Transportation for America looks into the reasons for pedestrian fatalities

Pedestrians and bikers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington area can breathe a sigh of relief. While the streets may not be as safe as they could be, we’re certainly not ranked highest in pedestrian deaths.

According to a 2007-2008 student conducted by Transportation for America, our area ranks 38th out of 52 largest metropolitan areas (those with at least 1 million residents) in pedestrian deaths.

The Pedestrian Danger Index, or PDI, was developed in the 1990s to accurately compare the danger to pedestrians in metropolitan areas.

“The PDI corrects for the fact that the cities where more people walk on a daily basis are likely to have a greater number of pedestrian fatalities, by computing the rate of pedestrian deaths relative to the amount of walking residents do on average,” according to the research.

The research also found that the majority of pedestrian fatalities occurred in places that “fail to make smart infrastructure investments” that make roads safer for everyone.

An estimated 1.82 pedestrian deaths occurred for every 100,000 residents in our area. About 3.9 percent of residents walk to work and the Pedestrian Danger Index is 44.3.

When you think about the pedestrians in Orlando-Kissimmee, Fla., ranked as the most dangerous metro, who stroll the streets with a PDI of 221.5, the Philly area starts to look pretty good.

Feed the Feed: We may not be the most dangerous, but we could stand to make improvements. Where are the worst local intersections for pedestrian safety?