As part of Dangerous by Design 2026, Smart Growth America recently briefed congressional staffers on Capitol Hill about the pedestrian fatality crisis, presenting our updated rankings of the deadliest congressional districts for people walking. The data reveals dangerous conditions in individual communities that earlier rankings of each state and the 101 largest metro areas don't show as clearly.

Despite thousands of preventable deaths each year, our streets are still dangerous by design. A staggering total of 39,254 people died on our roads in 2024, including 7,080 people struck and killed while walking. Each person left behind a family torn apart and a community forever traumatized. Each death was preventable.

The U.S. did not become a dangerous outlier compared to every other global counterpart by accident or due to unavoidable cultural differences. It happened because our policymakers have repeatedly failed to put real resources behind implementing proven actions known to save lives.

It’s time to tell Congress: Reorient the federal transportation program around safety.

While we’ve had a specific federal “safety” program since 1973, the current approach to safety is best understood as spending one dollar on safety improvements while spending the next 50 dollars on other transportation infrastructure that makes the problem worse. But the federal program can and should require our transportation system to put people—and their safety—first. We cannot keep funding the same types of projects and programs if we want results to change.

The next surface transportation reauthorization provides an opportunity to reorient the federal transportation program. Use the button below to tell your members of Congress to act on this opportunity.

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