Over time, bicyclist and pedestrian deaths have become more prevalent in urban areas. In 1975, 50% of bicyclist deaths and 59% of pedestrian deaths were in urban areas. In 2020, 79% of bicyclist deaths and 82% of pedestrian deaths were in urban areas. The cities included in the Benchmarking project are the 50 most populous cities in the United States, the most populous city in every state, and Platinum Bicycle Friendly Communities. This provides a broad sample of urban areas in the United States and cities with high rates of biking and walking.
Data on this page:
- Progress on Pedestrian Safety in the 10 Cities with the Most Pedestrian Deaths
- Number of Pedestrian Fatalities over Time
- Pedestrian Fatalities per Pedestrian Commuters over Time
- Pedestrian Fatalities per Capita over Time
- Pedestrian Fatalities as a Percent of All Traffic Fatalities
- Progress on Bicyclist Safety in the 10 Cities with the Most Bicyclist Deaths
- Number of Bicyclist Fatalities over Time
- Bicyclist Fatalities per Bicyclist Commuters over Time
- Bicyclist Fatalities per Capita over Time
- Bicyclist Fatalities as a Percent of All Traffic Fatalities
Progress on Pedestrian Safety in the 10 Cities with the Most Pedestrian Deaths
Number of Pedestrian Fatalities Over Time
Pedestrian Fatalities per Pedestrian Commuters over Time
Pedestrian Fatalities per Capita over Time
Pedestrian Fatalities as a Percent of All Traffic Fatalities
Progress on Bicyclist Safety in the Cities with the Most Bicyclist Deaths
Number of Bicyclist Fatalities over Time
Bicyclist Fatalities per Bicyclist Commuters over Time
Bicyclist Fatalities Per Capita over Time
Bicyclist Fatalities as a Percent of All Traffic Fatalities
Bicyclist fatalities as a percentage of all traffic fatalities can be a statistic that says as much about the mix of traffic types in a city as it does about bicyclist safety. For example, Minneapolis has one of the five highest shares of bicyclist fatalities as a percentage of all traffic fatalities, but also has one of the ten best rates of bicyclist fatalities per 10k people who bike to work. Taken together, this data suggests that Minneapolis is a safer city for all road users, with a relatively safe bicyclist population that also should be a safety priority given its share of traffic fatalities. In other cities, such as Oklahoma City, wide variations in data are likely related to a relatively small population of people who bike and the lower percentage of traffic fatalities comprised of bicyclists may reflect that many people do not feel safe while bicycling.