Smart Growth America, an organization that focuses on research, advocacy and bringing smart growth practices to communities across the nation recently released a report that showed both Nashville and Memphis were among the most dangerous cities for pedestrians in the country.
The report, titled ‘Dangerous by Design 2016,’ ranked the 104 most dangerous large metro areas across the United States by looking at accident reports from 2005 through 2014 – the most recent year data is available for. The report showed that 46,149 pedestrians were struck and killed by a vehicle throughout those 10 years, meaning that an average of 13 pedestrians were stuck and killed by a vehicle every single day.
Memphis ranked as the most dangerous city for pedestrians in Tennessee, and ninth overall across the country. According to the report, 246 pedestrians were killed between 2005 and 2014, Smart Growth America gave it a score of 148.2 on their Pedestrian Danger Index (PDI), which they defined as:
“[A] calculation of the share of local commuters who walk to work and the most recent data on pedestrian deaths.”
To put it simply, the higher a metro area’s PDI score is, the more dangerous it is for pedestrians. Memphis’ score was so high that it ranked as the 9th most dangerous city for pedestrians in the United States. While Nashville ranked lower than Memphis, scoring a 92.9 PDI with a reported 209 deaths between 2005 and 2014, it still ranked as the 37th most dangerous city in the country.
Far too many pedestrians are struck and killed by reckless and negligent drivers every single year, and countless more are seriously injured in these crashes. At the law firm of Kinnard Law, our Nashville car accident attorneys are dedicated to providing the passionate and knowledgeable legal assistance our clients require in order to secure the compensation and justice they deserve. If you were seriously injured by a reckless or negligent driver, give us a call at (615) 933-2893 to speak with a member of our firm, or fill out our online form to request a case evaluation today.