Georgia Injury Law Blog
Atlanta Is Most Dangerous City in the World for Pedestrians
GOOD magazine has taken pedestrian fatality statistics from 21 international cities, and has ranked them on safety.It isn’t surprising, but still a matter of shame to us, that that the city of Atlanta has been named the most dangerous in the world for those who wish to walk.
In Atlanta, according to the study, there are 10.97 pedestrian fatalities for every 100,000 pedestrians.Most of the other positions on the list are also taken up by American cities, outlining the danger pedestrians in the US face compared to those in some European and Asian cities.Detroit, Los Angeles, Baltimore Philadelphia, Chicago, Washington, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle occupied the other top positions on the list.New York and Portland seem to be some of the safest large cities in the US for pedestrians.Even Tokyo with its heavy density of population seems to be a much safer city for pedestrians than most American cities.
As expected, there has already been much outcry about the veracity of a list like this, especially among Atlantans.Whether you agree with the results of the study or the manner, in which pedestrians in different cultures have been compared here, is beside the point.Anybody who’s lived in Atlanta for any period of time will tell you, that this isn’t exactly the safest city for pedestrians or bicyclists.The fact that that there are close to 11 fatalities for every 100,000 people who choose to walk to work every day, should be a matter of concern.
Nationwide, there’s currently much talk of developing other modes of transportation, and the US DOT is encouraging more people to bike and walk to relieve congested streets.We’re not going to see much success with those efforts in Atlanta, if we continue to have such absurd pedestrian fatality rates.
The Atlanta pedestrian accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured victims of pedestrian accidents in and around the metro Atlanta region, and across Georgia.