Bradenton-Sarasota Roads Among Nation’s Most Dangerous for Pedestrians
A Smart Growth America/National Complete Streets Coalition map shows the deadliest metro areas for pedestrians.
By Lisa Neff
The Bradenton region remains one of the most dangerous in the nation for pedestrians, according to a new report from Smart Growth America and the National Complete Streets Coalition.
The research and advocacy groups compile “Dangerous by Design” about every two years. The 2026 report identifies some progress in communities but still reports 39,254 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2024, including 7,080 pedestrians.
Pedestrian deaths decreased slightly for a couple of years, from 2022 to 2024, but 2024’s total number of pedestrian deaths is higher than every other year since 1982.
And nationwide there’s been a 72% increase in pedestrian fatalities since 2009.
Florida is ranked fifth on the list of 20 deadliest states for people walking, with an average annual pedestrian fatality rate of 3.32 per 100,000 people from 2020-24. The report cites 3,726 pedestrian deaths for the period compared with 3,356 deaths from 2015-19.
New Mexico ranks first on the list, followed by Louisiana, Arizona and South Carolina.
The deadliest metro areas for pedestrians, ranked by average annual fatality rates per 100,000 residents, includes the Memphis, Tennessee, area at No. 1, followed by Albuquerque, New Mexico, Bakersfield, California, Tucson, Arizona, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater area is No. 8 with an average annual pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 of 3.74.
The Bradenton/Sarasota/North Port area is No. 15, with an average annual pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 of 3.44 and 153 pedestrian deaths for 2020-2024 compared with 119 for 2015-19.
The report does more than cite statistics. It promotes change in the way streets are designed.
“Since the 1950s, the primary goal for transportation has been to move vehicles quickly in nearly all contexts, and 70 years of street design reflects those choices,” the report states. “When roads are wide and straight, lanes are wide and plentiful, and intersections are infrequent or non-signalized, people feel comfortable driving faster—even when the speed limit is low.”
The report continues, “The result can be streets that are terrifying for people walking. Long crossing distances, infrequent signals, and high-speed turns force pedestrians to take their lives into their hands simply to reach the other side of the street.”
In short, a road network designed for speed produces deadly outcomes for walkers.
While U.S. roads remain dangerous for pedestrians, Smart Growth America points to improved conditions in other countries, specifically Japan, where pedestrian fatalities declined 30% from 2014-2024, as well as Germany and the United Kingdom, which saw declines of 20% and 10%, respectively.
Norway has the lowest roadway fatality rate in the world and reduced fatalities by 31% between 2015 and 2024.
“If we were any other country, this would be treated as a national crisis,” says Beth Osborne, president and CEO of Smart Growth America.
What does Smart Growth America propose? “Addressing the roadway safety crisis will require making street design changes to reduce speeds, improve visibility and create protected space for people walking and biking.”
Heidi Simon, a coauthor of the report, says, “We know how to prevent deaths on our streets. Communities across the country have shown that safer street design saves lives.
She adds, “Real progress is sustained progress and until we commit to making safer street design the default, thousands of people will continue to pay the price.”
In the Bradenton area, conversations about safer streets are taking place on the dais at the Manatee County Board of County Commission meetings, in Bradenton City Council chambers and also among the staff and officials serving the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization.
The MPO is implementing a long-term Destination Zero Safety Action Plan. The goal is in the campaign name — to reduce fatalities and serious injury crashes to zero.
Area projects in the works include building roundabouts, raising crosswalks and creating or expanding multiuse trails.
On June 18, for example, Manatee County held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the construction start on the Gateway Greenway Trail, a regional multimodal corridor that will connect Palmetto and Parrish and help separate pedestrians and cyclists from vehicular traffic.