United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Pedestrian Safety

At some point in the day, everyone is a pedestrian, which is why pedestrian safety is an essential part of every highway safety communications plan. Below you’ll find messaging on how drivers can keep pedestrians safe and how pedestrians can stay safe.

Some assets are available in English and Spanish. Share this information with partner organizations to help spread the message across communities. 

A reminder – October is Pedestrian Safety Month, a good opportunity to increase safety messaging across all platforms.   

Facts

Pedestrian facts, stats and reports from NHTSA's National Center for Statistics and Analysis

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  • 7,314 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2023, a 4% decrease from the 7,593 pedestrian fatalities in 2022.
  • 68,244 pedestrians were injured in traffic crashes in 2023, a 1% increase from 67,341 pedestrians injured in 2022.
  • On average, a pedestrian died every 72 minutes and one was injured every 8 minutes in traffic crashes in 2023.
  • 18% of all traffic deaths in 2023 were pedestrians, and 3% of all people injured in traffic crashes were pedestrians.
  • 17% of the children 14 and younger killed in traffic crashes in 2023 were pedestrians.
  • 70% of the pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2023 were males.
  • Alcohol use was reported in 46% of all fatal pedestrian crashes in 2023, with a blood alcohol concentration of .01 for the driver and/or the pedestrian.
  • In 2023, urban areas had a pedestrian fatality rate much higher (84%) than rural areas (16%).
  • 74% of the pedestrian fatalities occurred at locations that were not intersections, 17% occurred at intersections, and the remaining 9% occurred at other locations in 2023.
  • More pedestrian fatalities occurred in the dark (77%) than in daylight (19%), dusk (2%), and dawn (2%) in 2023.
  • 89% of pedestrian fatalities occurred in single-vehicle crashes in 2023.
  • 1 out of every 4 pedestrians killed in traffic crashes in 2023 (24%) was struck by a hit-and-run driver.

Social Media

This social media playbook contains sample social media content in English and Spanish. Download this guide for instructions on posting the below playbook graphics to Facebook, X and Instagram. The content is designed for easy posting and seamless integration into your current social media strategy.

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Graphics

Asset Type

Graphics | English
Dads | Static | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Families | Static | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Friends | Static | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Grandmas | Static | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Infographics | English
Fatalities Injuries | English 1200x600
Pedestrian Children | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Pedestrian Darkness | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Pedestrian Impaired | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Pedestrian Non-Intersection | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Pedestrian Speed Sign | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Pedestrian Speed | English 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Graphics | Spanish
Dads | Static | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Families | Static | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Friends | Static | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram
Grandmas | Static | Spanish 1200x1200 | Facebook, X, Instagram

Image Library

Pedestrian Image Library

Videos

Driving Around Pedestrians Multilingual
Pedestrian Bystander Multilingual
Walking Safely Multilingual

Pedestrian Safety Month

During October, USDOT and NHTSA celebrate National Pedestrian Safety Month. You can use any of the materials available on this page to increase your pedestrian safety messaging.

Also, sample news releases can be downloaded and used during National Pedestrian Safety Month.

Additional Resources