Las Vegas was named one of the nation’s most dangerous cities for pedestrians, according to a recent study.
Kuru, a shoe company, analyzed pedestrian fatality data and walk scores — which measures how easily residents can reach everyday errands and amenities on foot, with lower scores indicating greater dependence on cars — for 35 major metropolitan cities across the country to determine which cities are the safest and most dangerous for pedestrians.
With a total safety score of 25 out of 100 — compiled from 3.46 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people and a walk score of 42 out of 100 — Las Vegas ranked 30th.
Erin Breen, director of UNLV’s Road Equity Alliance Project, a pedestrian and traffic safety initiative, attributed Las Vegas’ poor placement in the study to the city’s development post-World War II.
She said that, as cars became cheaper and every family started to own one after the war, streets became wider with nowhere for people to cross.
“Our streets are built like the car is king,” Breen said. “Our streets were built for cars, not people.”
Las Vegas’ mark of 3.46 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 is the fifth-highest in the study, trailing only Albuquerque, New Mexico (4.41), Mesa, Arizona (3.6), Phoenix, Arizona (3.6) and Tucson, Arizona (3.6), respectively.
Its walk score is the 13th-lowest in the study. According to a news release by Kuru, the city’s walk score reflects “limited pedestrian infrastructure amid high tourism traffic and busy roadways.”
Last year, Kuru conducted the same study, finding that Las Vegas had 3.41 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people — only behind Albuquerque (4.68) and Jacksonville, Florida (3.54), respectively — and also a 42 walk score for a total safety score of 29.
Both years, Boston, Massachusetts, New York, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were among the top 5 safest cities for pedestrians. This year, Louisville, Kentucky and Milwaukee, Wisconsin replaced Chicago, Illinois and Nashville, Tennessee, in the top 5.
In the latest study, Milwaukee had the lowest pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people, with 0.92. Washington, D.C.’s 98 walk score was the study’s highest, while Jacksonville and Charlotte, North Carolina’s 26 walk score was its lowest.
Boston was named the nation’s safest city for pedestrians with a total safety score of 88, and Albuquerque was dubbed the country’s most dangerous city for pedestrians with a total safety score of 12.
Contact Alex Streinger at astreinger@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5505. Follow @AlexPStreinger on X.
