Walking In Arizona? You Better Watch Out

One of the first things I noticed when I loved to Arizona was how unfriendly it is to pedestrians. Aside from my hometown of Bisbee, it seemed like it was impossible to walk anywhere in the state.

Unfortunately, that may be by design, as Arizona is becoming more and more dangerous for those who prefer to travel without a car.

Don't Walk in Arizona!

A recent study has been released on the safety of pedestrians per state in America. Arizona made headlines, but unfortunately for the wrong reasons. We had the second largest amount of pedestrian fatalities in the nation, second only to New Mexico.

Based on statistics from the past two years, Arizona has been shown to have an average of 3.6 pedestrian deaths per 100,000 people, or around 273 per year as a whole. This is not good, and can likely come from a variety of reasons specific to Arizona.

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Why is Arizona's Death Rate So High?

Arizona is a highly car dependent state, and it's no wonder why. When the coolest summer day is around 110 degrees, it makes sense people would prefer to travel in the relative comfort of their cars. That being said, since we're so dependent, there's not many sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians to use.

As such, pedestrians are more likely to jaywalks and walk along the side of the road, which leads to an exponentially higher chance of being hit. While it does make sense not to spend tax dollars on walkways that won't be used, making the state more walkable would likely lead to a massive decrease in pedestrian fatalities as a whole.

[KJZZ]