Pedestrians who aren’t white end up in the emergency room for traffic-related injuries at higher rates than their white counterparts, according to a new federal report published Thursday.
There were more than 137,000 emergency room visits involving pedestrian injuries between January 2021 and December 2023. Asian pedestrians went to the emergency room 2.23 times more often than white pedestrians, while black pedestrians went to the emergency room 1.93 times more often and Hispanics 1.7 times more. Multiracial people or people of another race had the highest index compared to white people: 2.47.
The findings were released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report also found higher rates of emergency room visits for vehicle-related injuries in the 15-24 and 25-34 age groups, and men were almost twice as likely to receive treatment as women.
CDC researchers said unsafe walking environments can be attributed to development that prioritizes cars over pedestrians and disinvestment in certain neighborhoods based on race and income. This could also lead to poor investment in pedestrian-friendly infrastructure such as sidewalks, crosswalks and street lighting, they said.
New cars were designed to be safer, but pedestrian deaths have increased. In 2021, accidents between pedestrians and motor vehicles killed 7,000 people, the highest number in 40 years.
Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said new vehicles must have automatic emergency braking. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said it could save more than 300 lives a year and prevent about 24,000 injuries.
Researchers in the CDC report also said things like narrowing roads and reducing speed limits can help with pedestrian safety.
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