Dangerous by Design 2026 spotlights a pedestrian safety crisis in the U.S., where high fatality rates result from roadway designs that prioritize vehicle speed over human safety.

After decades of preventable deaths, insufficient policy change, and broken promises, our streets are still dangerous by design. In 2024, 7,080 people were struck and killed while walking, a figure that remains at near historic highs.

While transportation officials point to recent improvements as evidence that roads are becoming safer, pedestrian deaths have increased by 72% since 2009 and remain dramatically higher than just 15 years ago.

As in previous years, this report found that not everyone faces the same risks. American Indian and Alaska Native populations experience pedestrian fatality rates 3.7 times the national average, Black Americans 1.7 times the national average, and people living in lower-income communities continue to face disproportionately high pedestrian death rates.

Published by Smart Growth America, this report ranks all 50 states and the 101 largest metro areas by pedestrian fatality rate, examines disparities by race, age, and income, compares U.S. against peer nations, and explores proven street design changes that can save lives.

Read the Report