the sidewalk. To come up with these rankings, we weighted several factors from each state, including: Number of car accidents Number of pedestrian accidents Number of uninsured drivers Total DUIs (with a BAC of 0.1+) From there, every state was given a score and the states with the highest scores were deemed the most dangerous for pedestrians. Rank State 1 Florida 2 California 3 Tennessee 4 Alabama 5 Georgia 6 Texas 7 Arizona 8 South Carolina 9 Michigan 10 Mississippi 11 New Mexico 12 Missouri 13 Louisiana 14 North Carolina 15 Illinois 16 Ohio 17 Oklahoma 18 Arkansas 19 Maryland 20 Washington 21 Kentucky 22 Indiana 23 Colorado 24 Virginia 25 Pennsylvania 26 Oregon 27 Wisconsin 28 New York 29 Nevada 30 New Jersey 31 Hawaii 32 Delaware 33 West Virginia 34 Connecticut 35 Iowa 36 Minnesota 37 Montana 38 District of Columbia 39 Idaho 40 Kansas 41 Nebraska 42 Massachusetts 43 Rhode Island 44 Alaska 45 Wyoming 46 Utah 47 North Dakota 48 Maine 49 South Dakota 50 New Hampshire 51 Vermont 1 Florida
Florida is the most dangerous state for pedestrians and there are a few reasons why. In 2019, 713 pedestrians were killed on Florida roads, one of the highest rates nationwide. There were also 3,183 traffic fatalities overall, including both vehicle occupants and non-occupants. In addition, Florida has an extremely high number of uninsured drivers—more than 20% of drivers in Florida are uninsured even though it’s a . 2 California
California is the most populated state and it has many urban areas with a high traffic volume. In 2019, there were 972 pedestrians killed in California, the most of any state. California also has a high number of fatal traffic accidents and crashes involving alcohol. According to 2019 data, 966 people were killed in accidents involving alcohol where the driver’s BAC was over .08 (the legal limit). 3 Tennessee
149 pedestrians were killed on Tennessee roadways in 2019, making it the third most dangerous state for pedestrians. The state also has a high number of fatal car accidents. In 2019, there were 1,135 traffic fatalities in Tennessee, an increase of 9% from the year prior. And like many of the most dangerous states for pedestrians, Tennessee also has a very high number of uninsured drivers. As of 2019, almost 24% of drivers in the state did not have car insurance. 4 Alabama
In 2019, 119 pedestrians were killed in Alabama. Although Alabama has fewer fatal pedestrian accidents than some of the other most dangerous states, it has a large number of uninsured drivers for its population size. Just under 20% of drivers do not carry auto insurance. Alabama also has the highest number of fatal pedestrian accidents involving young adults between the ages of 25-34, followed by people aged 35-44. 5 Georgia
Georgia is one of the more dangerous states for pedestrians. 236 pedestrians were killed in Georgia in 2019 and there were a total of 1,491 traffic fatalities overall. Although Georgia does not have an extremely high number of uninsured drivers, it does have a fair amount of alcohol-related crashes. In 2019, there were 355 fatal accidents in Georgia involving drivers with a BAC over .08. Know your road rules
If you get into an accident involving a pedestrian, you can face serious legal consequences. The legal penalties are even more severe if you hit a pedestrian and leave the scene. The road rules and laws around pedestrian accidents are different in every state. But if you hit and kill a pedestrian, it’s likely that you will get charged with vehicular manslaughter. Vehicular manslaughter is defined as causing death to a human being due to negligence, drunk driving, speeding, reckless driving or another form of illegal driving. If you hit a pedestrian, the of your car insurance policy will protect you financially (up to your coverage limits) in a few ways. Your bodily injury liability coverage will pay for the pedestrian’s medical bills and your property damage liability coverage will pay for any property damage you cause. For example, if you hit a pedestrian who was riding their bike across the street, your property damage insurance would compensate them for a new bike if their old one was destroyed in the crash. Liability insurance also pays for your legal fees if you get sued. Here are a few things to know about liability insurance: The policy costs $545 per year. Liability insurance does not provide any coverage for damage to your vehicle. Almost every state requires drivers to carry a . However, keep in mind that a minimum coverage policy provides limited protection. If you hit a pedestrian, your minimum coverage policy may not cover the victim’s losses in full, in which case you would have to pay the difference out-of-pocket. If you live in one of the most dangerous states for pedestrians, it’s especially important to consider raising your coverage limits for more protection. In addition, can make things complicated when it comes to pedestrian accidents. If you get hit by a driver while walking and they don’t have insurance, you may not receive any money to pay for your medical expenses or property damage. In this situation, you would likely have to take the uninsured driver to court to seek compensation for your injuries and other losses. Unfortunately, a surprising number of drivers don’t carry car insurance, even though it is a legal requirement in almost every state. Here are some staggering : The Insurance Research Council (IRC) estimates that approximately 32 million U.S. drivers are uninsured, which is equal to about one in eight drivers. In 2019, Mississippi had the highest rate of uninsured drivers at 29.4%. Wyoming had the lowest at 5.8%. No matter how confident you are in your safe driving skills, having a good car insurance policy is important. It will protect yourself and others in the event of an accident with a pedestrian, an uninsured motorist and even fender benders that result in minor damage. There are dozens of highly rated that offer comprehensive coverage options, generous discounts and affordable average rates. Pedestrian safety tips
Accidents with pedestrians are usually avoidable. However, drivers and pedestrians need to stay aware and take preventative measures to avoid collisions. Besides having enough car insurance coverage, here are a few ways that walkers and drivers can improve pedestrian safety. For pedestrians
Put your phone down when crossing the street: When you are walking across the street, avoid looking at your phone. You should also limit all other distractions, like listening to music or talking on the phone, which can prevent you from seeing and hearing cars coming. Don’t walk in the road: Whenever possible, avoid walking in the road. Using sidewalks and designated walkways is much safer and keeps you away from traffic. Use designated crosswalks and avoid jaywalking: Although it’s not always possible, try to use crosswalks whenever you can. Jaywalking is dangerous, and if you get hit while jaywalking, the driver may not be liable for any injuries or damages. Make yourself visible to drivers: If you are walking in the dark or in poor weather, wear something that makes you more visible to cars. Wearing bright colors, a headlamp or clothing with reflective strips can keep you safer. Don’t walk if you’ve been drinking: After drinking alcohol, it’s best to find alternate transportation. Walking while impaired can increase your risk of getting hit. For drivers
Use caution at night or in bad weather: When driving in the dark or in bad weather conditions, use extra caution. You could be less likely to see a pedestrian, especially if they are walking in the road or not using a crosswalk. Slow down when you see a crosswalk: When you see a crosswalk ahead, start to slow down. If you spot a pedestrian who is waiting to cross, stop well before the crosswalk and make eye contact so they know it’s safe to cross. In many states, it’s the law for cars to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks, even if there is not a stoplight. Always obey traffic signals and speed limits: It goes without saying, but it’s always important to obey traffic signals. Always stop fully at stop signs and look both ways, don’t run red lights and remember that pedestrians always have the right of way in a crosswalk. Remember to look behind you before backing up: Pedestrian accidents can happen when you are backing out of your driveway or in a parking lot. Before you put your car in reverse, double check that no one is behind you and pull out slowly in case someone walks behind your car at the last second. Don’t drive distracted: can increase the risk of a pedestrian collision. Avoid texting, talking on your phone and even eating while you are behind the wheel. It will reduce your awareness and limit how quickly you can stop if you notice a pedestrian in your surroundings. If you can’t avoid using your phone, use a hands-free device. SHARE: Elizabeth Rivelli is a contributing insurance writer for Bankrate and has years of experience writing for insurance domains such as The Simple Dollar, Coverage.com and NextAdvisor, among others Maggie Kempken is an insurance editor for Bankrate. She helps manage the creation of insurance content that meets the highest quality standards for accuracy and clarity to help Bankrate readers navigate complex information about home, auto and life insurance. She also focuses on ensuring that Bankrate’s insurance content represents and adheres to the Bankrate brand. Related Articles