'Dangerous by Design' 2026 report highlights 72% increase in pedestrian deaths since 2009

Although US traffic deaths dropped in the last two years, the number of people killed on US roads remains much higher than two decades ago.

1 minute read

June 11, 2026, 5:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


White ambulance and three first responders in yellow vests and firefighting suit wheel gurney into ambulance at car crash site at small intersection.

Road fatalities increased dramatically between 2009 and 2024. | TFoxFoto / Shutterstock

Smart Growth America released its 2026 Dangerous by Design report, which assesses the state of road safety in the United States.

According to the report, "The 72 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities in the 15 years from 2009 to 2024 outpaces both the growth in population and vehicle miles traveled. While pedestrian deaths have in fact decreased slightly for two straight years (2022 to 2024), 2024’s total is higher than every year on record since 1982, other than the modern-day historic highs experienced from 2021 to 2023."

The report notes that framing the recent decrease in deaths as positive obscures the high number of fatalities. "We should not be celebrating a modest 3.9 percent decrease from 2023-24, considering that we are still nowhere close to 2019 levels when 6,200 total deaths of people walking led to headlines bemoaning this historic high."

The report adds that the most dangerous regions are becoming even more deadly, with the highest pedestrian fatality rates reaching 5.5 as opposed to 3.52 in 2009. 

Sunday, June 7, 2026 in Smart Growth America

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