The Transportation For America coalition has released a new report that assesses America's major metropolitan areas and states according to how safe they are for walking. The report, titled Dangerous by Design, notes that most pedestrian deaths occur on streets that are designed to encourage speeding traffic and that many pedestrian deaths could be prevented with proper protections. Fixing these problems is a matter of will on the part of state departments of transportation and local communities, and of shifting spending priorities.
 
Pennsylvania's metro areas were rated well by the report. Every metro area centered in the state has a pedestrian danger index below the national average.  However, with only 2.1% of Pennsylvania's federal transportation dollars being spent on pedestrian projects, there is still room for improvement.

While walking conditions remain perilous across the country, many communities are working to make their streets safe and welcoming for people on foot or bicycle. Communities across the country are beginning to reverse the dangerous legacy of 50 years of anti-pedestrian policies by retrofitting or building new roads as "complete streets" that are safer for walking and bicycling as well as motorists.

The Transportation for Pennsylvania coalition, led by 10,000 Friends, encourages members of Congress to support pedestrian safety through more walkable, bikable, transit-oriented communities as they deliberate the new federal transportation bill.