Active Transportation Safety
Highlights
2022
- There were 697 pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities and serious injuries in 2022—the highest in a decade
- Pedestrian and bicyclist traffic fatalities decreased by 8.1% from 160 deaths in 2021 to 147 in 2022
- Serious injuries to people walking and bicycling increased by 8.1% from 509 in 2021 to 550 in 2022
- Since active transportation safety metric baselines were set in 2019, combined pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities have increased by 26.7% (116 to 147) and serious injuries to these travelers have increased by 19.3% (461 to 550)
- In 2022, 68.3% of fatal crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists occurred on roads with posted speed limits above 25 mph
WSDOT performance metrics for safety
In 2021, WSDOT established active transportation performance metrics for safety as part of the Washington State Active Transportation Plan. Improvements are needed in all performance metrics as the WSDOT metrics follow the Washington State Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Target Zero, which aims to achieve the goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
Active Transportation safety performance metrics
| Performance metrics | Measures | 2019 Baseline | 2022 | Goal by 2030 | Desired trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliminate active transportation fatalities from traffic crashes | Number of active transportation users killed in traffic crashes | 107 pedestrians 9 bicyclists | 136 pedestrians 11 bicyclists | 0 | 🠋 |
| Eliminate active transportation serious injuries from traffic crashes | Number of active transportation users seriously injured in traffic crashes | 358 pedestrians 103 bicyclists | 408 pedestrians 142 bicyclists | 0 | 🠋 |
| Eliminate active transportation fatal and serious injuries from traffic crashes for 65 years or older population | Number of fatal and serious injuries in active transportation users 65 years or older in traffic crashes | 28 fatalities 54 serious injuries | 31 fatalities 55 serious injuries | 0 | 🠋 |
| Reduce speed limits in population centers to 25 mph or less | Miles of state highway (that are not full limited access) in population centers with posted speeds of 25 mph or less | 94 miles posted speed of 25 mph or less | 95 miles posted speed of 25 mph or less | 1,930 miles | 🠉 |
2021
- Combined pedestrian and bicyclist traffic fatalities increased by 26.0% from 123 deaths in 2020 to 155 deaths in 2021
- Serious injuries to people walking and bicycling increased 28.2% from 397 in 2020 to 509 in 2021
- From 2012 to 2021, 87% of pedestrian and bicyclist fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits above 25 mph
Pedestrian and bicyclist traffic fatalities in Washington state up 26% in 2021
In 2021, WSDOT established active transportation performance metrics for safety as part of the Washington State Active Transportation Plan. Improvements are needed in all performance metrics as the WSDOT metrics follow the Washington State Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Target Zero, which aims to achieve the goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
Active Transportation safety performance metrics
| Performance metrics | Measures | 2019 Baseline | 2021 | Goal by 2030 | Desired trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eliminate active transportation fatalities from traffic crashes | Number of active transportation users killed in traffic crashes | 107 pedestrians 9 bicyclists | 141 pedestrians 14 bicyclists | 0 | 🠋 |
| Eliminate active transportation serious injuries from traffic crashes | Number of active transportation users seriously injured in traffic crashes | 358 pedestrians 103 bicyclists | 410 pedestrians 99 bicyclists | 0 | 🠋 |
| Eliminate active transportation fatal and serious injuries from traffic crashes for 65 years or older population | Number of fatal and serious injuries in active transportation users 65 years or older in traffic crashes | 28 fatalities 54 serious injuries | 33 fatalities 58 serious injuries | 0 | 🠋 |
| Reduce speed limits in population centers to 25 mph or less | Miles of state highway (that are not full limited access) in population centers with posted speeds of 25 mph or less | 94 miles posted speed of 25 mph or less | 94 miles posted speed of 25 mph or less | 1,930 miles | 🠉 |
2020
- Combined pedestrian and bicyclist traffic fatalities held relatively steady, going from 116 deaths in 2019 to 117 deaths in 2020
- Serious injuries to people walking and bicycling decreased 13.0% from 461 in 2019 to 401 in 2020
- About 22% of those who died or were seriously injured in traffic crashes during 2020 were pedestrians and bicyclists
- From 2010 to 2020, 86% of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities occurred on roads with posted speeds above 25 mph
Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities stay steady from 2019 to 2020, remain above 2011 levels
There was one more fatality involving people walking, biking, traveling in wheelchairs and using other small rideable devices on Washington roadways in 2020 (117 people) than in 2019 (116 people). Combined pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities were 48.1% higher in 2020 than in 2011 (79 people). While there has been some fluctuation in the numbers of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities over the last 10 years, the long-term trend shows an overall increase.
2019
- Combined pedestrian and bicyclist traffic fatalities declined slightly, going from 118 deaths in 2018 to 113 deaths in 2019
- Serious injuries to people walking and bicycling decreased 11% from 523 in 2018 to 464 in 2019
- About 21% of those who died or were seriously injured in traffic crashes during 2019 were pedestrians and bicyclists
- From 2010 to 2019, 86% of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities occurred on roads with posted speeds of 30 mph or higher
- Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities in March-June of 2020 were 48% higher than the pre-COVID-19 average for those months
Pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities drop slightly from 2018 to 2019, but stay above 2010 levels
There were five fewer fatalities involving people walking and biking on Washington roadways in 2019 (113 people) than in 2018 (118 people). Despite this second year of incremental improvement, combined pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities were 61.4% higher in 2019 than in 2010 (71 people). Due to fluctuations in the numbers of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities over the last 10 years, it is too early to say whether or not the five fewer lives lost in 2019 indicates a change in the long-term trend.
2018
- About 22% of those who died in a traffic collision during 2018 were pedestrians and bicyclists
- Serious injuries to people walking and bicycling increased 15% from 450 in 2017 to 519 in 2018
- Evaluation of Safe Routes to School/Pedestrian and Bicycle Program projects found a 36% to 44% decrease in bicyclist and pedestrian crashes at project sites
- From 2014 to 2018, 87% of pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities occurred on roads with posted speeds of 30 mph or higher
Pedestrian fatalities continue to increase while bicyclist fatalities remain the same in 2018
Traffic deaths involving people walking and biking on Washington roadways increased 50% from 82 in 2014 to 123 in 2018. Between 2017 and 2018, the total number of fatalities increased less than 1%—from 121 to 123—with pedestrian fatalities increasing by two, and bicyclist fatalities remaining steady. Since 2014, traffic fatalities involving pedestrians—including people in wheelchairs and those using other small rideable devices such as skateboards and scooters—have increased 42% from 76 to 108. Bicyclist fatalities have more than doubled during this same five-year period, increasing 150% from six in 2014 to 15 in 2018.