Report: Las Vegas 6th most dangerous metro area for pedestrians

By Kyle B. Hansen

Wednesday, May 25, 2011 | 1:55 a.m.

Las Vegas is the sixth most dangerous metropolitan area in the nation for pedestrians, according to a report released Tuesday.

From 2000 to 2009, 421 pedestrians were killed in Las Vegas, an average of 2.5 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 residents each year, well above the national average of 1.6 deaths per 100,000, the report says.

The annual report, “Dangerous by Design,” was created by Transportation for America, a Washington-based coalition that advocates for transportation reform.

The report gives Las Vegas a pedestrian danger index score of 135.2. Orlando, the most dangerous area, according to the report, had a score of 255.4, while Boston, the safest city, had a score of 21.6.

All of the top 10 most dangerous cities are Sun Belt locations, with Tampa, Fla., Jacksonville, Fla., Miami, and Riverside, Calif., falling between Orlando and Las Vegas.

Among metro areas with more than 1 million residents, Las Vegas came in second in the nation, behind only Riverside.

An interactive map released with the report shows the locations of most pedestrian fatalities. It shows a high concentration of fatalities in Las Vegas along the major arterial routes, such as Tropicana Avenue, Flamingo Road, Sahara Avenue, Lake Mead Boulevard and Boulder Highway.

As a state, Nevada ranked eighth most dangerous in the nation, with a pedestrian danger index of 105.3.

The report says 541 pedestrians were killed in the state during the 10-year period studied.

The report focuses on federal action to improve pedestrian safety — 67 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur on roads that receive federal funding — but Nevada already has taken action to try to reduce fatalities.

Pedestrian safety is one of four focus areas of the Zero Fatalities campaign recently launched by the Nevada Department of Transportation as part of the state Strategic Highway Safety Plan.

CORRECTION: This story has been corrected. An earlier version had the wrong death rate of pedestrians per 100,000. | (May 25, 2011)