Walking in the City

As a walker, you are a citizen of the street. Let’s do this! (Linh Nguyen / Flickr)
Quick quiz! Walking in the city is…
a. Free, healthy, and fun.
b. Good for the environment.
c. Safe.
d. All of the above.
If you answered (d), all of the above, you’re right! Walking in the city is by far one of the best ways to get around the city.
Sharing some sidewalk chalk #inspiration I found while walking 6th ave in #NYC. #InternationalDayOfHappiness #spring pic.twitter.com/gaN5X57NGv
— Lindsey Erlick (@linze_e) March 20, 2015
Nationwide, most kids get to school by bus or car. Ideally, if you’re able, and it’s safe, walking or bicycling to school is a great option. In walker-oriented cities like Boston or Minneapolis, most walk to and from school.
… and kids who grow up in the city pride themselves on being street smart. Are you? Here’s what everyone who walks around the city should know. We’re all walkers. (And if you want to get fancy about it, pedestrians.)
Walking is pretty safe–just not 100%

Don’t be this guy, OK? (bikepeacenyc / Flickr)
The good news is that walking is a natural part of city life, and generally safe.
Fact: The number of people who die in traffic incidents in New York City is the lowest among all large U.S. cities! Especially surprising given how many people are out there walking around the city.
The bad news is that bad stuff still can happen and does happen—people get hurt and even killed in crashes when they’re just walking down the street.
Even lined up, you can't capture the magnitude of everyone killed in NYC traffic in 1 year a single photo #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/AJNP3P1zSl
— Right of Way (@RightOfWayNYC) April 19, 2015
Here are the numbers
Here are some numbers on walker crashes for you:
- Nationwide, since 2007, walker deaths have increased by 27%. This is the highest since 1990.
While all other traffic deaths have decreased over the past decade, pedestrian fatalities have increased 27% since 2007. New report on 2017 pedestrian fatalities: https://t.co/ya85DTn3ov. pic.twitter.com/24raAUdrvM
— GHSA (@GHSAHQ) February 28, 2018
- 10-to-14 year olds tied with 50-to-54 year olds for the number killed by a car while walking.
- 16-to-19 year old injuries while walking have increased 25% in the last five years.
Teens are most at risk for pedestrian injuries. @safekids report on walking safety: https://t.co/tONPguonIT pic.twitter.com/LWiRvJ0L3a
— Grow Up Safe (@growupsafe) August 7, 2017
Yikes!
But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can be safe while walking! Many cities have a plan called Vision Zero to bring the number of walker deaths down to zero! And it works.
While fatalities are up nationwide, in #VisionZero cities like San Francisco and New York City have decreased 33% and 45% respectively.
In New York and San Francisco, walker fatalities are down. #VisionZero anyone? pic.twitter.com/LVL7jyeJ1I
— VisionHero (@Vision_Hero) May 18, 2018
And more and more towns across the U.S are adopting Vision Zero programs. Wherever you are, you can help increase your safety by being a smart citizen of the street and aware of your surroundings. Everyone has the power to help make our streets safer for walkers. Including you!

And you don’t even need to be an intergalactic princess or Sith Lord to do it. (Giphy)
Here’s where walkers are most likely to get hurt
You’ve heard of right of way. It basically means you have the right to walk and drivers have to wait for you. But here’s the thing: Just because you have the right of way doesn’t mean you can stop paying attention.
Trying to explain to 18yo niece from California why #brooklyn drivers #FailtoYield #RightOfWay. She asks if they have a license.
— Hilda (she/her) (@HildaBikes) May 31, 2015
I realize pedestrians have the #RightOfWay but you still gotta look before waltzing into traffic, peeps #CommonSense #My3YearOldsKnowThat
— Stacey Lynn (@BrightSilver12) May 23, 2015
Like, you may have the walk signal, but some car can still come zooming through a red light and hit you.
Kids your age are most often hit in the crosswalk by turning vehicles when they have the walk signal.

So if you know where the riskiest spots are, you’ll know where to be extra careful.

Places like these:
1. Wide streets. Most walker injuries happen on the widest streets. If the street you’re on has “avenue” or “concourse” or “boulevard” in its name, be even more careful …
… Though Vision Zero is starting to make these streets safer and more walkable (and bikeable). #ThanksVisionZero
2. Intersections. Of all crashes where vehicles hit pedestrians, 74% happen at intersections. Why? Because that’s where cars, trucks and buses turn and are most likely to (a) not see you and (b) hit you.
Part of the problem is that drivers have “blind spots” that make walkers really hard to see. (Weird but true: The way vehicles are built often make it hard for drivers to see everything around them easily. Those are the blind spots. If you’re in the blind spot of a car or bus or truck, look out!)
I mean an 18 wheeler almost hit me today because I was in his blind spot. No biggie. I only almost died twice today…
— Carolina Girl (@Sweet_Carolina9) March 27, 2013
This lady didn't check her blind spot and almost hit me and then honked at me
Wat
— jules (@julieeeaustinnn) November 7, 2014
You’re like “Dude, I’m RIGHT HERE!” but the driver’s like “What? I totally didn’t see you.”
Watch this car almost hit a girl crossing at the corner:
Fact: Drivers have a harder time seeing you at intersections… or driving fast.
3. Wherever drivers are distracted. Too often, drivers aren’t paying full attention to the road because they’re texting, navigating, reading a map, eating, drinking, talking, making a call, putting on makeup, using GPS, adjusting music … Plus some drivers are speeding or sleepy or sick or are just bad drivers.
Phones have "airplane mode". Why don't they have mandatory "car mode"? http://t.co/erZyLcag3f #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/bnwtcqtDjG
— Kelly Lewis (@stickbook) May 22, 2015
Watch out for these guys!

Do you trust this driver to see you if you’re crossing in front of her? Didn’t think so. (irina slutsky / Flickr)
4. Wherever buses and trucks are. Did you know that trucks turn differently than cars? The back wheels don’t follow the same path as the front wheels. If you are waiting in the street for the walk signal, a turning truck or bus could run your toes over. …or worse!
And besides, the drivers of big trucks and buses can’t always see you. Even if you’re 10 feet tall.

How can drivers of big trucks see people crossing the street near them? Answer: They can’t always. (Salim Virij / Flickr)
Tips for staying safe
So now you know why you need to be careful walking on the street. Here are a few suggestions for how to stay safe.
1. Make eye contact with drivers. By making eye contact, you are making yourself visible and telling the driver “Hey, I’m here!” It can be awkward, but it actually helps. …and it’s not a safety guarantee!
Pic1: ok but what about drivers texting?
Pic2: ok but can’t make eye contact bc driver is looking at phone?Way too “vigilant” about the pedestrians when I see ppl in cars running reds, blocking intersections, stopping in crosswalks, and almost hitting pedestrians daily. pic.twitter.com/1Vt6bPM2nT
— ᴍᴏᴏsᴇ «𝖏𝖊𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖈𝖗𝖆𝖋𝖙𝖊𝖗» (@moosecat_) April 27, 2018
2. Know the 3 ways to cross the street. And try to use the right one at the right time. You can cross at a light, cross at a stop sign or cross mid-block.

New Yorkers cross mid-block like it’s no big thing, but it often is, actually. (Ed Yourdon / Flickr)
The laws in many cities are…
- Walkers must cross the street at designated crosswalks. But it’s an open secret that sometimes crossing mid-block is actually safer than crossing at the corner. Even so, drivers are not expecting people or animals to cross mid-block, so check that the street is clear and scan as you cross.
- You, a walker, have the right of way to cross the street in a crosswalk when you have the signal.
- You also have the right of way if there’s a stop sign for traffic.
At night, be extra, super careful to make sure you’re being seen.
3. Watch for ways the streets are changing. One day a car can turn at a certain intersection, and the next, turns there are banned. Or suddenly the sidewalk you walk on every day got wider. Or you spot a new median with flowers on that avenue you go down a lot.
Chronic problem with Bowery jughandle (above). Easy solution via San Francisco (below). #bikenyc #visionzero pic.twitter.com/CO4Bi1g71y
— Doug Gordon (@BrooklynSpoke) October 6, 2014
Look for these kinds of changes–they mean the street is getting safer for you!
Staying safe on the street as a walker means remembering that you are sharing the street with cars, trucks, buses, bikes and emergency vehicles. There’s a lot going on out on the streets!