Pedestrian Fatalities and Transit Stops: Targeting Locations for Pedestrian Infrastructure Improvements

Abstract

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA), in 2011 there were 4432 pedestrian fatalities and an estimated 69,000 pedestrians injured in motor vehicle crashes in the United States, representing 14% of all traffic fatalities that year. This is an increase from the 4,414 pedestrian fatalities in 2008 (12% of all traffic fatalities), 4109 fatalities in 2008 (12% of all traffic fatalities), and 4302 fatalities in 2010 (13%). While the total number of traffic related fatalities has decreased, the number of pedestrian fatalities has grown. On average, a pedestrian is killed in a motor vehicle crash every 119 minutes and one is injured every 8 minutes (U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2013). This study uses data from the NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) to measure the percentage of pedestrian fatalities that occurred in proximity to transit stops (bus stops) in the Atlanta region from 2008-2011