Metro Detroiters drive faster than the national average
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Metro Detroit drivers tend to drive faster than the national average on major pedestrian roadways, making those streets more dangerous for people on foot.
Why it matters: Just 19.8% of our region's major pedestrian roadways have average vehicle speeds under 25 mph, compared with the national average of 36%, Axios' Joann Muller reports.
- Pedestrians are twice as likely to be killed in a collision when a car is traveling at 30 mph compared with 20 mph, and over five times more likely when the car is driving 40 mph, according to data from the AAA Foundation.
Driving the news: The finding is based on a report from StreetLight Data, which tracks mobility trends using anonymized cellphone data and other sources.
- The group's objective was to understand how fast vehicles are actually going and the impact on pedestrian safety, creating what it calls a "Safe Speed Index."
The biggest danger zone? Fast-moving roads alongside busy retail and service areas with lots of foot traffic. Take, for instance, infamously hazardous Gratiot Avenue.
By the numbers: Michigan had 1.78 pedestrian fatalities per 100,000 residents in 2022, compared with a national rate of 2.28, according to a separate report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA).
- At least 7,508 pedestrians were struck and killed by cars in the U.S. in 2022 — the most in 41 years.
Zoom in: Detroit had the third highest pedestrian fatality rate of large U.S. cities in 2020, per a city report.