FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information:
June 15, 2000 Barbara McCann, Michelle Garland
Surface Transportation Policy Project
202/466-2636;

Niki Mitchell, Sherry Tiggett, 
Langhum Mitchell Communications 
202/546-9170

(WASHINGTON, DC) Pedestrians in Tampa-St. Petersburg Florida face the highest risk of getting killed by a car, according to a report that ranks the most dangerous large metro areas for walking in the United States. The report, released today by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, says the results show that walking is more dangerous in sprawling communities designed for the automobile.

"Mean Streets 2000" analyzes federal safety and spending databases and finds that per mile traveled, walking is 36 times more dangerous than driving. It also finds that in 59% of cases for which information is available, pedestrians died in places where they could not find a crosswalk.

"Building our communities only for cars has deadly consequences," said Roy Kienitz, Executive Director of STPP. "The riskiest places are characterized by spread-out growth and wide, high-speed streets that often lack sidewalks and crosswalks."

The Surface Transportation Policy Project analyzed the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System and census data and found that among the nation's largest metro areas, pedestrians are most at risk in Tampa, followed by Atlanta, Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, Phoenix, West Palm Beach, Memphis, Dallas, and New Orleans. In 1997 and 1998, 10,696 pedestrians died in the United States, 13 percent of all traffic fatalities.

The report also ranks the states according to the fatality rate for children, finding that in 1997-1998 South Carolina, Mississippi, Utah, North Carolina, and Alabama had the highest death rates for children.

An analysis of federal spending data in the report finds that most states are using little of their federal transportation funds to make walking safer or more convenient. On average, states spent just 55 cents per person of their federal transportation funds on pedestrian projects in the years studied, less than 1 percent of their total federal transportation dollars. Average spending on highways came to $72 per person.

The report finds that dangerous streets are discouraging people from walking and may be contributing to serious health problems. The amount of walking has dropped 42 percent in the last twenty years, while the percentage of overweight Americans has grown by 40 percent. In addition, places where people walk less tend to have more people who are overweight. A comparison of health and transportation statistics found that for every ten percent decrease in the amount of walking in a community, there is an almost one percent (0.7%) increase in the portion of people who are overweight.

"What we're seeing is that sprawling development causes safety problems for those who walk, and health problems for those who don't," says Kienitz. "We need to build our streets and our communities so walking is both safe and convenient."

The Surface Transportation Policy Project is a nationwide network of more than 250 organizations, including planners, community development organizations, and advocacy groups, devoted to improving the nation’s transportation system.

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