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Dangerous by Design

After decades of preventable deaths, insufficient policy change, and broken promises, our streets are still dangerous by design.

Dangerous by Design 2026 ranks all 50 states and the largest 101 metro areas by pedestrian fatality rates. Every one of them is too dangerous for people walking.

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New video: Dangerous by Design | Orlando Metro Area

In Dangerous by Design 2026, Orlando ranks as the 25th-deadliest metro area in the country for people walking, a significant improvement from its #1 ranking in the 2019 edition of the report. But slightly less dangerous is not the same thing as safe.

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Additional Content

Why Memphis is still #1

Memphis, in the second straight report, ranks as the deadliest metro area for pedestrians in the United States, with a pedestrian fatality rate of 5.5 people killed annually per 100,000. Despite years of warnings and national attention, Memphis’s streets continue to become more deadly for people walking.

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El Paso shows progress is possible

After years of concerted efforts by community advocates and city officials to address roadway safety by adopting policies, allocating resources, and implementing street design changes that prioritize safety, El Paso is one of the few U.S. cities starting to move toward a future in which residents aren’t forced to risk their lives to reach a destination.

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The absence of crashes does not equal the presence of safety

Police-reported crash data tells only part of the safety story, and the risks that people walking and biking face on our roadways are potentially much higher than the numbers show. To address safety needs, performance measures and management systems cannot simply respond to crash data alone.

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A pedestrian runs across the street as cars with bright headlights near their path

Designing vehicles for pedestrians

Designing for walkability is not just about roads. The design of vehicles—everything from their size and shape to their software—has a profound effect on the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other road users. Through our research and testing programs, IIHS is identifying vehicle improvements that can work in conjunction with infrastructure and enforcement changes to produce a safer transportation system for all.

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DBD 2024: Walking in Memphis (video)

In Dangerous by Design 2024, Memphis was ranked as the #1 most deadly metro area in the country, with a rate of 5.14 per 100,000 pedestrians who are hit and killed by cars while walking is—triple their rate from 2009. But why is walking in Memphis so dangerous?

This video shares on-the-ground perspectives and birds-eye views to demonstrate why Memphis’s streets are so dangerous. In the video, we interview local residents who deal with these perilous streets on a daily basis. Behind the alarming fatality numbers are countless human faces and stories of people trying to move around their communities in a safe and dignified way.

Read past editions of Dangerous by Design

Dangerous by Design 2026 (PDF)
Dangerous by Design 2024
Dangerous By Design 2024 State of the States
Dangerous by Design 2024 Congressional Districts
Dangerous by Design 2022

Even more DBD content

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